Dennis Rodman - Chicago Bulls

1) Dennis Rodman is a retired professional basketball player who played for the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA.

2) Dennis was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011 and finished out his NBA career with 5 NBA championships (2 with the Detroit Pistons and 3 with the Chicago Bulls) and led the league in rebounding for an astounding seven seasons in a row from 1992-1998.

3) Dennis Rodman is know as "The Worm," a nickname given to him by his mother as he twisted and turned like a worm while playing pinball as a child.

J: What is your favorite memory of your time with the Chicago Bulls?

Dennis Rodman: Probably winning the three championships with the Bulls.

J's Follow Up: I don't think there's anything better than that. Winning a championship is a special thing that doesn't happen often. I bet playing for the Bulls was his favorite.

Photo credit Nathaniel S. Butler/ Getty Images

J: What was your favorite part about becoming a professional wrestler?

Dennis Rodman: Wrestling with Hulk Hogan against the Macho Man at Sturgis. That was fun.

J's Follow Up: That sounds fun. I'm gonna try and see if I can find a way to watch it. I like Macho Man for sure and I'd like to meet Hulk Hogan and ask him if he remembers wrestling in that match.

D: Who is the toughest player you've ever played against?

Dennis Rodman: Probably Shaquille O'Neal.

D's Follow Up: Shaq is a really big guy and he was really good at basketball. He blocked shots and dunked a lot.

D: Did this move hurt when you saved the ball?

Dennis Rodman: No, that didn't hurt. I practiced that move a lot in practice, so no it didn't hurt.

D's Follow Up: That would hurt me for sure. It looks like he was playing really hard.

On Sunday August 19th, we made the short trip to Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills to meet Hall of Fame basketball player Dennis "The Worm" Rodman. My Fan Cave, located on the lower level near JC Penney, hosted the signing with the NBA great and our entire family got to take part in the fun. There were over 100 in attendance to meet one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

We were ticket number three and we were VIP for the afternoon, which meant we got to take a posed picture and also receive an autograph from "The Worm." By basketball terms, Dennis was of average height at 6' 7", but when we came face to face, he was larger than life and towered over the four of us. Dennis was upbeat throughout the event and happy to answer the boys' questions. 

Danny was up first and forgot his original question...then the next time up Dennis asked him if he remembered his first question. The two laughed about it and we all thought it was a cool moment between them. Jordan loves wrestling and wanted to make sure he asked him about his time in the WCW. We recently watched his match against Karl Malone and Jordan was mesmerized. 

Of course, we were not surprised by his response when he said Shaq was the toughest player he ever played against. At 7' 1" and 326 pounds, Shaq was one of the most physically dominating and imposing players to ever play the game. It was always entertaining to watch the two of them go head to head.

It was a rare appearance in Chicago for Dennis and we were so fortunate to meet him so close to home. The '96, '97, and '98 Bulls were my favorite teams of all time and I'm grateful to have been there with my family to meet one of my favorite players of all time.

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! 

Lauri Markannen - Chicago Bulls

1) Lauri Markkanen is a rookie power forward for the Chicago Bulls who was the 7th overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.

2) Markkanen grew up in Jyväskylä in Finland where he played for the Finnish team, HBA-Märsky from 2014-2016.

3) Lauri is one of the top rookies in the NBA this season. To start his career, he set the NBA rookie record by making ten 3-pointers in his first three games.

D: Do you have a favorite fruit, vegetable and dairy product? 

LM: Bananas. I don't eat dairy.

D's Follow Up: I sort of like bananas. I eat them but they are not my favorite. Strawberries are my favorite fruit.

J: At what age did you start playing basketball?

LM: I started playing at 6 years old.

J's Follow Up: I started watching sports and playing sports when I was six years old too. He was probably my size now when he was six years old because he's so tall. 

We were excited to meet one of the young star players for the Chicago Bulls, Lauri Markkanen, on Saturday, December 2nd. The boys and I typically decide how far we'll travel to meet an athlete based on how good we think they will be and how big of a fan we are of the athlete. We think Markkanen has a chance to be great and we have been impressed by the way he plays the game in his short time in Chicago. When we heard he would be making his first public appearance at Mongo McMichael's restaurant in Romeoville, we thought we would take the opportunity and go on the adventure. With Mongo McMichael's located an hour from home, we ventured out on the road and left the house with high expectations.

As we arrived, we were surprised that it wasn't too busy and it looked like the boys would get some individual attention from Lauri. We are not sure exactly why the event unfolded the way it did but it was the quickest we were ever sent through the line at an autograph signing that we can remember. We understand that Lauri's English is a work in progress but he didn't seem too thrilled to be there and the workers at the event pushed us through as quickly as they could. He and the Bulls had recently finished playing back to back nights against Denver and Sacramento on Thursday and Friday, so we can understand if he was a little exhausted from the games. Both were heart breaking one point losses too. With roughly 50 fans in attendance and Markkanen scheduled to sign for an hour, it seemed like the boys would have time to say hi and potentially take a picture with him. That wasn't the case.

We enjoyed the atmosphere at Mongo McMichael's restaurant and we give their cheese pizza two thumbs up. The venue was the perfect place for the signing and the boys and I made our way to the party room where we were ticket #35. Danny started off by saying hi and asked his typical healthy food question. We are not sure how much English he understands but he did mention he likes bananas. We were thankful to get that response. He chose not to share his favorite vegetable and he also noted he does not eat dairy. Jordan jumped in to ask Lauri when he started playing basketball as they were moving us along and he noted he was six years old. We imagine that a six year old Lauri Markkanen is probably the size of a typical 10-11 year old because he now stands at a towering seven feet tall!

We are fans of Lauri as a basketball player and we choose to believe that the people in charge of the signing were the ones who wanted to move the fans along and were in a bad mood. They did have hundreds of items located in the back that they wanted him to sign that they will sell off in the future. Luckily for us, we are treated great during most athlete appearances and we leave with great memories. The boys noted that they did enjoy taking their first trip to Romeoville and we had fun hanging at Mongo's restaurant. We wish Lauri and the young Bulls much success in the future!

                                                   

Zach Lavine - Chicago Bulls - 2x NBA Dunk Champ

1) Zach Lavine (#8) is a point guard/shooting guard for the Chicago Bulls in the National Basketball Association.

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.