One of the most beautiful things about sports is the connection you forge between yourself and a game, a team, or even a player. I can recall all of my favorite athletes growing up as a little kid from Dallas: Mike Piazza, Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley, Troy Aikman, Mike Modano, and Steve Nash. Sports are different as a kid, the emotions you feel for the first time, these athletes become your heroes. As a child growing up, I watched so many games on TV with my Dad and he took me to many a games growing up. I remember the heartbreaks and I remember the joy along the way. One of the more heartbreaking memories I can recall, was when Steve Nash signed to return to the Phoenix Suns. I loved Steve Nash, he had just won an MVP for Dallas. At the time I thought Nash and Dirk were the best duo of all time, not just in basketball, but of any duos ever, better than Batman and Robin. I cried when he left, I cried at my friends house, his mom asked what was wrong. I had to explain the great Steve Nash was leaving Dallas, I can only imagine what she was thinking, this little 9 year old boy is crying over a basketball player. At this point I’d experienced players leaving, but not my favorite player, nothing to this extent. My Dad had to tell me its just a game. He explained to me sometimes, athletes and owners have to make moves that are business related, and its not personal.

Today, at the fine age of 23 I went through another heartbreak. I received a text, Kent Bazemore is being traded. Frantically, I opened up twitter, hoping this was not true there is just no way, but there it was Kent Bazemore is going to Portland for Evan Turner. The reality set in. One of my favorite players is leaving the team that I love. This trade is a little different for me, after the Steve Nash deal my family and I moved to Atlanta. Immediately, I fell in love with the Hawks they were a scrappy underdog. The first few years we stunk, but the team grew and got better. Joe Johnson became an all-star, Josh Smith was blessing the highlight reels for the highlight factory, Al Horford and Marvin Williams were young kids just out of college, Josh Childress was flaunting his sweet afro, Mike Bibby was acquired in a trade, and Zaza Pachulia was a true grinder. This scrappy underdog team finally made the playoffs after a long drought of no playoff appearances, just to play the great super team Boston Celtics with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Oh, and these Hawks took that great Celtics team to 7 games as an 8 seed, it was amazing. This started the stretch of the consecutive playoff streak for the Hawks. Fast-Forward to 2014-2015, the Hawks win 60 regular season games, and become a one seed in the Eastern Conference, and on that team was the young, Kent Bazemore.

For those of you who do not know Kent Bazemore, Kent grew up in North Carolina and played college ball at Old Dominion, located in Norfolk, Virginia. That is where my love for Kent Bazemore began. My parents went to Old Dominion, so I grew up a watching a decent bit of ODU basketball. Kent Bazemore was a star at ODU. During his time at ODU his team knocked off 6 seed Notre Dame in the NCAA tournament, ODU won the CAA, Kent earned CAA Defensive player of the year, and the Lefty Driesell Award given to the nation’s top defensive player. Then, Kent went on to the NBA as an undrafted player who had to earn his spot from Summer league and the then earned a spot in the D-League. Kent worked his way onto Warriors roster, then played with the Lakers. Following his season with the Lakers, Kent signed with the Hawks. I was ecstatic, I could not believe it, this kid from ODU who scrapped and fought his way into the NBA is now on my favorite team. It was almost like destiny, I texted my Dad stating we just signed Bazemore. The rest is history, Kent became a fan favorite for the Hawks. He loved the city and we loved him. He gave so much back to the city from his Uno tournament and other countless things he did for the community. He played the game the right way here in Atlanta, you could see the love he had for the game, always sporting the big kind smile, with his trademark gap in his front two teeth. The intensity he brought on defense, the Baze Gaze, the passion on every play, the highlight dunks and blocks showcasing his unreal athleticism, the constant energy, he is unforgettable. His professionalism was even something to marvel at, during the current rebuild Kent did whatever was asked of him, from coming off the bench to giving up minutes for younger guys to develop, and he never complained. He did everything for his team, a true team first guy. He always talked about his love for Atlanta, and how he wished to finish his career out. Kent, thank you so much for your time here in Atlanta, we couldn’t have asked for a better young man to represent the Hawks organization. You’ve inspired me and countless others through your journey from undrafted, to scraping your way through the D-League, to making an NBA roster, to earning your deal with the Atlanta Hawks. I will never forget the hard work you put in each and every day, and the remarkable seasons that we the fans were lucky enough to be a part of. Thank you, Kent for inspiring us everyday, and everything you’ve given to Atlanta and the Hawks organization. I wish you the best, and good luck in this next step in your journey.