Dion Wright: How I wasn’t scared to play LeBron James in a pro-am game

Nearly everyone on the planet would have fought to protect one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. Later, when Dion Wright checked Twitter to see his face painted over, he had mixed feelings.

“I didn’t know how, but when I told him about it, it was like, ‘Dion, you were absolutely right. You told us you were going to go viral one day.'”

But on the other hand, the framing of the press that he was plagued with haunted him. It is thought that there was a humorous comment such as “I can see fear.”

But Wright, defending the NBA’s most famous player, says he was never intimidated.

“I wasn’t afraid. I was just trapped,” Wright said.

“I was just trying to stop him.

“It was very noisy there”

It was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

At first, Wright did not believe James would not be in the Drew League. He hasn’t played in the tournament, which was founded in 1973, since his NBA lockout 11 years ago, so why is he playing now?

When Wright was on the other side of the country for an entirely different basketball tournament, his friends started texting him that James would be performing. But he was skeptical until he saw DeRozan’s tweet.

A simple crown of “King James” is followed by a simple statement “Drew League Tomorrow”.

Still, Wright wasn’t convinced he should make the trip. But his friends insisted. “They told me, ‘He’ll probably never get back to Drew in his life. You’re going to get a lot of exposure for that. And that’s what you have to do.’ ”

And the race against time began from Buffalo, New York to Los Angeles, arriving in time for the Black Pearl Elite (the team he wore regularly for several years) against James and DeRozan.

Thankfully, his trip went without a hitch. After buying tickets, his flight landed in Los Angeles around 11am and the game started around 1pm, with plenty of time to get there on time.

Wright describes the atmosphere upon arriving at King Drew Magnet High School as “surreal.”

“It didn’t even feel real. It felt like I was in the NBA getting ready for a game,” said Wright, who has played overseas in Japan, Cyprus, Israel and Ukraine in recent years. He said.

“I feel like LeBron James, and only a few players can shut down an entire city. It was standing room only.It was very noisy and the environment was great.”

challenge

When the MMV Cheetahs finally rebelled against the Black Pearl Elite, Wright volunteered for the most difficult mission possible.

“I told my friends, ‘I’m protecting him.’ I always want to play against the best,” he explained. “I don’t run away from my competition. I feel like competition. It brings out the best in people.”

“And I felt like most other guys played their game. And I said to myself: ‘I’m defending LeBron James. Whatever happens.’ I must at least try.

Shortly after the tip-off, Wright found himself against it.

“He’s like the best player I’ve ever played against in my life. He was so strong, so athletic. And he really deserves all the money he makes. I’m a one-time player.”

Despite Wright’s best efforts on defense, James managed to score 42 points and grab the headline deservedly. “Nobody can really stop that guy,” he said.

However, Wright’s Black Pearl Elite lost by only two points, and Wright himself scored over 20 points.

Despite being the subject of internet memes questioning his confidence and basketball ability, the experience was “much more… [a] It’s a positive thing for Wright,” he says.

And he says he did a lot that whole day. “Just playing against him gave me a lot of confidence now.”

He added: “Thank God I was able to do something like that in my lifetime. Some people will never experience what I did in their life. I would like to thank the person above for giving me the opportunity.

“You’ll never see that type of player again unless you go to the NBA.”