Devin Hester - Chicago Bears

1) Devin Hester is a former NFL punt and kickoff return specialist/ wide receiver who played eight season with the Chicago Bears and had brief stints with the Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens and the Seattle Seahawks.

2) Hester is the NFL's record holder for combined punt and kickoff return touchdowns (19 total) and also holds the all-time record for punt returns for a touchdown (14).

3) Devin was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft as a cornerback and return specialist out of the University of Miami. He later moved to play wide receiver in addition to his punt and kick returner duties.

D: Who is the best player you have ever juked on a kickoff or punt return?

DH: Oh man. I really don't know. I can't really think of anyone specific. That's a hard one.

D's Follow Up: I knew he probably wouldn't say anybody because he juked everybody on his returns.


J (asked by D): What other sports did you play growing up?

DH: Basketball and Track and Field.

J's Follow Up: I know he was always one of the fastest players in the NFL so he was probably in the sprints. He was on TV racing a cheetah, so he has to be one of the fastest players. It would be hard to guard him on the basketball court too because he's one of the fastest players in the world.

On Tuesday, January 23rd, Danny and I met the greatest return specialist the NFL has ever seen, Devin Hester. We met Devin at the new My Fan Cave store at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills. This was my third time meeting Devin and it was Danny's first. Jordan had a basketball game and was sad to miss out on the fun but he knows how important it is to be there for his team. The photo above is of Jen and Jordan with Devin Hester around his first birthday. 

Devin Hester wore number 23 in his eight seasons with the Bears just like Michael Jordan did with the Chicago Bulls. He was nearly as electrifying on the football field as MJ was on the basketball court too. My favorite memory of Devin will always be the kickoff return for a touchdown to open up Super Bowl 41 during his rookie season. I believed the Bears were destined to win that game after the magical return touchdown in Hester's return home to Miami. Although it wasn't meant to be, his historic return touchdown will always be one of my favorite Chicago sports memories.

Danny loves to watch football players "juke" other players in highlights. When we watched Hester's return TDs on YouTube, even the Packers fan was impressed by Devin's amazing moves and speed on the field and was excited to meet #23 in person. I figured Danny's question would be tough for Devin to answer because he typically would be going up against backups who were mostly only playing special teams for the other team. He probably didn't have the chance to go head to head against superstars from the opposing team and their wouldn't be many household names.

Jordan is always interested in learning about the other sports each athlete plays aside from the one they get paid to play. There was no question in our mind that Devin Hester and his speed would translate well to track and field and the sprinting events. We also agreed that he would be a tough guard on the basketball court because of his amazing athleticism. If we had to guess, we think he would be a perfect point guard using his speed to attack the lane and kick the ball out to his shooters or finishers at the rim. 

It was an exciting night to be around greatness and the player that most fans and football analysts consider the greatest to play his position of all time. Thank you Devin for making your return to the windy city and meeting with us last week. Even the Packer fan had to admit he had fun. 

Doug McDermott - Dallas Mavericks

1) Doug McDermott is a small forward playing for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. He has also played for the New York Knicks, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Chicago Bulls.

2) McDermott attended Creighton University where he was a three time consensus All-American and ended his career as the fifth leading scorer in NCAA history. McDermott was named the National College Player of the Year in his senior season.

3) Doug was coached by his father, Greg McDermott, throughout his entire college career at Creighton University.

D: What is your favorite fruit and vegetable to eat?

DM: I love strawberries and oranges and for a vegetable I really like sweet potatoes.

D's Follow Up: I really like strawberries and oranges. Strawberries are my favorite. I like the sweet ones that taste like lollipops. I don't like sweet potatoes at all. I've tried them but they're not good.


J: What other sports are your favorite to play?

DM: I love to play golf and I was also a baseball player.

J's Follow Up: I'm a golfer and I love to golf too. Baseball is not really one of my favorite sports to play but I'll watch it sometimes. 

We met Doug McDermott in January of 2016 at the Sideline Marketing store in South Barrington when Doug was still a member of the Chicago Bulls. He spent the second half of last season with Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder and this year he was with New York Knicks before the trade deadline. He was recently traded to the Dallas Mavericks.

Jordan was excited to wear his #3 McDermott jersey to this signing that he got for Christmas and to meet one of his favorite Bulls players. Danny had just begun watching basketball and although he is a Warriors fan first, the Bulls come in second on his list of favorite teams and he was excited to meet his first NBA player. 

Doug did not disappoint and was excited to meet J and D and gave Jordan a compliment on his jersey. It was McDermott's second season in the NBA and there were not a ton of #3 Bulls jerseys with his name on them yet in the streets of Chicagoland. Doug signed for about an hour and met with about 100 fans on January 16th, 2016. 

The boys love to ask professional athletes about their favorite healthy foods and Doug mentioned strawberries and oranges were his top fruits. Those fruits happen to be our family's favorites as well and you can find them in our house nearly 365 days a year.

On the other hand, we only have one fan of sweet potatoes in the house and that is mom. The only time we see sweet potatoes is at Thanksgiving dinner or I will occasionally order up sweet potato french fries. 

Finally, Jordan asked Doug about other sports he loves to play. The three of us boys love to golf whenever we can. Jordan and Danny can play free at the Lake County courses all throughout spring, summer and fall and we like to take advantage of that perk. If Doug ever makes a return trip to Chicago, he is always welcome to join in with us! Although we wish Doug was still in a Bulls uniform, we wish him the best of luck in Dallas with the Mavericks.

Chicago Bulls - Denzel Valentine, Lauri Markkanen, Jerian Grant, Cristiano Felecio, Paul Zipser

1) Denzel Valentine, Lauri Markkanen, Jerian Grant, Cristiano Felecio and Paul Zipser are all members of the Chicago Bulls 2017-18 team.

2) As of 1/7/18, the Chicago Bulls have won 14 games and loss 26 but have been on the rise with a 7 game win streak and 3 game win streak just weeks ago.

3) The Chicago Bulls have won a total of six NBA championships (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998) and have played basketball since 1966.

D: Who was your favorite basketball player growing up?

Jerian Grant: I was big fan of Tracy McGrady.

J: I know that Tracy McGrady was one of the best. My favorites are Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Paul George.

D: I don't know who Tracy McGrady is and I've never heard of him. My dad said he was good and played in the NBA when Kobe Bryant was playing. He said he's also a Hall of Fame player.

Lauri Markkanen - Lebron.

J: I think it's interesting because he grew up in Finland. Lebron is one of the best and most famous so I can see why he liked him.

D: Lebron is too good. He's close to being the best player in the NBA ever behind Michael Jordan.

Cristiano Felicio: Kevin Garnett.

J: Kevin Garnett is also one of my favorite players ever. Garnett is probably Felecio's height so I can see why he would like to be like Kevin Garnett.

D: Kevin Garnett is good at basketball and Felicio is good too so that's probably why he liked him.

Denzel Valentine: Lebron.  

J: Lebron does a lot of dunking and also shoots threes too. Denzel shoots a lot of threes like Lebron. Most people like Lebron because he's one of the best players today.

D: It seems like everybody likes Lebron James. My favorite player is Steph Curry and Lebron James is number five behind James Harden, Damian Lillard, Nikola Mirotic and Kriss Dunn too. Lebron is definitely one of the greatest though.

Paul Zipser: Lebron.

J: A lot of people like Lebron James but I'm more of a fan of Michael Jordan. He must have watched the NBA growing up in Germany to know about Lebron.

D: I'm sure Zipser liked Lebron because he is so good. He probably liked him because they play the same position too.

Thanks to our friend Chris Rhode (@crhode1), we had the experience of a lifetime as we sat in the 11th row center court at the Chicago Bulls vs. Portland Trailblazers game on January 1st. We couldn't think of a better way to ring in the new year than with our good friend watching the Bulls from the best seats we've ever been in.

Jordan and I have had a couple of opportunities to sit in 100 level seats in previous years, so we had a good idea of when to arrive at the stadium and where to stand to have a chance to meet the players as they run to and from the court before the game. It was also Danny's first ever Bulls game, so we were hoping he could see his heroes up close and personal and give him the best experience possible. Chris and I were nearby as multiple players stopped to sign autographs for the boys and Danny made sure to ask every player who their favorite player was growing up.

The favorite player named by most players was Lebron James. Considering the majority of the players on the team were in middle school and high school while Lebron was playing in Cleveland to start his career and then made it to 3 straight Finals appearances with the Miami Heat, it comes as little surprise to us that they all loved King James. Lebron was winning MVPs, making All-Star teams...trying to win titles : )...and was and still is the face of the NBA, so it's understandable that most young athletes would gravitate to Lebron James.

Unfortunately, on New Years Day, the Bulls lost in overtime to the Blazers but we had a great time and took advantage of the amazing seats we were given. We look forward to our next Bulls game, although it's more likely that the next one will have everyone's noses bleeding by the time we make it up to our seats. Thank you @crhode1 for a night we will never forget! 

Ariya Daivari - WWE Superstar (Cruiserweight Division)

(Photo courtesy of http://www.wwe.com/superstars/ariya-daivari)

1) Ariya Daivari is an Iranian/American professional wrestler for WWE who performs on 205 Live and RAW in the cruiserweight division.

2) Daivari made his main roster debut on RAW in October of 2016 where he lost by submission to Cruiserweight Champion T.J. Perkins.

3) Ariya's finishing moves include the Cobra clutch, Persian Lion Splash (Frog Splash) and a Hammerlock twisted into a short-arm lariat.

D: Who were your favorite wrestlers to watch when you were growing up?

AD: Number one was Triple H. Number two was the Macho Man Randy Savage and number three was The Rock. Those were my favorites growing up.

D's Follow Up: Triple H is good. Macho Man Randy Savage is great. And The Rock is great. My favorites are Aj Styles, Randy Orton and Kane.


J: Did you play any sports while growing up?

AD: In high school I was a wrestler. In 4th grade I started in martial arts and continued on with it. 

J's Follow Up: It makes sense that he's a wrestler because he wrestled in high school. In martial arts you work on skills to defend yourself and strike and in wrestling he does offense and defense too. 

The guys and I had the opportunity to meet WWE superstar Ariya Daivari after his appearance in Chicago on RAW the previous night. Ariya took part in the Miracle on 34th Street Fight with his partners Enzo Amore and Drew Gulak as they faced off against Cedric Alexander, Mustafa Ali and Akira Tozawa. In a hard fought match including the use of presents, Christmas trees, ornaments and more, Cedric Alexander ultimately pinned Enzo Amore for the win.

This was the first time we watched RAW live in person with our entire family. Jen and I gifted the boys the tickets on Christmas morning and they were excited to know that the event was just a few short hours away from starting. We braved the freezing cold temperature and enjoyed watching our favorite superstars for over 3 hours.

Ariya took the time to say hi to Danny and Jordan and answer their questions the following morning. Danny loves to ask athletes about their favorite athletes growing up, so he wanted to know Ariya's favorite wrestlers. We all agree that Triple H, Macho Man and The Rock are three of the greatest wrestlers of all time. My favorites include Mr. Perfect, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin and Roman Reigns. Jordan's favorites include Mick Foley, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn and Cody Rhodes.

It comes as no surprise to us that Ariya was a wrestler in high school and that he took part in martial arts beginning in the fourth grade. We can see how the skills from martial arts would translate well into professional wrestling. Ariya's brother is also a former WWE professional wrestler, so wrestling runs in the family. 

Thanks to Ariya for meeting with us and taking the time to answer our questions. We wish him the best in the Cruiserweight division and we hope that he can earn an opportunity to compete for the Cruiserweight Championship soon.