Arenas in Manila
Posted: Tue Jul 8, 2008 7:41 am
Just want to share.
Saw Gilbert in person yesterday at an Adidas sponsored event in Manila Peninsula as part of his Asian trip the last week. It was pretty much a formal thing, 10-minute per crew to interview him and NO QUESTIONS regarding basketball and the NBA and contracts. (Yeah, yeah). What was only allowed were questions regarding his shoes and some personal ones. So anyway, i won't bore you with the typical questions our interviewer asked him.
What i really want to share is how i will never look at the same way at Arenas again. Outside the suite, lots of photographers/reporters were telling stories on how nice a guy Gil is. How the likes of Kobe and Tmac (They were here the last couple of years) were obviously different from Arenas, who had a natural aura on him of being grounded, humble and accommodating kind of celebrity.
As we entered the room, i felt that same aura as well and he was simply game for whatever the crew wanted him to do.
Finally, one question we our team did ask went like: "Most people see you as arrogant (then our host blabs a disclaimer that he is not, i know because i am beside him or something) what can you say about the fans who do claim that you are that way..."
i thought he answered (with humor): Uh, they are arrogant. Which simply sums up who Gil is; frank, blunt and outspoken.
i never liked shoot first point guards in fact, i hate them. But even a day can change a lot of perceptions, i will not hate Arenas ever again because of how he acts on the court or his funny words. But he is a nice guy.
Saw Gilbert in person yesterday at an Adidas sponsored event in Manila Peninsula as part of his Asian trip the last week. It was pretty much a formal thing, 10-minute per crew to interview him and NO QUESTIONS regarding basketball and the NBA and contracts. (Yeah, yeah). What was only allowed were questions regarding his shoes and some personal ones. So anyway, i won't bore you with the typical questions our interviewer asked him.
What i really want to share is how i will never look at the same way at Arenas again. Outside the suite, lots of photographers/reporters were telling stories on how nice a guy Gil is. How the likes of Kobe and Tmac (They were here the last couple of years) were obviously different from Arenas, who had a natural aura on him of being grounded, humble and accommodating kind of celebrity.
As we entered the room, i felt that same aura as well and he was simply game for whatever the crew wanted him to do.
Finally, one question we our team did ask went like: "Most people see you as arrogant (then our host blabs a disclaimer that he is not, i know because i am beside him or something) what can you say about the fans who do claim that you are that way..."
i thought he answered (with humor): Uh, they are arrogant. Which simply sums up who Gil is; frank, blunt and outspoken.
i never liked shoot first point guards in fact, i hate them. But even a day can change a lot of perceptions, i will not hate Arenas ever again because of how he acts on the court or his funny words. But he is a nice guy.
