how many pro athletes have you met?

[iceberg_is_on_fire]

Glenn Robinson
Steve Smith

Both at Glenn's basketball camp.

 

[Big Jo]

Tell me there's a story you had with at least one of them

I'd like to know about the dinner

It was a corporate dinner, with the comapny sponsors. Maybe 30 or 40 people total. I was ten years old and I think the only child there.

Vince is VERY soft spoken in person. He speaks quietly, almost the point you can't hear what he's saying. Total opposite of the loud, boisterous voice he uses on TV for commentary and promos. That's what I remember the most. I went up to him, shook his hand and he posed for a picture with me. The whole dinner he was acting low key and just seems like a reserved, nice guy. Again, the exact opposite of a$$hole Vince you see on TV.

Owen Hart was the friendliest, nicest guy you could ever meet. RIP.

Yokozuna spoke perfect english backstage -- really unexpected and funny to see that based on his TV character.

I stood in the Summerslam 95 ring while they were setting up. The mat is rough and the ropes, turnbuckles have no give. That thing is legit. Diesel (who was world champion at the time) was walking around the arena, saw me standing in the ring (a 10 year old kid), jumped in and ran towards me with a fake leg kick. Really funny. Great guy.

The worst wrestler I ever met BY FAR was Bob Backlund. I was a total Bob Backlund mark at the time, for some reason I would root for all the heels as a kid. So yea, I was the biggest (and probably only) Bob Backlund fan -- I even had a Bob Backlund for President button. So I'm walking around with my father backstage and we see Bob Backlund. I go over to him, say hello and shake his hand. I then hand him my autograph book and ask him to sign it. He says he would only sign an autograph for me if I would recite all of the presidents, from memory, in order.

Not making this up. I thought he was joking at first (and just playing along with his TV character), so I recited all of the presidents I could from memory -- 3 or 4 maybe, and then expect him to sign the autograph. He says, no, he wouldn't sign the autograph because I couldn't recite the presidents.

At this point I get very upset, I'm almost about to cry, and I go over and tell my dad. He was talking to a young Shane McMahon (this is before Shane was on TV), who overheard me. Shane goes over to Bob, very calmly, and tells him I'm the son of a sponsor and to sign the autograph. Referee Tim White goes over too, and makes fun of Bob and tells him to sign the damn thing.

Bob still refused. He takes my autograph book, and actually writes "Joseph, I will sign an autograph for you when you can recite all US Presidents by name" and doesnt actually sign his name. I walk away with Shane and Tim, both of whom were super cool and apologetic, and told me and my dad that Bob is a nutjob and gets 100% in character. They gave me some free merchandise to make up for it and we smashed my Backlund for President pin with a hammer.

 

[Made Man]

Pro athletes are pretty common from where i'm from. Was just koolin watching the Ohio St Vs. Bama game with my boy the other week. He play for the bills.

 

[KatieGotAzzHairs]

It was a hockey player, it was sad for me cause I am a huge hockey fan so I follow the news off the ice. This player was a big alcoholic, stories of his wife kicking him out and him living in hotels. Then got cleaned up. Fixed it all.. so the news papers would say. I would drink with him and he was ok, I wouldnt say he stopped drinking but he wouldn't get wasted so it was no big deal, until one day he got completely wasted, leans over asks for coke, he was drunk as shyt at the time and was talking WAY louder then he thought he was, the bartender looked over I am like no man chill... he went to go piss the bartender was like hes been asking me all day..dude never got back on track, was all lies

Would this by any chance be Theron Fleury or Sandis Ozolinsh? When I met Ozolinish in Florida he introduced himself as The Great Sandis Ozolinsh without a hint of irony or humor. Still one of my fav offensive defensemen.

I met like damn near the entire Edmonton Oilers hockey team in 1998 at the St.Louis Galleria. At that point they had Mike Grier and Georges Lararaque, two black players on their roster.. I knew who they were the moment the automatic doors parted and they walked in. The first place Grier and Laraque walked into was FYE.

It was a like booth topic, because they immediately started arguing over hip hop. I believe Grier said Nas was overrated and in fact garbage (a true coli troll!). All of a sudden Janne Ninnimma (Finish dude) pops in and ends the argument by saying no one is better than Puffy. Another future coli troll!

One of their staff saw me gaping at them, and figured I knew who they were. I got to have lunch with them and they were all cool guys. Grier and Laraque were impressed that I was a black kid who played hockey and told me to keep it up. Grier said don't play in goal anymore because all goalies go crazy in the end.

 

[RiffRaff]

I used to work in the Galleria in Houston so I met A LOT of athletes.

Off top:

Andre Johnson
T.J. Yates
Chandler Parsons
James Harden
Terrence Jones
Zach Randolph
J.R. Smith
Vijay Singh

A lot more I simply can't remember off top.
I saw Floyd Mayweather once and he was with his money team body guards, all like 6'10 weighing well over 300 pounds . Shut down the whole store for just him while he was in there

Me and my boy almost got into it with an NBA player a few months ago at a bar, but I don't want to volunteer that info online .

 

[meth68]

Would this by any chance be Theron Fleury or Sandis Ozolinsh? When I met Ozolinish in Florida he introduced himself as The Great Sandis Ozolinsh without a hint of irony or humor. Still one of my fav offensive defensemen.

I met like damn near the entire Edmonton Oilers hockey team in 1998 at the St.Louis Galleria. At that point they had Mike Grier and Georges Lararaque, two black players on their roster.. I knew who they were the moment the automatic doors parted and they walked in. The first place Grier and Laraque walked into was FYE.

It was a like booth topic, because they immediately started arguing over hip hop. I believe Grier said Nas was overrated and in fact garbage (a true coli troll!). All of a sudden Janne Ninnimma (Finish dude) pops in and ends the argument by saying no one is better than Puffy. Another future coli troll!

One of their staff saw me gaping at them, and figured I knew who they were. I got to have lunch with them and they were all cool guys. Grier and Laraque were impressed that I was a black kid who played hockey and told me to keep it up. Grier said don't play in goal anymore because all goalies go crazy in the end.

It was none other then the great Ken Daneyko, very very cool dude to chill with (If you ignore the fact he has a wife and kids) It started with him going to the same place I would go to with friends and I knew the owner, bouncers, bartenders and dancers. So we could always get hooked up, and I kept seeing him there solo. Finally 1 day I went over and talked to him, got to a point he would come over and say whats up to us if he was there and we walked in after him. Then to a point where we all just sat together and chilled. We are all hockey fans but it was more of a guys night out when we hung out with him, hes pretty popular around here in NJ but its not like OMGOMG popular lol. So he was able to lay in the cut like most hockey players. On normal nights he was chill as hell we had fun, but then he had rough nights where he fell off the wagon and wow...

Laraque was a big dude man, a friend met him and said he was very chill.

Hockey players in general have to be the most down to earth normal athletes I have come across on a regular basis. I had mats zuccarello from the rangers cracking up one night because everyone was drinking with me and i was eating pumpkin pie and drinking a coffee, he had a game that day and was like why arent you drinking with your friends.. I am like its 4pm, I am enjoying my pumpkin pie after that we will do shots. My friend starts talking about COD on Xbox One and he was like I am a leader of a COD clan, give me your gamer tag and we will meet up tonight after the game on live! Everyone assumed he was kidding.. he was 1000000% serious lmfao

 

[Milk N Cookies]

I met Chad Johnson in an Urban Outfitters in Miami like two years ago. That's it.

I walked past him & I noticed him. He saw that I did & he was too excited. Then I rolled my eyes & kept moving. Then I called my sister to tell her he was there & she told me to take a pic with him. So I walked up to him & have a bullshyt apology '...you're walking around the store like you're not Chad Johnson...' (Exact words, no :ducktales: ) he was cool with it & took a pic with me.

I would say I met Michael Jordan's son Marcus@ my job Christmas 2013. I saw Jim out my periferal, & dud the Exorsist neck turn. Called behind him and his bodyguard(I guess) told him I was trying to get his attention. He turns around & I'm like u look familiar. U look like Michael Jordan's son; I think Marcus... & he was excitedly nodding like then I clowned him for dating white girls... He wasn't too pleased.





Now before yall say ' MnC' think about it. If I wouldn't have said what I said, how far would I have gotten? I would met his mom( I'm sure she woulda liked me) but once I were to meet his dad he woulda hit me with the & told Marcus to throw me in the bushes cause I'm black. I saved myself from pure heartbreak....

 

[Danie84]

Back in the days, saw Rebecca Lobo (if she counts) coming off the train at 34th Street

...That PAWG was as tall as a beanstalk

And, I knew Sebastian Telfair (if he counts) from Lincoln Days

 

[Tobias]

saw jason maxiell earlier this season in the lobby of a hotel i used to work at. stopped by after the game to have a beer and talk to a few people i used to work with

went up to him and told him "good game tonight man" and dapped him up. he was very shy and just said "thanks man i appreciate it"

realized the next day that he hadnt played a single minute that night

 

[Tobias]

my dad won tickets to the panthers/rams playoff game the yr the cats went to the super bowl

our plane was parked beside the panthers team jet so all of a sudden after the game, the whole team rolls by. i am 12 years old at the time so i am star struck. get everyone's autograph except one

i ask steve smith for an autograph and he looks at me and says "i dont do autographs kid" and walks away

fukk that fakkit. i have loathed him ever since

 

[KatieGotAzzHairs]

@meth68 I swear Danekyo was gonna be my third guess. I just picked Ozolinsh and Fleury because they both played for NYR.

Yeah Laraque was huuuuugeee. Same for Grier. Actually Grier was built like a football player, it was like talking to an actual tank.


Great stories, breh. Love the one about mats zuccarello. Warms my midget soul that a small breh can flourish in the league.

 

[meth68]

@meth68 I swear Danekyo was gonna be my third guess. I just picked Ozolinsh and Fleury because they both played for NYR.

Yeah Laraque was huuuuugeee. Same for Grier. Actually Grier was built like a football player, it was like talking to an actual tank.


Great stories, breh. Love the one about mats zuccarello. Warms my midget soul that a small breh can flourish in the league.

Fleury is an easy guess, I am crazy but I would never hang out with him in public, that dude has serious mental issues that I don't want to be part of. Amazing player though.

As for Zuc, I hope 1 day you somehow get to meet him, I swear he is probably the funniest person I ever came across in sports and in general, he is constantly busting balls, especially of Haglin, they are like best friends and do EVERYTHING together. He was telling us how they were bored 1 day, so Hags wanted to go out and for Zuc to pick the place... Zuc took him to the Bronx Zoo

This was their halloween costume this year

lmao

Later when I am bored I will tell you guys about the NYG player that had his credit card declined at a strip club and got embarrassed as hell


Edit: Lol I googled it to try to find a pic, but they put up video of them at the Zoo, his story was legit haha http://www.blueshirtsunited.com/video/boys-blueshirts-bronx-zoo

 

[Nature Boy Ric Flair]

THE NATURE BOY RIC FLAIR MET THE NATURE BOY RIC FLAIR


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Whitty Hutton]

Back in the days, saw Rebecca Lobo (if she counts) coming off the train at 34th Street

...That PAWG was as tall as a beanstalk

And, I knew Sebastian Telfair (if he counts) from Lincoln Days

 

[Jamal514]

GSP at a black establishment?...

Yeah, I was surprised. He's really chill though. He didn't wanna talk about MMA, he just wanted to talk about normal barbershop stuff.

It was a hockey player, it was sad for me cause I am a huge hockey fan so I follow the news off the ice. This player was a big alcoholic, stories of his wife kicking him out and him living in hotels. Then got cleaned up. Fixed it all.. so the news papers would say. I would drink with him and he was ok, I wouldnt say he stopped drinking but he wouldn't get wasted so it was no big deal, until one day he got completely wasted, leans over asks for coke, he was drunk as shyt at the time and was talking WAY louder then he thought he was, the bartender looked over I am like no man chill... he went to go piss the bartender was like hes been asking me all day..dude never got back on track, was all lies

I met Saku Koivu twice, the first time was in a shopping mall. I was 11-12 and he was in his rookie year, he was really cool and signed autographs for me and my boys. The second time was about 10 years later with the same friends in a club this time, he was drunk as hell and feeling up on random chicks.