First Entry
I get asked sometimes how I chose the number 55. When I was a freshman in college, we started three guards. One of them was 52, and one of them was 50. So they wanted me to get a number in the 50s, so I took 55. The other two guys were Keith Veney and Sidney Coles, who is Bimbo Coles' brother. I actually worked out with Bimbo a lot during the summer.
I never really had a favorite player in any sport growing up. Whatever season it was, I just liked watching whatever was on TV. No favorite teams, or anything. I am a fan of all sports. If I had to pick a favorite sport, I like playing tennis, and I like watching football. Of course I'm a fan of my Florida Gators football squad. And even though they had a little bit of a down year this year, they'll be back next year. They've got the number one quarterback in the country, so we'll be ready. As far as the hoop team goes, I picked the Gators to go to the Final Four. Although I've got to admit that I had Stanford beating them, so my pool's all messed up. But now, I'm picking the Gators to win it all.
I always thought that I would be a pro basketball player. I've always wanted to do it, and I always thought that I could. I listened to my Dad a lot, and listened to people who were older than me that had been through things that I was going to go through. I put myself through workout regimens where I'd practice passing a ball against a wall, and I'd put weights on my wrist to make it harder to control my hands. I had to get creative. Passing has always been my favorite thing to do. I like to try and make my teammates happy, and getting them the ball and letting them score, that seems to do the trick. And that's what's fun for me.
I give credit to all of my teammates from this year and last for helping me adjust from the college game to the NBA. The coaches too. Really, everyone in the organization. I think people can see the kind of chemistry that we have on the court, and we really have that same chemistry off the court. We all get along so well, and that shows when we play. The guy that I probably hang out with the most off the court is Chris Webber. We live close together, so it's easy for us.
The biggest adjustment from college to the NBA is all the traveling. It's tough, but you've got to do it, and I think I've adjusted to the point now where it really doesn't bother me anymore. Life on the road isn't that exciting for us. Off days, we'll usually just hang out, maybe go to the mall or something. I'm not much of a movie-goer. I can't sit still long enough. I do listen to some music. More than anything, I listen to rap. I'm a big fan of Jay-Z in particular.
We've had a good season with the Kings. Obviously, we can do better, but we're holding our own. We're going to the playoffs, which is the most important thing. I think that we can compete with anyone in a short series. Our home court is so tough, that as long as we come out and play our game, that's all we need to do.
One of the highlights of the season for me was participating in the All-Star weekend. I had a chance to play in the game that had the second-year players against the rookies. Growing up watching that weekend all of my life, and having a chance to be there was a lot of fun. The hype is pretty crazy. But hanging out with all of the guys was great. The highlight of the weekend had to be the dunk contest. Although I wasn't quite as amazed as most people were with what Vince Carter did, because I saw him do all of that the summer before the draft. During the game I played in, I got a lot of attention for my "elbow" pass. I really wasn't saving it for that particular game. I had just been waiting for the right opportunity to use it, and that was it. I would definitely try that during a regular season game. I just go out and play, and whatever happens, happens. I don't start thinking about, "Well, if I do this, this will happen." I think if people do that, they don't play up to their capabilities. They play like robots or something. So I just go out, and whatever happens, happens.
The biggest difference between my rookie season and last year is the length of the season. Since last year was shortened by the lockout, we only played 50 games. This year, it's 82. I don't want to say it's harder, but it definitely wears on your body. I do feel like I've got a better grasp on life in the NBA. I'm more accustomed to the traveling, and how important it is for me to get my rest.
As far as my spare time goes, I don't watch a lot of TV. Really just "SportsCenter." I mainly just swim, and play with my dog. I've got a golden lab, about a year and a half old. Her name is Sweet Pea. I named her after playground basketball legend Lloyd Daniels, whose nickname was Sweet Pea.
So that'll do it for now. I'm going to be sure to write again soon, and maybe put up some of my home photos. Don't forget that you can e-mail me if you want to. Thanks again for stopping by.
Jason
