GREAT EATS HAWAII: LOS ANGELES LAKERS IN HAWAII

LOS ANGELES LAKERS IN HAWAII
STAN SHERIFF CENTER - UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII

What a treat to see the Los Angeles Lakers in Hawaii. The exhibition match vs the Utah Jazz sold out with over 10,000 Laker Fans buying up tickets at prices up to $500. I purchased my tickets the day they went on sale months prior to the event and was given 17th row center court seats via the ETicket Hawaii website. We arrived at the game 90 minutes prior to tipoff because we knew that the parking lot would fill up fast. It did and we were uncrushed and comfortable in our seats enjoying a cold beer and some great Stan Sheriff Center Nachos. Anyone attending the game would have thought they were in Los Angeles with thousands of die hard Laker fans wearing Laker gear from head to toe. Seemed every little kid in the building had a Laker shirt or hat on. Heck, even I pulled out my #24 Kobe Bryant shirt that I had bought in Los Angeles and never worn in Hawaii. The blond Hollywood crowd with plastic surgery and designer duds was not in the house on this day, rather a very Asian crowd in shorts and tank tops filled both the court side and cheap seats. The feeling inside the Stan Sheriff Center was electric as the crowd waited to see an NBA legend. Kobe Bryant was the draw here and that is who people wanted to see. When Kobe hit the court for warmup, the crowd erupted with excitement. The excitement waned when they pulled Kobe out for the second half and the Lakers missed layups, short shots and just looked like they were not ready to play. This was unlike any Laker team I have ever seen in the past. Perhaps they are just rusty and need to get back in the rhythm of the game. No worries for me as I just loved seeing Kobe and the Lakers on the court in Hawaii. Showtime in Paradise was awesome despite the poor play. As a side note, I attended a breakfast the day before the game with Laker Head Coach - Byron Scott, Assistant Coach - Mark Madsen and GM - Mitch Kupchak. All were total gentlemen and very friendly. Mark Madsen extended his hand to me and introduced himself and Mitch Kupchak posed for a selfie with me. Byron Scott was taking pictures with fans until his handlers moved him quickly to the elevator so they could get to practice on time. So nice to see the Laker Coaches and GM being so nice to the fans and giving back to local charities. I have been a Laker fan for life and love them more now than ever! Go Lakers!!!!