Morning Coffee – Mon, Feb 18

All-Star game stuff.

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Here’s the stuff from the All-Star game.

Toronto’s Kyle Lowry breaks down every sneaker he’s worn as an NBA All-Star

“You never get tired of it … [because] you never know when it’s gonna end,” said Lowry, a reserve for Team Giannis. “You enjoy the moment … the experience. Be with the fellas, and have some fun.”

Lowry is one of three players — along with Houston’s James Harden and Portland’s Damian Lillard — who will take the court on Sunday at the Spectrum Center wearing Adidas. “It’s a brotherhood … a fraternity,” said Lowry of the trio of Adidas’ All-Star athletes. Lowry joined the brand as a rookie in 2006, when he was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies with the 24th overall pick in the NBA draft out of Villanova.

“Adidas treated me really well in high school,” Lowry said. “I … ended up going to a Nike [college] … and Nike was good. But to be able to go back to the brand that supported me in high school was one of the most important decisions I’ve ever made.”

Lowry did leave Adidas for a brief stint with Chinese sportswear brand Peak. “Stupid. It was a business decision at the time,” said Lowry, who rejoined Adidas in 2014. “Fortunately, that deal didn’t work out and I’m back with the brand. I kinda deleted those Peak years.” When The Undefeated caught up with Lowry on Saturday, he broke down every sneaker he’s laced up as an All-Star.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piBcvX2-q7g

Kyle Lowry Tells Us How He’s Led The Raptors Through A Hectic Season

We spoke with the Raptors point guard at the adidas NBA All-Star suite about the tumultuous season in Toronto, namely how he approaches being a leader amid all the chaos. We also chatted a bit about some of his teammates, and of course, his beloved Philadelphia Eagles.

I think with you there’s only one place to start: [Carson] Wentz or [Nick] Foles?

[laughs] I’m going with Wentz. I think he’s just coming off the ACL year and everything and trying to rush and he’s a bit rusty. I’d definitely go with Wentz.

We’re asking dudes about being a young point guard in the league. What are the biggest adjustments that rookie point guards have to make when they do that jump from college to the NBA?

Understand how to deal with people. Understand that they’re grown men. They’re other individuals who have had success before them. I think just being able to be confident in themselves.

You’re an interesting dude in that you’ve bounced around a few times before getting to Toronto and really settling and breaking out there, and we’ve seen that this year with D’Angelo Russell. How much of being a point guard and being able to succeed is just being in the right fit in terms of team and a city, and all that?

I think that’s all about it. I think when you’re given opportunities, you’ve got to take advantage of it. In the case of Russell, he just … he’s young. He’s still only 22 years old, and he’s just still figuring it out. The coach just gave him the confidence to be great and to keep continuing to grow, and I think that’s a big part about just being a young point guard, is that you’ve got to be able to be willing to learn and understand that you’re going to have some failure. But you’ve got to keep continuing to work and build on and bounce off of.

Hasheem Thabeet works out for Rockets, Raptors, Pistons – Sportstar

Hasheem Thabeet is attempting a comeback.

The 7-foot-3-inch center worked out for the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons during All-Star weekend in Charlotte, according to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer. Thabeet last played in the NBA in 2013-14.

Thabeet, 32, entered the league with high expectations after he was selected by the Grizzlies out of the University of Connecticut with the No. 2 pick in the 2009 draft.

But, Thabeet struggled throughout his rookie season and failed to find a role in the NBA. He also played for the Thunder, Trail Blazers and Rockets during his five-year career.

Thabeet averaged 2.2 points and 2.7 rebounds over 224 NBA games.

Carly Rae Jepsen Sings Sweet Canadian Anthem At NBA All-Star Game – Hollywood Life

So, we just saw Carly Rae Jepsen perform, and this is crazy, but hers was one of the best Canadian national anthems ever, no ifs, ands, buts, or maybes. All joking aside, Carly, 33, proved why she was the prefect pick to represent her home country at the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 17. Ahead of seeing the best and the brightest of the NBA go head-to-head, Carly serenaded those gathered at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Though it wasn’t filled with dramatic flourishes or extravagances, Carly’s rendition was simple, sincere, sweet, and from the heart. Way to go, Carly!

Though there were two members of the Toronto Raptors voted into the All-Star Game (Kawhi Leonard and Kyle Lowry) there weren’t any actual Canadian players involved in the game. No Tristan Thompson, Chris Boucher, Andrew Wiggins, or the like. So, it seems Carly’s performance was for all the Canadian fans watching at home. Granted, when someone thinks of Canada, the first sport that comes to mind is hockey (though lacrosse, funny enough, is the country’s national summer sport) basketball has a huge following in the Great White North.

“I think because of the Raptors being the only team north of the border we get to say that’s not just the Toronto Raptors. That’s Canada’s NBA team,” Ed Robertson, lead singer of Barenaked Ladies, who performed the anthem at the 2018 game, told For The Win. “That’s the North. When you play the Raptors, you’re playing against the wind and the snow and hardy people that can survive in the forest with their bare hands.”

Cover Photo: Chuck Burton/Associated Press

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