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!