Years ago, when I was in college, I was at the airport waiting to board a Southwest Airlines flight. People getting off the same plane were leaving, walking past, and I saw this man approaching who looked so familiar. “We know that guy!” my brain was saying to me, “who is that? I’m sure we know him.” I totally thought for a half a minute that it was someone I knew – in that way that you know someone and they know you too. He walked right past me, close enough to touch, and my brain was telling me that I knew him and trying to place who it was, and he was really, really tall. That’s when it hit me. “That’s Vlade Divac!!” my brain screamed silently. “Oh my god!” (Because it was back in the day before everyone said OMG.)
I was so excited. I was a big fan of the Sacramento Kings, which was the team he was on at the time. I didn’t do anything or say anything or call him out in the airport. He never even looked at me, because his eye level is several feet above the top of my head. (According to Wikipedia he is 7 ft 1 in.) But I saw him. I boarded the plane he had just gotten off of. I always wondered why he was on that flight, too (with all the commoners). He couldn’t possibly have had enough leg room.
So the other day, my husband was playing this NBA game he’d just bought for our PS3. (That’s a video game console, the Playstation 3, for all you old fogeys.) And he mentioned that Vlade Divac was one of the players in the game. (Because he knows I’m a fan and my story about the airport.)
“Vlade, my man! Vlade Divac! Yeah!” I exclaimed.
And then in a quiet voice, I added with a smile, “Me and Vlade go way back.”
I’m not really that much into celebrities. Just recently, in the Nuremberg city center, my work buddies and I were minding our own business when they grew roots in front of some fancy jewelry shop with a limo standing outside. Some news anchor from one of those TV stations everyone but me watches was shopping at 10 p.m., so of course that place was open for her alone while her driver and BG’s were waiting outside. I recognized the situation, but I was like “who the buck was that?” According to my buddies she’s so popular because she doss all that charity work. Nothing against charity, but aren’t people supposed to do that in secret?
LikeLike
Kewl story lol, Vlade was a pretty good player back in the day.
LikeLike
Oh yeah.
LikeLike
Similar to my brush with Scotty Pippen….dang those guys, are tall.
LikeLike
Seriously.
LikeLike
He is new to me, but what a cutie! I do not think I have ever met a man of such imposing stature. How on earth could he fit into an airplane seat? Or a bed 🙂
LikeLike
Goodness only knows…
LikeLiked by 1 person
When Vlade, Bibby, and Stoyachavich (sp) were with the Kings, those were the golden years! Nice post 🙂
LikeLike
Oh yes! I liked Jason Williams, too. He was on fire for a minute.
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤
LikeLike