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!