Couple great interviews – one with King James & Kristopher Belman, the other with Chris Paul.
http://www.charlierose.com/schedule/?date=2009/9/25
Belman is the director of the recently released movie “More than a Game” which features LeBron James and his Akron, OH high school teammates. It is the story of their brotherhood, commitment to each other and their love of the game. And it tells the story of how they grew up and achieved the impossible – winning the national championship during LeBron’s senior varsity year at Akron. I can’t wait to check out this move…number one b/c I love LeBron James, and number two b/c I live in Cleveland! The story behind Belman is also interesting. He basically followed LeBron’s Akron team around for years with a camera for a school project… never knowing that LeBron would become “King James” one day! Man, this guy must be pinching himself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tj33wwoGss
I wish I could have done a school project on MJ back when he was in high school and got cut from him Varsity team 
and long before he was ever “His Airness”.
Rose of course asks LeBron about his intentions after this year with the Cavs. Will he play in New York? That’s the question on everyone’s mind. But with Shaq now coming to the Cavs, that may change everything. I think the Cavs now have their best chance ever to win the big one. I have a couple tiks for games next year…can’t wait to see what the chemistry of the team will be like. Should be interesting. Both LeBron and Shaq are “freakish” athletes with great court sense. It’s gonna be fun to watch.
What else can I say about LeBron. His maturity and savvy never cease to amaze me. Can’t believe this guy is only 24 years old…24 years old, is that possible?
I wasn’t planning on watching the next interview with Chris Paul (CP), but it was right there… so I did. I’m glad I did. This guy is awesome; I am now a CP fan. He recently wrote a children’s book about never being “too small to dream big”. Paul was only 5 feet tall in high school, and everyone thought he was nuts to dream for Varsity, let alone the NBA. Then he got a scholarship to Wake Forest…and ultimately was awarded Rookie of the Year in the NBA. The guy has an amazing work ethic and discipline that he said was passed to him by his parents. He’s now the best point guard in the NBA.
The most interesting part of this interview is when he tells the story of his grandfather’s murder; he was gunned down by 5 reckless teenagers. Paul was devastated, as his grandfather was the most influential person in his life next to his mother. The next game Paul played, he scored 61 points (keep in mind his average pts/game was in the mid-30′s). His grandfather was 61 years old when he was murdered. Great story from a remarkable player and person in the NBA.
To all those that say the NBA is full of thugs and showboats…watch these two interviews. They will change your mind.
