Behind the Scenes: D-League All-Star Weekend with Scott Suggs
Every fan of their sport of choice would love to be a fly on the wall during practices, in the locker room, at speaking engagements, and really anything else their beloved players are a part of. Upside & Motor has been lucky enough to get a feel for what that’s like with Raptors 905 wing and D-League All-Star Scott Suggs putting together a season-long diary to share with our readers.
DIARY ENTRIES: Training camp | 905 struggles | Team dynamics | Recent success
This weekend, Suggs is providing us with some insider access to the All-Star festivities, starting with player practice in Toronto on Friday. Here are some of the pictures and videos he has captured thus far.
When the Thunder’s Russell Westbrook isn’t catapulting himself to the rim for a vicious dunk, you can find him rocking some long johns and speaking to kids about the importance of education.
When Kevin Durant speaks, these kids listen. What a treat for young fans to get to hear from someone of Durant’s stature and celebrity. If you look closely you will see an NBA D-League All-Star listening intently as well. We see you, Sean Kilpatrick!
Now, this is where the magic happens. Only two of these guys are actually in the dunk contest, but Ronald Roberts Jr. and Ricky Ledo gave us a little show, too. Seriously, Roberts had to duck from hitting his head on the rim!
The dark horse in this year’s competition might be diminutive guard John Jordan from the hometown Raptors 905. Jordan stands 5-10 (maybe) and boasts a vertical somewhere between 45-48 inches.
My pick — and it should be everyone’s pick — is D.J. Stephens from the Canton Charge. I mean, he just gave us a 360-windmill and it’s only practice. I can’t even imagine what he’s got in store for the fans at halftime today.
The NBA D-League has a reputation over the last 5-10 years of having a more entertaining dunk contest than the NBA. This year should stack up as a great one with Stephens, J.P. Tokoto and reigning champ Jarvis Threatt gunning for the title.
The All-Star game begins at 2 pm ET. The 3-point shootout will be pre-game — look out for Suggs! — and the dunk contest is held during halftime.
* Special thanks to U&M’s very own All-Star correspondent Scott Suggs