2) Playing his first three seasons for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Zach's NBA highlights include winning two straight NBA Slam Dunk Contests in 2015 and 2016 and being named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2015 and the NBA Rising Stars Challenge MVP in 2016.
3) Growing up and attending high school in Washington, Lavine's interest in basketball was initially sparked by watching Michael Jordan in the movie Space Jam.
D: What's your favorite part about living in Chicago and who's your favorite NFL team?
ZL: My favorite part about living in Chicago right now is the food. The food is incredible. I live right next to Randolph Street, so I get to get all of the food. My favorite football team? I've been a Raiders fan growing up. Are you a Raider fan? (responding to Jordan's emphatic YES) Ooohhh! That's my man right there!
D's Follow Up: He's not the first guy we've met who loves the food in Chicago. Akiem Hicks said the same when I asked him. My favorite food is the grilled cheese at Fudrucker's. I also think the Raiders are a pretty good team. I think they will get better this year. My brother, Jordan, also likes the Raiders too. The players I like on the Raiders are Marshawn Lynch, Derek Carr, Michael Crabtree and Khalil Mack.
J: How long did you practice to get ready for the NBA dunk contest?
ZL: For the dunk contest I practiced my dunks for about two weeks beforehand. I did a lot of them in high school though so I just got used to doing them.
J's Follow Up: That makes sense because he had to practice for a long time to be able to dunk like he does. My two all time favorite dunks of his are the windmill dunk from the free throw line and through the legs from the free throw line. He is one of my all time favorites. I couldn't believe how tall he is in person!
Zach Lavine recently made a visit to Sports N' More collectibles store located in Yorktown Center shopping mall in Lombard to meet with Bulls fans. This is our third time visiting the mall after previously meeting Jimmy Butler and Mike Ditka. We've entered our sixth month of vincentsgo3on3 and this is the first basketball player we've interviewed. Basketball is our favorite sport to play and it's a surprise it's taken this long to add our first NBA player.
We were excited to meet Zach and see one of the NBA's rising stars in person. We know Zach well from watching him perform in the NBA dunk contest but we also knew him from the up and coming team he was a part of with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The boys and I now look forward to seeing him play for our Chicago Bulls (although, Danny still loves his Warriors).
Zach mentioned the food as his favorite part about living in Chicago and this has become a common answer for many athletes we've met. He lives off of Randolph Street and he has access to more than a few of Chicago's top restaurants. We must admit, we've never been to one of these restaurants but they certainly look amazing. Danny lives more of a simple life and is in search of the city's best grilled cheese sandwich.
The Oakland Raiders are the NFL team Zach has rooted for since childhood. The silver and black are known for their distinctive team culture and their hard hitting style. Although they've struggled since the early 2000s, the Raiders boast three Super Bowl titles and made the playoffs in 2016. They are considered a Super Bowl contending team in 2017. With rising stars Derek Carr and Khalil Mack guiding the Raiders, they look to be in good hands for years to come. We are big fans of the NFL and Jordan is a fan of the Raiders too. Zach was thrilled to know he was in the company of another fan of the Men in Black.
Our family has a tradition of watching NBA All-Star Saturday Night every February and we always wait in anticipation for the slam dunk contest. Zach Lavine is one of the greatest dunkers of all time and holds the rare title of 2-time champion. Here's a look at Zach's Top 10 dunks from his two years in the competition. It's too hard for me to pick a personal favorite but it's clear he spent a ton of time in his high school days perfecting his dunks. Lavine was unable to defend his title in last year's competition due to sustaining an ACL tear in his knee in early February. Zach told the crowd he's working hard every day to get back on the court and we look forward to seeing him flying high above the rim for the Chicago Bulls soon.
Zach took the time to shake our hands and answer the boys' questions and we couldn't have had a better experience. Danny spent time in the morning to draw a picture of Zach and he wanted to hand deliver it. Zach was appreciative and thought Danny did a terrific job. Jordan and I agree. Thank you Zach for an awesome Saturday afternoon! We hope to see you at the United Center someday soon.
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