Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 539 Location: Cerritos, CA (now in Tucson, AZ)
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:15 pm Post subject: Just got back from Orlando - An "AMAZING" night for this Lakers fan (pics from Laker post-game party)
WOW!!! It still feels surreal right now, and I can't believe what I just experienced. In just 24 hours I experienced THE best time of my life as a die-hard Lakers fan. Enjoy.....
After putting our luggage away we head over to the pool and as we pass by the Grand Ballroom, the Lakers just so happen to be wrapping up with their Game Day video session. Kobe walks right by me and I tell him, "Let's close it out tonight Kobe, it's gotta be tonight!!" He smiles and nods, and responds "Fo Sho" as he gives me a pound. The rest of the boys start to roll out of the Ballroom, and we make sure to tell them, "Good Luck, Let's close it out tonight, etc." We give daps to Jordan, Luke, and Sasha and we manage to chat it up a bit with Mbenga and Bynum. Finally!! On all of my past excursions I've never ran into "Socks" and on the morning of Game 5 I finally run into him. Really, really, cool cat and real humble and chill.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3350/3634025214_3baf9eac61_b.jpg (Mbenga)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3326/3633210795_6fc78a0fea_b.jpg (Bynum)
We head over to the pool and within minutes we're just enjoying life, having a few drinks, and relaxing in the sun with Chip Schaefer, Rudy Garciduenas, and Gary Vitti (and their families) scattered here and there. Since Joel and I both took red eye flights the night before, we were both relaxed and tired, especially with being out in the pool all afternoon. We headed back to the room around 3:30pm and took a nap.........
[EDIT - See further posts below for pics and details of the Lakers post-game party. -db] _________________ "Magic down the middle, just what I thought, a hook shot of 12....GOOD!!!!" - Chick Hearn
Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 3286 Location: Low Post Rate
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:17 pm Post subject:
i'm so jealous _________________ "We got a new universe coming and he's going to control all our universes. We're going to put our universes together" - Metta World Peace
Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 8125 Location: Born and Raised in Los Angeles, now living in Manhattan, NY.
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:24 pm Post subject:
Don't lie, you know it's not really you and your boy in those photos. You guys just Photoshopped your heads on some random people whose pics you found on some site on-line.
Joel and I are both boisterous clowns, and we love to cheer on our boys from start to finish. You know how you say, you wish the people in the 300 Sections sat in the lower seats? Well, we make sure we represent wherever we go. Now, we're never belligerent or act a fool, cuz we understand that this is their house and we have to respect their home. But, we'll always urge our boys on, chant DEFENSE, and make noise when the Magic are on the line. My favorite is when they were chanting "Let's Go Magic" I got all the Laker fans to clap and chant "ZERO TITLES!" A lot of the Magic fans grinned and shrugged as if to say, "He got us." Oh yeah, one of the Magic fans actually had the nerve to say that I was cheering a little too loud for the Lakers. "Mam I can't help it, we're up by 16 points in a closeout game of the NBA Finals. This isn't the Opera!!!
And now for the best part, it's back to the Lakers hotel...... _________________ "Magic down the middle, just what I thought, a hook shot of 12....GOOD!!!!" - Chick Hearn
Joined: 03 Nov 2004 Posts: 8272 Location: San Diego, CA
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:34 pm Post subject:
im so jealous. i remember seeing you guys in that shot behind chuck. wasnt that when kobe was out there with them? _________________ "When (Kobe) gets you on life support, he won't give you mouth to mouth. HE PULLS THE PLUG." -stu
Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 539 Location: Cerritos, CA (now in Tucson, AZ)
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 5:36 pm Post subject:
Mr. EiGhTy-OnE wrote:
im so jealous. i remember seeing you guys in that shot behind chuck. wasnt that when kobe was out there with them?
Yup, that was us!! Good eye, cuz we were just in that shot for about 3 seconds or so. I'm still working on Part 3 (back at the hotel)...stay tuned. _________________ "Magic down the middle, just what I thought, a hook shot of 12....GOOD!!!!" - Chick Hearn
Joined: 02 Nov 2007 Posts: 674 Location: Buena Park, Ca
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:21 pm Post subject:
You lucky mofos!!! Im glad you guys were out there reppin the LGers!!! Thanks for the great pics and I cant wait to see the videos _________________ This game's in the refrigerator....the door's closed, the lights are out, the eggs are cooling, the butter's getting hard, and the Jell-O's jigglin'!
It's around 1am or so and slowly a few Lakers staff/players trickle past the bar as they start to arrive. There's a handful of guests that went to the game and we're all just having a good time at the bar. Everytime anyone from the Lakers is spotted, a loud roar of cheers and clapping erupts!! Mbenga and Kareem hang out in the bar area, Kenny the Jet passes through, Trevor walks past us and heads to the elevators. Each time we run into someone we either say congrats, pat them on the back, shake their hand, say "way to go 2009 Champ", etc.
Out of the blue, someone from the bar yells out my name and it's someone from the Lakers staff. I first met this cat at San Antonio after Game 4 '08, and when I went to Houston for Game 3 '09 me and my friend Tony hung out with him a lot that entire trip. We talk for about 10 minutes before he heads back to his room and I catch up with Joel and a few other peeps. After some time passes, I use the restroom, I come back and I realize it's already 2am. I asked Joel if I missed any action and he says, "Nah Man, no one has come by. They're all at a Private VIP Party in one of the Ballrooms." Forget this, I'm gonna check it out, and Joel says good luck there's security all over the place.
Sure enough as I get closer to the Ballroom I can hear the music bumpin through the walls and it feels like I'm at a Club. When I turn the corner, there's a whole bunch of security just like Joel said!! BUT!!!! Just my luck, my acquaintance from the Lakers staff just so happens to come from inside and yells out " 'TURO!!! " He tells me he's heading over to the restroom, but when he comes out he's gonna try to get me in. A Man of his word, he gets me in and now I'm literally inside the freakin' OFFICIAL VIP LAKERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTERPARTY!!!! http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3643/3634033396_9310a918fd_b.jpg
Everyone is having a good time, taking pictures, drinking, celebrating. DUDE!! We just won the 2009 CHAMPIONSHIP and I'm living life to the fullest by partying it up with the Lakers within hours after the game. Poor Joel is outside, but I work my [MIC] skills with security and sure enough I get my boy inside as well. I'm meeting a lot of people, making connections, hi-fiving players, staff, just basically celebrating a Championship with the team I grew up following since I was 10 years old. This was a dream come true, and I am still on Cloud 9 just thinking about what happened.
Now for the players; I had to tell them how happy I was for THEM, how happy WE (the fans) are, and how much they deserve it especially after last year. I had a real cool time talking to all of them. They are all really cool and humble cats in person. All the while, me and Joel were just drinking with them, clownin around, making jokes, hi fiving, etc. Some of these pictures I think I kept yelling 2009 NBA CHAMPS, cuz I don't think I was smiling in any of them.
LAKERSGROUND.NET you guys are like family to me. Everyday I come on this site, every single day. 2009 NBA CHAMPS BOY!!!! See you all at the parade!! _________________ "Magic down the middle, just what I thought, a hook shot of 12....GOOD!!!!" - Chick Hearn
Sounds like an AWESOME trip! You get to go to Florida, stay in a nice hotel, meet some of the Lakers, represent in game 5 of the NBA finals, witness the Lakers win the championship, and you get on TV. I don't know what happens when you get back to the hotel, but wow! Talk about the trip of a lifetime!
Joined: 01 Jun 2002 Posts: 539 Location: Cerritos, CA (now in Tucson, AZ)
Posted: Tue Jun 16, 2009 6:48 pm Post subject: Celebrating Game 5 in Style
goldreign wrote:
Sounds like an AWESOME trip! You get to go to Florida, stay in a nice hotel, meet some of the Lakers, represent in game 5 of the NBA finals, witness the Lakers win the championship, and you get on TV. I don't know what happens when you get back to the hotel, but wow! Talk about the trip of a lifetime!
That's exactly how I felt, this was the best Lakers experience of a lifetime. I don't know how I can top this, but next year I'm sure gonna try!! _________________ "Magic down the middle, just what I thought, a hook shot of 12....GOOD!!!!" - Chick Hearn
dude that is awesome _________________ "I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it." - Jack Handey
That's what I thought. I don't know, the mods are getting real "merging" happy and/or "moving threads" happy. I guarantee you if they would have waited for my part 3, they would have left it.
But yeah, Bonnie Jill is one of the Laker's scouts. I'm glad you liked my story Mr. EiGhTy-OnE _________________ "Magic down the middle, just what I thought, a hook shot of 12....GOOD!!!!" - Chick Hearn
major major props. represent us well tomorrow. _________________ "I wish I could draw a picture of the look on their faces..... For a time, it was like he was on the court by himself. It's like God put Kobe here for us to watch him play basketball." - LO On KB8's Performance Against the Clips 07/01/06
All times are GMT - 8 Hours Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5Next
Page 1 of 5
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum