Daily News: Bong between Odom, Artest, Alson, and Marbury stays strong

Mamba · Jun 13, 2009

ORLANDO, Fla. - There are always NBA players on the sidelines at the Finals. Competitors drawn by the intensity of basketball's largest stage, mostly out of curiosity or envy.

For others, something deeper is at work.

Ron Artest and Stephon Marbury each bought seats to watch the Lakers and Orlando play Games 1 and 2 of the NBA Finals in Los Angeles to support their home team.

Their real home team: New York.

Artest, Marbury, the Lakers' Lamar Odom and the Magic's Rafer Alston all grew up in New York City within three years and 20 miles of each other.

"We've all known or heard about each other for a long time," Odom said. "I've heard their names since I was 12 years old and I'm four months away rom 30. So we've known each other for what, 16, 17 years? That's a long time.

"We're all from the inner city, we all have players that were around us that were just as good, or even better than us that didn't make it because of the roads they had to take. So there's a respect for each other."

Odom, 29, and Alston, 32, grew up five minutes from each other in Queens and played at the same parks. Artest, 29, grew up a few minutes away in the Queensbridge projects. Marbury, 32, grew up in Coney Island, an area of Brooklyn.

"Lamar and I grew up five minutes from each other," Alston said. "He lived over on 131st Street and I was on 155th Street."

Geographically, that's about a mile. But Alston said he knows all the shortcuts.

"We kids who grow up fast, we know how to cut through the alleys and stuff like that," he said, laughing. "But I always knew how to find him. He was at Ajax Park. We'd always see each other down there. I'd always go down and try to catch his games.

"All my friends would tell me, `You gotta see Odom, you gotta see Odom.' He was so tall, playing like a point guard. He was the `It' thing."

Of course, Odom says the same thing about Alston, who is probably the most famous streetballer ever to come out of New York, and went by the name of "Skip To My Lou" because of a signature move he developed on famed outdoor courts like Rucker Park in Harlem, or West 4th Street in Greenwich Village.

"Rafer is a legend," Odom said. "He's certified as a legend in New York. I always came out and watched him, especially at Rucker. He's one of the most entertaining players I've ever seen with the basketball."

These NBA playoffs have been like an NCAA Tournament for the New York City Four. Odom's Lakers beat Artest's Houston Rockets in the Western Conference semifinals, at the same time Alston's Magic beat Marbury's Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Now, of course, Odom's Lakers hold a 3-1 advantage over Alston's Magic in the NBA Finals, meaning at least one New Yorker will become a champion.

Though hundreds of NBA players have come from the playgrounds of New York City, and hundreds of cities can claim multiple NBA players, the bond between Artest, Odom, Marbury and Alston seems particularly strong.

Part of it is age, all four having grown up playing with and against each other. But a larger part of it is shared experience, all four having grown up in the inner city, where gangs, drugs and violence were a fact of life and basketball seemed the only salvation at times.

"I think it's because growing up, we just have that one thing and that's basketball," Alston said. "Other cities and states, they have so many things to cling to. Kids are playing soccer, football. A lot of people are playing baseball. But in New York City it's just basketball.

"A lot of us growing up, it's either basketball or nothing.

"I mean, any one of these guys who tells you they played any other sport is lying. I played Little League and I was in the outfield throwing rocks at my friends. Come on, the ball's not coming out here for another two innings, I'm throwing rocks.

"In New York, we play basketball. Winter, summer, year-round. We even had a midnight league one year. We'd be out there at two in the morning, tearing each other apart."

Because of their ages, Alston and Marbury were close friends growing up, just as Odom and Artest were. They played on the same AAU teams, at the same playgrounds, in the same tournaments.

When they were teenagers, Alston said he'd often hop the subway and spend weekends with Marbury.

"The thing about Stephon and his neighborhood is that all of them had the same dream," Alston said. "I used to go to his house and spend the night, we'd wake up in the morning and play all through the day and all through the night. Go back sleep at his house, then wake up and do the same thing the next day.

"The biggest difference from my neighborhood to his is that every kid in there had the same dream. Everyone thought they were going to make it to the NBA.

"They had this little court, they called it the Garden. And if you lost a game, you better just go on home because you're not getting back on."

Back then, Alston was known as "The Energizer" because as a 13- or 14-year-old playing against the grown men on New York's most competitive blacktop courts, he often had to come off the bench to get in the game. When he did, he brought plenty of energy.

Odom also had a nickname.

"Lamar was everything," Alston said. "So Kenny Smith gave him his nickname, `The Goods.' Because he could score, rebound, get assists, he just had `The Goods."'

One way or another, the goods will be coming back to New York City this June. Odom or Alston will be carrying them home.
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http://www.dailynews.com/lakers/ci_12582741

Mamba · Jun 13, 2009

Out of the 4 players in this article, I'm glad Odom is a Laker.

DaRizzle · Jun 13, 2009

Moo2K4 · Jun 13, 2009

I assume you meant "Bond", not "Bong".

DaRizzle · Jun 13, 2009

both

Mamba · Jun 13, 2009

Well now that I realized my typo, I think bong is more suitable.

Денг Гордон · Jun 13, 2009

This reminds me of when the three New Yorkers (joakim noah, ron artest, and nate robinson) went on ESPN, aqnd the three were like 40 minutes late and then Ron Artest missed the interview because he got stuck in the candy machine.

DaRizzle · Jun 13, 2009

Black Mamba said: ↑

Well now that I realized my typo, I think bong is more suitable.
Click to expand...

Which one...the "bong" or misspelling one of the players names

Mamba · Jun 13, 2009

DaRizzle said: ↑

Which one...the "bong" or misspelling one of the players names
Click to expand...

LMAO!

I didn't even notice Alston.

God damn that's horrible.

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Daily News: Bong between Odom, Artest, Alson, and Marbury stays strong

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Daily News: Bong between Odom, Artest, Alson, and Marbury stays strong

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