The defending champion CSKA Moscow had remained intact and ready to compete for its third crown in four seasons. But the Russian powerhouse would face plenty of competition as more teams than ever could lay serious claim to being legitimate title contenders.

The league’s teams also made a number of big acquisitions in the off-season while big names changed places and new faces emerged to replenish the faith of Europe’s millions of basketball fans.

Going into the season, among the favorites for the title were title-holder CSKA; re-loaded Greek powers Panathinaikos and Olympiacos; the quartet of Spanish clubs Regal FC Barcelona, Tau Ceramica, Unicaja and Real Madrid; as well as Montepaschi Siena and Maccabi Electra Tel Aviv.

Besides the departure of playmaker Theo Papaloukas, CSKA Moscow kept together its winning core of head coach Ettore Messina, guards J.R. Holden and Trajan Langdon and power forward Matjaz Smodis plus the duo of Ramunas Siskaukas and Nikos Zisis for a second season while adding the trio of Terrence Morris, Zoran Planicic and Erazem Lorbek to the mix.

Panathinaikos came into the season extra hungry after missing the 2008 Final Four and with it a chance to defend its 2007 championship. Head coach Zeljko Obradovic added to his already strong side the likes of Nikola Pekovic, Antonis Fotsis and Drew Nicholas.

The biggest team making news was Greek side Olympiacos, which opened up its pocketbooks and gave head coach Panagiotis Giannakis some top-notch experienced players looking for the club’s first Euroleague crown since 1997. Papaloukas brought the experience of two titles and six Final Fours with CSKA back to his former club while Nikola Vujcic came with two crowns and four total Final Four appearances with Maccabi Tel Aviv. Yotam Halperin also was part of two title-winning teams and a third semifinal showing with Maccabi. And Josh Childress had his share of big-game knowledge as well.

Other moves of note coming into the season included head coach Dusko Ivanovic leaving Barcelona after three seasons to return to Tau Ceramica. Replacing him at Barcelona on a full-time basis was Xavier Pascual, who took over for Ivanovic late last season.

Two big clubs switching coaches during the season were Lottomatica Roma hiring Fernando Gentile to replace Jasmin Repesa and Pini Gershon returning to Maccabi for the first time since 2006 when Tel Aviv was upset by CSKA in the Final trying to win its third straight title.

Among the prominent players to come to the Euroleague were Carlos Arroyo (Maccabi) and Brandon Jennings (Lottomatica Roma) while Juan Carlos Navarro returned to Barcelona after a year abroad and Primoz Brezec (Roma) marked his comeback to Europe after seven years away.

The season saw a number of players raise peoples’ eyebrows – either established veterans finally with a big chance or youngsters lifting their game to the next level.

One star to stay with his team but pick up his already-stellar game was Panathinaikos’ four-time reigning Euroleague Best Defender Dimitris Diamantidis, who took his offensive game to another level while remaining a dominating defensive force.

With the departure of Planicic from Tau, Igor Rakocevic stepped up his game for Ivanovic, leading the competition in scoring with more than 18 points.

Sani Becirovic was the second-leading scorer in the Regular Season for Roma (17.4 ppg) as the guard finally was given big minutes and added responsibility with his move from Panathinaikos.

Pat Burke was in a similar situation with his move to Asseco Prokom, with whom he averaged nearly 11 points and a third-best 6.9 rebounds a contest, including his tremendous Regular Season Week 8 showing of 18 points and 20 rebounds – just the eighth player to pull down at least 20 boards in a Euroleague game.

As every year, the Euroleague also features young players who emerge on the scene as the next stars on the continent. And the 2008-09 season was no different.

Nikola Pekovic had already turned heads after averaging more than 16 points and nearly 7 rebounds for Partizan last season. But the 23-year-old did not let up with his move to Euroleague giant Panathinaikos, scoring in double digits in 15 of 19 games.

Replacing Pekovic as the main man at Partizan was 23-year-old Novica Velickovic, who averaged 14 points a game in the Top 16 to lead the Belgrade club to the Quarterfinal Playoffs.

Maccabi meanwhile saw two younger players show superstar potential at times as Lior Eliyahu, 23, registered the highest performance index rating of the season of 42 in Week 6 with 24 points, 17 rebounds and 6 assists. And 20-year-old Omri Casspi hit double digits seven times including 19 points in Week 8.

Another youngster to emerge as a dominating force at times was Barcelona forward Ersan Ilyasova, 22, who had 30 points and 11 rebounds against Alba Berlin in the Top 16.

Spanish fans also got a close up look at one of the best young players in the entire game, DKV Joventut point guard Ricky Rubio. The 19-year-old, however, was unable to make his mark this season in the Euroleague as he missed the first half of the Regular Season with a wrist injury before Joventut failed to make the Top 16.

The fact that talent-laden teams like Joventut and Efes Pilsen failed to make the Top 16 shows just how strong the level of competition is in the league.

Four Spanish teams reached the Top 16, including Regular Season group winners Unicaja, Barcelona, and Tau. The Regular Season also saw CSKA Moscow lose twice at home as the reigning champ showed chinks in its armor.

Alba Berlin returned to the Euroleague for the first time since 2003 and joined Bamberg as the only other German club to reach the Top 16. But Alba was drawn into a Top 16 Group of Death with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

In the end, the usual powers reached the later stages of the event as Spain and Greece sent five of the eight teams to the Quarterfinal Playoffs along with CSKA Moscow, Montepaschi Siena and Partizan.

In the end we had an exciting Final Four in Berlin, which was won by Panathinaikos, after a close win over Greek rival Panathinaikos and a great performance in the FInal agains CSKA Moscow.

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The Power Rankings
These are the Power Rankings of the playoff teams at the end of the regular season. That does not necessarily mean number one will win the title.

Power Rankings 2009
How strong are the 16 Playoff teams at the start of the post-season? Our power rankings show who had momentum late and who barely crossed the finish line.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
The best home team since the 1985-86 Celtics appeared highly motivated all the way to the end. LeBron pushes his team like Kevin Garnett did with the Celtics in 2008.

2. L.A. Lakers
Andrew Bynum’s physicalness was missing in the end. Kobe looked a bit tired at the end of the season but he was playing for home court advantage in the Finals.

3. Boston Celtics
The champs head into the post-season a bit uncertain without Garnett. Just how fit is the Big Ticket really? And how much will Stephon Marbury help?

4. Orlando Magic
Dwight Howard and company blasted the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-87 in early April to get a big boost of motivation and confidence.

5. San Antonio Spurs
Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan are battling injuries and only Tony Parker is top fit. But is that enough to make them a darkhorse?

6. Denver Nuggets
This team plays together, defends and acts cleverly. Is this really the Denver Ruckers? What a difference a guy like Billups makes.

7. New Orleans Hornets
No longer are the Hornets a nightmare for the favorites, mainly because Tyson Chandler’s ankle is giving him problems. But with Chris Paul running the point, anything is possible.

8. Houston Rockets
No T-Mac, but instead you have a bunch of hungry, model professionals who want to prove themselves. But is that enough for their first Playoffs series win since 1997?

9. Utah Jazz
A season of injuries allowed the back-ups to get a lot of quality playing time. All the troops are healthy in time for the Playoffs. And this team is a sleeper for the title.

10. Portland Trail Blazers
They are young, play controlled, defend and are waiting for Greg Oden to finally wake up. How will the youngsters react to the playoff pressure?

11. Dallas Mavericks
Jason Kidd passed Magic Johnson for third place on the NBA’s all-time assist list. Too bad the Mavs don’t have the talent for big things in the post-season.

12. Atlanta Hawks
No bench, no problem. The Hawks are young, athletic and excellently led by Mike Bibby. Nobody wants to play against them in the Eastern Conference.

13. Philadelphia 76ers
Everything was running superbly until Thaddeus Young went down. The Sixers will not be a problem in the Playoffs without their bundle of energy.

14. Detroit Pistons
Allen Iverson is on the shelf injured but the youngsters have not taken the next step. Right now, everything is going wrong in Detroit.

15. Miami Heat
Dwyane Wade is one player the favorites don’t want to see lined up on the other side. If there is a big shocker in the Playoffs, then it will come from Miami.

16. Chicago Bulls
John Salmons broke through as a Bull. This team could make a deep run into the Playoffs – in 2010 after a low post scorer arrives by trade.

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Awaiting the then 21-year-old Robinson for his start in the NBA was a Knicks franchise without a leader, direction or perspective. The Phoenix Suns selected Robinson with the 21st pick of the 2005 NBA Draft and promptly sent him to New York as part of the Kurt Thomas-Quentin Richardson trade. Playing for coaches Larry Brown and then Isiah Thomas, Robinson offered regular performances which gave the suffering Knicks fans a rare ray of hope during one of the worst periods in the club’s history. Nate used his explosive nature and game perfectly in the role of energizer off the bench. “Everybody talks about my size. But as long as I play like a giant, that’s fine,” said Robinson, who clearly considered himself one of the most important players in the Knicks rotation.

Nate’s lack of size clearly creates match-up problems which make it difficult to find the ideal position in the Knicks system. As a point guard, Robinson turns the ball over too many times – his assist-turnover ratio of 2.1 is one of the lower among the league’s playmakers. And being just 5-foot-9 is much too short as a shooting guard. Robinson makes up a bit of his lack of size with his superior jumping ability and quickness. But he is helpless when tall or heavier guards bring him into the blocks. The same goes for the pick-and-roll, against which he lacks the body mass to fight off a screen. In addition, Robinson is not a strong one-on-one defender And every taller guard (and that is nearly every player in the league) knows they will have the room to shoot over Robinson. If Nate does use his leaping ability to try and block the shot, he is susceptible to fouls or drives.

But the arrival of Mike D’Antoni’s up-tempo offense not only drew rave reviews from fans, but it seemed a system built ideally for Robinson. The numerous fast break situations compensate for his below-average passing skills and give him plenty of chances to excite the fans with another of his exhilarating dunks. Still, the fan favorite’s coach and his teammates know that Robinson is a shoot-first point guard who will throw up a shot if he’s in trouble instead of looking for a teammate. And too often, Robinson relies on his jump shot in the half-court offense instead of using his tremendous quickness to penetrate the zone. “He still has a long way to go,” said D’Antoni.

Of course it’s clear that D’Antoni’s “Seven Second Or Less” system tends to inflate guards’ statistics. Without questioning his skills, Steve Nash won the 2005 and 2006 MVP titles by leading the up-tempo – and advantageous – Suns offense. And the same tendency is happening for Knicks guards Chris Duhon and Robinson.

So what does the future hold for “Nate the Great”? In the NBA, the shorter a player is, the more important traits such as specialization, fitness and mental stability become. As someone who lives a bit on the edge, the last point will be a challenge for Robinson. He is responsible – with the help of the Knicks coaching staff – for staying consistent and focused. If that doesn’t happen, the way out of the league is quick and steep. But if Robinson can maintain his athleticism and keep his emotions under control, then he has good chances of becoming one of the biggest short guys in league history. And millions of kids will dream of being like him.

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Text: Johannes Korge

Whenever a player shorter than 6-foot makes noise in the NBA, it sparks special feelings for the league’s fans – especially the youngest ones. Players like Muggsy Bogues (5-foot-3), Earl Boykins (5-foot-5) or Spud Webb (5-foot-6) were most likely the shortest guys on the court in their early days and often ridiculed and not taken seriously. Yet, all three not only reached the NBA but established themselves and made millions during their solid, respectable careers.

Still, if these diminutive players can play with the best, fastest and mainly tallest ballers in the world, why can’t a fan of similar stature? Maybe on the asphalt or in a local club. But not in the NBA.

Webb and company show that talent, desire and effort can make up for the missing few inches. And there are a share of players at or below the magical 6-foot who not only keep up with the rest of the league but dominate it more often than not. All-Stars like Chris Paul and Allen Iverson have led their teams for years now. But fans still ooh and ah and cringe and cross their fingers any time one of the short fellas roam with the giants in the paint. And it’s exhilarating to think about a guy playing in the NBA but needing to jump to reach the top shelf in the supermarket. Still, these guys are among the best guards in the best league in the world.

That brings us to Nate Robinson – also known as “Nate the Great” and “Kryptonate”. Armed with an enormous confidence, the 5-foot-9 guard has played his way into the hearts of New York Knicks fans – as well as onto the “Most Wanted” list of supporters from teams around the league. After many successful baskets – preferably dunks, the combo-guard lets out a scream. But what is he screaming about? Satisfaction? Probably not. Aggression? Closer. What about 100 percent pure motivation, nearing counterproductive overzealousness? Bingo!

But it doesn’t even have to be a dunk of his own. At the end of January, the Phoenix Suns were visiting the Big Apple. With 3:36 left in the second quarter, Knicks forward David Lee surprised Suns big man Amar’e Stoudemire with a nice slam – plus the foul. Robinson was so impressed with his teammate’s move that the guard jumped off the bench and gave Stoudemire a bodybuider pose, letting the 13-inch taller Stoudemire know how foolish he looked in getting dunked upon by Lee. The referee gladly gave Robinson a technical foul and the Suns followed with a 13-3 run.

New York was able to win the game but afterwards Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni offered an interesting comment about his temperamental jumping bean Robinson. “That’s the reason why we don’t carry weapons. I could have shot him at that point,” said the coach. Of course it was a joke. But there was a sense of frustration and truth after likely the dumbest technical foul of the season. “We are not good enough to just give away points. I like his fearlessness. But he has to steer it in the right direction,” added D’Antoni. But that is Nate Robinson – fearless, motivated to the end and three-quarters under control. And his averages of 17.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists this season for the Knicks are all career highs.

The San Antonio Spurs experienced in the first game after the All-Star break what can happen if Robinson keeps his emotions under control and lets his game do the talking. With the Slam Dunk Contest trophy fresh in his memory, Robinson showed the Spurs that he is much more than just an abnormally athletic freak – dropping an impressive 32 points and 10 rebounds.

But that was just half the story. Points 25 and 26 knotted the game just before the end of regular. In overtime against one of the top title contenders, Robinson made Madison Square Garden his own stage, scoring six straight points and bringing the Garden into a frenzy. His final basket – a spectacular layup against San Antonio’s 6-foot-11 Tim Duncan – pushed the noise level at the Garden so high that even Nate’s teammates may not have heard his primal scream. “He is a wonderful player,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich of Robinson. “Besides his athleticism, he also has a certain brashness. He really gives everything he has.”

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In Part 2 of this interview with FIVE, Billups talks about paying to see fellow NBA stars, Shaquille O’Neal, trade rumors, coming from Colorado and playing Wii with his daughters.

With the game on the line, who would you take of all the NBA players?

Oh man, there’s a lot of them. It’s tough to not say Kobe, the way he’s playing right now and how he’s played for a long time. But I wouldn’t mind it in my hands.

Is there one guy in the league you would pay to go see?

There’s a few of them. LeBron. Kobe. Carmelo. I love watching and playing with ‘Melo now. KG. Duncan may not be the most exciting player in the world but you can appreciate his craft. There are probably seven, eight, ten guys I would pay to see.

But if you had money for just one ticket?

Kobe James

Looking around the league, who do you see as an emerging star?

You know, one of my favorite players to watch is Brandon Roy. I love Brandon Roy. There are so many great ones. But I love Brandon Roy’s game. He’s so smooth but he competes so hard, his expressions out there. I love Brandon Roy.

You were one of the first players to get traded this season – for Allen Iverson. Are you players like the members of the media where you hear all these rumors and try to figure them out?

I listen. I don’t really pay too much attention. But I listen. You pretty much have to because you could be living in a different area code pretty soon if you’re not paying some kind of attention. There’s always a million rumors out there about this guy or that guy. And you hear them and just go on about your daily business. When you hear something so much, we’re just like everybody else: where there’s smoke, there’s fire. You just really go on about it. There’s not really anything you can control about it. You just try to be professional and do what you do.

When you hear about a rumor, do you start joking with them?

I was joking around with Amar’e (Stoudamire). I was asking him what color would he be wearing. He was like: I don’t know man. I don’t know.

Speaking of talking, who are the best and worst trash-talkers in the league?

Man, there’s not really that many good ones any more. Not really. GP (Gary Payton) was great. KG talks a lot, but a lot of times he’s talking to himself. There’s really not any bad ones.

Now that you’re out West, you see Shaquille O’Neal more often. What do you think about him this season and what he’s doing with Phoenix?

He just seems hungrier out there to prove that he’s still here. He’s dominant. You still have to double or triple team him most nights. The only nights you don’t have to is when they don’t give it to him that much. He’s still the biggest force in basketball, no matter how you look at it, cut it or slice it. He’s a force.

Talk a little bit about you coming from Colorado. How proud are you of being back in your home state – one not really known for basketball?

My whole life I’ve been going to camps and people have asked where I’m from. And I’m there by myself. I tell them where I’m from and they say Where? – like it wasn’t even in the United States. They ask me if I ride horses. Or if I ski.

And the answers of course were yes and yes, right?

Nah, I have never skied before. And I’ve never rode a horse. I tell ‘em I’m here to play ball. So, check the ball and let’s go. And that was always my attitude.

How is KG with it? You’ve known him for a long time.

I’ve known him forever. He always says, man, I’ve never met anyone that was first: black that was from Colorado. And then two: that played basketball and was good at it. I’ve always carried that with me. So I do take it all a little bit more personally, being where I am from. A lot these other guys have 20 or 30 guys they know from home in the NBA. And I can’t say that. I carry a really heavy load wherever I go.

Looking around the league, do you see anybody else in the league who has traveled a similar path as you?

One guy who has been through a lot and been doing great is Mo Williams. He came in and was up and down a little bit. But Mo is already an All-Star and I’m sure he will be one for a while to come.

Looking back to winning the NBA title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004, how does it feel to exceed your dream and win the title?

Other than being there for the birth of my daughters and getting married to my wife there’s no feeling like winning a championship. There’s no better feeling than that. It’s just amazing.

Speaking of your kids, I heard you play Wii tennis with them. Who has the upper hand in that?

They do, man. Both of my daughters have the upper hand. The little one can’t beat me yet. But the older two, I can’t beat them.

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Chauncey Billups came to Denver mid-season in a trade from Detroit for Allen Iverson. Billups brought with him to his hometown Nuggets the experience of winning a title with the Pistons. Denver fans hope their local hero can lead them to the Promised Land.

In this interview with FIVE, Billups talks about the Nuggets’ chances of winning the NBA crown and what it’s like to remember the old Nuggets teams and wear Denver on his jersey.

Has the trade for AI worked out beyond what you expected when it happened?

To this point. But it’s still early. We still have some season left and the playoffs. And most teams are remembered for what they do in the post-season. So we won’t know. But I am happy with where I’m at and where our team is at. But we’ll see.

A lot of people credit you for the turn-around. What do you see as the main factors?

I probably had something to do with it. But they had some good players already. They maybe could have been on the same run without me with what they had in place. ‘Melo’s been awesome. He’s really taken a leadership role. Nene’s been unbelievable. We have a lot of guys who are playing really well. So I can’t really take credit for that. I think I’m just one of the pieces to the puzzle. We just want to take it one game at a time. I think we have great pieces in place. But our main thing is to try our best to get home court advantage and build from there.

How much is the game gonna change come playoff time when you have to adapt?

The playoffs are all about adapting to changes – all about adjustments, during the game, at the half. You gotta be able to do that or you will be left behind. That’s one thing I think I can bring to our team is the knowledge of that, knowing how to do that and knowing what it takes to do that. Not only being able to preach that but going out and doing that. That’s one of the things I’m looking forward to coming down the road is seeing how we can adapt.

The team had its best start in franchise and people in Denver are starting to get excited. Do you remember watching those teams of the 1980s or the last team to make it to the Western Conference Finals back when the Nuggets were always good?

I remember watching Alex English’s teams. Kiki (Vandeweghe). Of course I grew up a Nuggets fan and watching basketball every day I could. I even remember when they were the eighth seed and they beat George Karl (and the Seattle SuperSonics in 1994) in the first round. I remember all that. I watched and studied a lot of those players and a lot of those teams. I’m happy that we have generated some excitement in the city for basketball. And hopefully we can continue to get better.

You made the All-Star team in the Western Conference even though there are a lot of great playmakers out West. How much is that a testament to how good the Nuggets are playing?

My stats are never really glaring or people think, man how does he do that. All of my individual accolades have come through winning and playing the right way and doing what’s best for my team. And people appreciate that. It was a direct correlation to us being a good basketball team.

How good can this team be this season?

I think we can be on the same level with the Lakers and Spurs. I think those are the two best teams. And we’re trying to creep into that elite group.

You’ve been with the team for quite some time now. Can you tell us what you think about Nene?

I’m really impressed with Nene. He’s getting better all the time. One-on-one, I don’t think people can cover him on the post. He’s got great moves down low, left and right handed. He’s just skilled. You can just tell that he’s been taught well.

What do you guys have to do to win the West and the title?

I think it’s really just our mental focus. We have the players and the athletes, a good coach. We have all those things. It’s just the mental focus and to prepare for all the small details and being able to execute those things. If we can be good at that every game, we can be super dangerous.

You talked about winning being so important for you. How much more does it mean now with Denver – your hometown – on your jersey?

I’ve been an All-Star a few times and one time they had us wearing our normal jerseys. And I was really hoping this year’s All-Star Game would have been one of those years and I could wear Denver on my chest as an All-Star.

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The German basketball season is drawing to a close and one player clearly missing is Ademola Okulaja. The former North Carolina Tar Heel and German national team star is still recovering from a cancerous tumor.

Okulaja was diagnosed last July with a fracture of the vertebrae which may have been caused by a tumor. And he has been fighting the cancer since – also going through chemotherapy treatments.

But Okulaja is living up to his “Warrior” nickname by fighting to come back to the game.

“First I want to get healthy. As soon as I have beaten this sickness, I definitely want to get back to basketball and play for Bamberg,” the 172-time German international Okulaja told K1X.

But the “Warrior” is also fighting to help cancer-ridden children – with the help of basketball brand K1X. The Apparel makers came up with a t-shirt to help Okulaja’s cause.

“The Warrior will be back” is the message appearing on 513 t-shirts which also feature a close-up of his eyes – the look of a true winner. The number of shirts comes from the jersey numbers he wore with the German national team (5) and German club Bamberg (13).

20 Euros – All towards children

The t-shirts are available at Ballerz World in Bamberg, at kickz.com as well as Bamberg home games. They cost 20 euros and every cent goes to KINDerLEBEN, a non-profit organization which helps clinics and hospitals treating cancer-ridden children. Okulaja himself chose this organization as the beneficiary of the proceeds from the t-shirts.

“This action is dedicated solely to Ademola and the fight against cancer. We want to mobilize all his fans and friends and show him that we support him in this tough time as well,” said Christian Grosse, head of k1x GmbH.

Okulaja played in North Carolina in the 1990s with the likes of NBA stars Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter. In his senior season, he led the Tar Heels in points, rebounds, steals and three-point percentage as team captain. He went on to play for clubs in Spain, Russia and Germany, playing with Bamberg since mid-2007.

Those looking to help the fight against cancer can purchase a t-shirt at Ballerz World (www.ballerz-world.de), at kickz.com or make a donation to the following account:

KINDerLEBEN e.V.

HypoVereinsbank Berlin

Acct No. 609061901
Bank Code: 263 93 00

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Lithuanian basketball legend arydas sabonis and european basketball brand k1x have joined forces. “sabo”, who retired from active play in 2005 after being named to the euroleague first team and winning mvp honors for zalgiris kaunas, will be freelancing for k1x as a creative advisor. “arvydas is a trendsetter and always keeps his ear to the streets”, commented k1x c.e.o christian grosse. “his outstanding career made him one of the most amazing centers ever to play the game, we are extremely proud to have him join our squad. and of course, we look forward to benefit from his expertise in issues of style.” sabonis has “always wanted to do something in fashion” and will start his new job by tackling the reinvention of protective gear. “i don’t want to give away too much now, but i think tie-dye knee pads have huge potential for growth, said arvydas from his office in kaunas, where he will remain for now due to his management duties for zalgiris.

arvydas sabonis is an olympic gold medalist (1988) and bronze medalist (1992) as well as euro bronze medalist (1995). he won two spanish league championships (1993/94) and the european club championship with real madrid in 1995. sabonis then moved on to the nba, playing 470 regular season gams and 51 playoff gams in 7 seasons for the portland trailblazers. he is considered one of the most talented big men ever to play the game, and was a bona fide passer/shooter considering his size and position. in terms of pure game, possibly the most talented center ever.

Sabonis is thrilled about his new adventure in fashion.

This is great news – I can’t wait to see his first tribute collection – something regarding the Blazers maybe? We will keep you updated.

Arvydas Sabonis

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Looking at how much negativity there is around in this world, how do you cope with all the negativity?

I have kids and people who love me and people that I love. And I know that there’s a lot of love in this world too. It’s an awful thing to say … but I think that hate is overrulin’ love now – in this day of age. It’s a bad thing, but I gotta be honest with how I view the world and how I look at things. And that’s just the way it is. Nobody wants to hear about anything positive. People want to hear something negative. People want to hear about somebody gettin’ killed or somethin’ bad happenin’. That’s what catches somebody’s eye.

Looking at athletes being role models, the baseball player Alex Rodriguez said he felt the pressure to take performance enhancing drugs. Do you understand at all where he’s coming from?

I just want to choose my words right because that’s a touchy situation because I love Alex Rodriguez as a player. Um … I don’t know. I don’t know how you get … I don’t understand how somebody can do that to themselves and to the game in general and to the fans. I mean, if God didn’t give it to you, you don’t need it.

And this coming from you – a guy who has been criticized for a lot of things over the years. You have always been known as 100 percent natural – what you see is what you get.

And then … a lot of it can be immaturity, being young. Basically that was my problem. Probably 99 percent of my problem was just being young and not knowing and not being mature enough to do it the right way. I just didn’t know. Being young, you always think your way is the right way. But your way is not always the right way.

Let’s look at some of the NBA awards, who do you think is the forerunner for the MVP?

I don’t know. Anybody can get it. You look at all the rosters and the guys on these squads, anybody can get it. I have no idea. I couldn’t even begin to guess who could be the MVP.

One of the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year award is Bulls guard Derrick Rose. What do you think about him?

Instant impact, he’s doing a great job handling everything he has to go through as far as having that spotlight on him. I think he’s doing a beautiful job and he’s only gonna get better. I always say with young guys the most important thing is for people to let them grow. Don’t rush him into being some superstar. Let him come into his own. Help him, coach him. Tell him when he’s right, tell him when he’s wrong. Definitely pat him on the back when he’s right and kick him in the ass when he does wrong. But believe in him, trust in him, and everything will be fine.

What is your advice to some of the younger player in dealing with the ball?

Take care of it. Don’t do what I did. Young guys are always trying to make something happen. That was my thing. I’m always trying to make something happen – trying to make something happen for myself, my teammates and my team. But you can get in trouble.

My whole thing was when I was younger I was at one pace all the time. I was fast, fast, fast all the time. That was the only thing I knew, to be faster than everybody else. Then I started watching John Stockton. You don’t have to be the fastest guy in the world. You just need to know when to be fast and when to pull it back, know when to go, when to stop. He was just A+ at thinking about the basketball game.

That’s what young players don’t know because they rely on their athletic ability so much. Once they get to this level they think that they can. But there are guys who are so much slower than you but know so much more about the basketball game. And that’s what I try to concentrate on every day now. I find myself just watching games and watching tape and trying to be a smarter basketball player instead of being more athletic than everybody else.

In Philadelphia you carried the team for so long. In Denver you had Carmelo Anthony. And now in Detroit the main thing is seeing how you fit in there. After all these years, are you past the idea of It’s on me for this team to be better?

No. Because I’m me. That’s the person that I know. That’s the player I am. That’s the responsibility I have from the person who gave me the talent. I just rather have the pressure on me than anybody else. I think I’m gifted enough to handle that responsibility. That’s just the way that I am.

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Allen Iverson is one of the most controversial superstars in the NBA. He was known as having too big an ego, not playing team ball, being too ghetto and not being smart enough. Here AI shows a different side – more reflective, honest, open and self-critical than usual.

Allen, you think you’ll make it to heaven?

I did a lot of good things in my life and some bad things too … I don’t know. I hope the good things outweigh the bad ones. But I don’t want to go to hell, that’s for sure.

That sounds like you’re not sure you’re in yet?

I’m not sayin’ that I’m not in. ‘Cause I think I am unless some things go dramatically wrong in the next however many years. But I think I’ll be walking through those gates.

When someone goes to a basketball game or football game or sporting event, it’s a source of entertainment. And in hard economic times like these, it also serves the public as an opportunity to shut out all the depressive stuff going on. Do you have a feeling like that at all out on the court – especially this year?

Definitely, it’s definitely a savior. It’s even like that for us. You think about how many lives we impact when we go out and do what we do. It takes people away from their everyday struggles for at least two hours or more. They can get away and not think about their problems.

But it’s the same thing for us. When I’m playing basketball for those couple hours I’m not thinking about some hardships goin’ on in my life – things not goin’ well in my life or troubles that I have off the basketball court. It takes my mind off things that are troublesome for me. Obviously I really think it helps a lot of people.

We have more impact on the world than people think – and even more than we might think. Talking about a role model situation, when I was younger I never knew that we were important like we are. We are role models if we like it or not. It’s something that we should accept. But people need to know that we are human and make mistakes and will not be perfect. You want to be like Allen Iverson, but I don’t think people should try to be like Allen Iverson. They should be better than Allen Iverson.

Do you think there is more pressure on players when they are All-Stars?

I think the pressure is the same. Every NBA player is blessed to be in this situation. Every NBA player to me, in my eyes and being the person that I am, is equal. ‘Cause all of us had a long way to get here. All of us had our different paths to get to this point. We all went through hell to try to get here. And to be here is a blessing. We’re a few out of billions of people to get to this point. So everybody is blessed with the opportunity regardless if you’re an All-Star or you’re the last man off the bench. We still have a responsibility to the people that watch us play.

Talk about the reality of you being one of billions of people yet having had so much success in the NBA: MVP, multi-time All-Star, icon.

It’s just icing on the cake. It’s just extra special. It’s just another blessing. My whole thing was to get here. And then when you add everything else – the MVP, the scoring titles, the All-Star games, First-Team All-NBA – that’s just an extra blessing. And it’s honestly a tribute to yourself, your teammates and the coaching staffs that you’ve had. ‘Cause obviously you’ve done a lot and people have helped you to accomplish those other accolades. I feel like without the guys I have played with and the coaches I have had and my fans, then there’s no All-Stars, MVPs and all that. Honestly I have to give credit to myself because I worked at it and practiced as hard as I could to get to this point. But I had other people to help me get here.

And my family as well, just helping me deal with things in the media. I always thought that as soon as you got to the NBA the media was gonna love you and give you a break. But the better you are that makes it harder on you as far as with the media. I never thought that. I thought if I play to a certain level then I’d be a media darling. But I don’t care how great you are, negative sells more than positive. People would rather talk about a war than something you do for a charity. People would rather talk about Saddam Hussein or Bin Laden than somebody who rescued somebody from a burning house. It’s just that negativity in this world sells. It’s wrong. It’s not right. But that’s the way it is. It’s just a negative world.

Related Posts:

• Allen Iverson – last part of the interview
• Iverson: The Answer for whose question?
• The LeBronism Era?
• Chancey Billups would buy tickets to see Lebron
• Chauncey Billups interview with FIVE Magazine
• Allen Iverson interview: part II