Christmas, Love and Basketball

One of the things I try to do when I talk with NBA players is find things they have in common with all of us. At Christmas time we all can think back to the gifts we got and remember them fondly. One of the things we also have in common is a love of basketball. So when we were small, be it NBA players, bloggers or just fans we all likely got some basketball memories from Christmas. Some that may have even sparked why we love the game today. We all likely have a story of some basketball related gift we got from Santa or Mom and Dad. So when I was at the last game I covered before the holiday break asked a number of Raptors and former Raptor Kris Humphries the best basketball gift they got as a kid at Christmas.

Like I said decided to include some of you as well as some of my colleagues on the Internet and twitter followers too. So here is what some of their answers were.

Holly Mackenzie From The Score AKA @Stackmack- For as long as I can remember have always got a basketball book and a Lakers Calender, even thought I am more just a fan of the game now.

Adam Francis from Raptors HQ- I'd have to say a Mark Price poster (used to be a Cavs fan) of him hitting a free-throw with the slogan "Right on the Money."He was killing the "career free-throw percentage" category at the time, and even with some sub-par seasons post-Cavs, still holds the record!

Tom Liston from Raptors Republic- Wasn't for Christmas, but it was trip to see Bird/McHale/Parrish/DJ/Ainge at the Boston Gaaaaarrden. Amazing memory.

Ray Bala from Can Ball Report- The closest thing that I've gotten that was basketball related was a video game-Double Dribble for NES or Bulls vs Blazers for Sega Genisis.

Audley Stephenenson From NBA Breakdown- It had to be the Double Dribble video game for my Nintendo!! talk about cheesy graphics! I loved the close-up graphics when you went in for a dunk. I still remember the digitized voice when it started up "Double Dribble" (computer voice) Played for days with no water or food

Ryan McNeill From Hoops Addict.com - I got was a Huffy basketball net back in the day.

Danielle De Graauw From OUR DNB Staff- A Magic Johnson vintage t-shirt from sister. She saved up to buy it for me. Plus in high school, my parents got me a pair of tear aways I still wear and oh yeah, that Shaquille O'Neal bath set with the sponge as a basketball and net to dunk as I washed..for sentimentality the t-shirt and for humour the SHAQ gift.

Kid Raptor from Kiss 92.5 and Twitter - My Kid Raptor jersey =) <-- which he got from his Uncle Mocha. His dad @TheRounder said a Raptors Dance Pak calender <--but I am pretty sure they didn't have those back when he was a kid or Raptors for that matter.

Brett Poirier a Raps Fan and DNB Reader- When I was 12 I opened a tiny box that had hotel reservations for a spot in Toronto, another note in the box said open my next gift, their I say plane tickets for my family to Toronto. I started getting really excited, and finally got to the last box, in it were Raptors tickets 5 rows ups!!! They played the Nuggets that day, with melo and A.I on the team. ill never ever forget that x-mas gift.

Some other ones from folks on Twitter.

@BayanQ- As a kid my best bbal gift was a bball net outside my home. I would have loved court side seats though! :P

@ThatPatty- Lil Sport Hoops. I was using that bball net well into my teens. It owes me nothing after years of rim abuse.

@Yarock- Trashcan backboard! I dunked so many homework assignments in my Carter jersey

@RyanJHTurvey- Best x-mas gift I got was the Jordan book Rare Air. Looked through it thousands of times.

You might say what is the point to all of this. Well there are a few of them. First be people NBA stars or just the average person we all have memories of being kids. Second we all have a common bond in a love of basketball. Aside from that it great to share our fond memories of the holidays. May these holidays create some new memories for all of you that read the Dino Nation Blog. A special thanks from me to all of the people that contributed to this. May they and you all have a great holiday and get to enjoy family and friends and the spirit of the season. May still have one more DNB surprise before the day is done. But just in case not... Merry Christmas to you all.

Oh wait a second...I never answered this did I? Well for me my mom would always get me tickets to a Raptor game when she could manage to afford it. Actually more to the point a few games. My mom always tends to go above and beyond what you tell her. I remember, the Christmas after my father passed away, she asked me for a list of what I wanted. So I made one giving her what I thought was a list of options. Instead what I got was every single item on that list. I was floored and did not know what to say. But be it 1 gift under your tree or 101 this season is about having a good feeling in your heart and sharing that with the world. This is my gift to all of you that read the blog the whole year through. It never cost me a thing but time and effort and hopefully it made you think or made you smile. If it did that make sure you pass on that smile or thought to someone else.

A Letter To Santa For Raptor Fans

Dear Santa,

I wanted to write you a letter on behalf of some good boys and girls that cheer for the Raptors. Sure they boo sometimes, they may even call some players not so nice names. They sometimes put their desire for Pizza ahead of the team. But for the most part they are good people. They have been through a lot this year. They got told see ya on Twitter by a guy they loved for 7 years. If nothing else please make sure this guy is on the naughty list:

I also would like to strongly suggest that this guy is on the naughty list as well:

If you can't give him coal at least give him a razor to shave off the silly beard he has grown it is nothing like yours. While we are on the topic of who does not deserve presents make sure not to forget this guy:

He lied about being sick and tried to steal some girl's phone for taking his picture. He is just bad news Santa. Now on to some things we would like for our team. First on our list is 3 guys. They all have been good and really great to the fans. But they need some help with their game Santa. They even changed their name from the Young Gunz to the Young Onez for the kids. Well and because the NBA apparently thinks Gunz are not a politically correct toy anymore or nickname. Just ask the franchise in Washington about that.

If you could tell Amir not to foul as much and Sonny and Demar to take less jumpers that would be great to. Maybe promise them really cool gifts next year if they do. Now on to our friends from other lands, too many to have photos of.

• Andrea Bargnani- How about a trampoline to help him jumper higher and maybe get a rebound.
• Jose Calderon- We have been asking you this for long time but anything that makes him faster so he can stay in front of all those quick kids in the NBA
• Linas Klezia- Really just anything you got that can help this guy out would be great.
• Solomon Alabi- Playing Time Santa he gets none.
• Peja - Some thing nice for when he leaves us. After all his contract is going to give us lots of money next year.
• Leandro Barbosa- A nice DNB Elf told me I forgot him. He is from Brazil and I am pretty sure Steve Nash never gave Canadian Winter justice, so how about a Parka Santa to keep him warm.
  

Who else is left don't want to forget anyone like last year with Marcus Banks. Oh.... how about Ed Davis. He needs a weight room with lots of weights. He could use a few pounds unlike us Santa. Reggie Evans needs to share some of that milk people leave you to help make the bones in his foot heal faster.

There is also Julian Wright and Joey Dorsey... what do they need. PT that is what they need. They want to play just like all the other kids. Why is Triano being such a Grinch to them? It isn't fair Santa. Oh and I almost forgot one of our newest Raptors. Jerryd Bayless he seems like a nice kid. if you can help him not turnover the ball so much that would be great. We really like him aside from that.

As for Jay Triano and Bryan Colangelo. Well they need help Santa. I admit we are not always the nicest when we talk about these two. So anything you can do to help them make this team better we will take.

While for Raptors fans. We just want some Fu...Frigging Wins Santa!!!... and maybe some patience would help us all too. If you had anything to do with the win in Detroit... thanks for that. Not sure if you can make any of these things happen. But when you are a Raptor fan you have to have a lot of hope and faith. So... I have faith in you Santa to get the job done.

Oh shoot I almost forgot:

That is Candice from our Dance Pak. Kat and her and all the rest of the Dance Pak are good girls. Whatever they ask for... just give it to them Santa they have earned it. So that is about it. Hope all is well, and if you can make the Lakers beat the Heat by 20 on Christmas Day that would be great too. Have a Merry Christmas and all of us Raptors fans will try to be good....well except for February 16th....we can't promise to be good on that day.

Happy Holidays

The Dino Blogger, James Borbath

P.S- Also check out this little guy:

That is Kid Raptor he is the little one. For all the little kids like him that want basketballs and jerseys and stuff... hook them up Santa!!!We need all the basketball fans we can get up here in Canada!!!