Your Original Team

[Ted]

All this "you're a bandwagoner" talk got me thinking. It would be interesting to see how many of us have switched teams over the years.

Having grown up near DeKalb, IL, I was a Chicago Bulls fan for most of my life, even though we moved to Utah in 1985 when I was 11. It was sad to leave Chicago right as Jordan started to get going, but it brought me great pleasure to be the only Bulls fan in the family and among my friends--the 90s were very good to me. I was and will always be a huge Pippen and MJ fan. Pippen was my favorite player, with MJ a close second.

I used to be a rabid Bulls fan, but Jerry Krause killed it for me, and the last straw was when Jay Williams wrecked his motorcycle. I have now almost completely switched over to the Jazz. In fact, I don't really like any of the players on Chicago right now. As far as the Jazz go, for most of their careers, I actually disliked Malone and Stockton. But toward the end I started to respect their accomplishments, and when we got AK47 and Harpring, I became a fan. And time and proximity have worked on me. I like the way the team is run. I like Sloan, even though he can be outcoached, and I love our current group of players. I just wish the old AK47 would come back.

[Joe Vancil]

I started watching in 1979.  I immediately became a Phoenix Suns fan.

I claimed Phoenix until the 1983 Season, when I switched to Philadelphia.  The acquisition of Moses Malone was part of the reason, but it was Bobby Jones and Mo Cheeks that really were the folks that drew my attention.

After Philadelphia won the championship that year, I switched again - to the Milwaukee Bucks.  I was a Bucks fan for a couple of years, until switching to the Dallas Mavericks, and then to Cleveland, and to Charlotte. 

I became a Jazz fan in the 1994 playoffs, first round, and have been a Jazz fan since, with the exception of the first half of the 2003-2004 season.  The Jazz won me back by picking up Giricek in exchange for DeShawn Stevenson.

[westkoast]

Born and raised in socal so its always been the Lakers.  Although I have been fans of certain players that make me follow other teams but I've never "repped" them.

You can't really be a bandwagon fan unless you jump on the back of a team that is doing well all the sudden...

[Derek Bodner]

Never really lived outside of the philadelphia area, and even if I moved now, I'm so entrenched in my ways I don't think I'd ever change teams  Maybe pick up a second team, but never as a primary.

[Lurker]

I was born and raised in the Midwest and initially was the fan of players but not a team.  I liked Jabbar, West, Earl the Pearl and others.  Unfortunately tv coverage back in the 60s and 70s was limited.  As well as media coverage in general.  

I moved to SA in 1981 and began to follow the local team.  It was a scrappy team that featured the Iceman, James Silas and the start of the Bruise Brothers (Olberding, Paultz, Deitrich, Corzine).  They were solid contributors to the community also and started a long line of tradition.   Tough play on the court and give back tons to the community.  Very little negative press...in fact over the years one of the fastest ways out of the Spurs organization was to show up on the police blotter.

[ziggy]

Born and raised in Oregon, spent 3 years in Hillsdale, Michigan attending college, lived in Oregon ever since.  Blazers came into existence right at the age when I started to follow sports.  I watched them on TV in the early days.  When I went to school in Michigan, I was still a Blazer fan.  I watched them play in the Silverdome, and I watched them play the Pistons on TV the few times they were on TV locally.  I was never a fan of the Pistons, though I did follow them.  This was when they had Tripuka, Laimbeer, Isiah, Kent Benson, Vinnie Johnson.    I have always been a Blazer fan, and I could never see myself rooting for another team.  I just have too much invested in them.

[WayOutWest]

Born and raised in L.A., was a fan of the Lakers since 84 after the Boston Masacre.  I became a Clippers fan when they drafted Danny Manning, back then I followed college basketball players starting at the McDonalds All-Star game.  I sort of lost track of both teams when I lived in San Diego but when I got back to L.A. it was Lakers/Clippers "man love" all over again.

[Randy]

I was born in So Cal and spent my first few years there -- I became a Lakers fan early and stayed with them even after moving back to the Midwest and hardly ever getting a chance to see them play.  I have rooted for some other teams but the Lakers have always been my team.  I love basketball though and have other players who are my favorite more than other teams.

Brandon Roy, Devon Williams, Carlos Boozer, Luis Scola, Robert Horry, Andris Biedrins, Shawn Marion, Shaun Livingston, TD, KG -- those guys are some of my favorite guys -- but I'll always be a Lakers fan (heck, I was a Laker fan when the Lakers imported some of the worst players the league has ever seen -- Rider, Rodman, Samaki Walker, Smush Parker -- these guys almost caused me to change teams!!!).

[Laker Fan]

First, foremost, and always a Laker fan. I have followed them since I was a little kid, although in the 60's it was frustrating because of those stinking Celtics, and to be honest, I was a far bigger Dodger fan back then, although as a young teenager the 33 game win streak had my, and everyone elses attention, besides the fact that there wasn't much to cheer about in Chavez Ravine (Dodger Stadium) and My Forty Niners were stinking it up real bad. When they scored Jabbar and Jamaal Wilkes in the mid/late 70's and then Buss bought the team, my interest was rekindled from just staying current with them to really following them again. The early 80's were great time, the Niners were domintating and the Lakers finally got that Celtics monkey off their backs. During their down seasons, (Pfunt, Harris) I watched a lot of different teams but never switch teams and never gave up on the Lake Show.

It has always been more than just a passing interest, I have admired them and the fact that since they were formed in 1946, they have missed the playoffs only 5-6 time or something like that, they have always put a quality product on the floor and in the past 10 years they have added a soap opera atmosphere as a bonus!

[Skandery]

Let me start by saying I grew up in the midwest and have never been any closer than at least 6 hours away from a franchise.  To people who can't relate to that, you don't know how good you have it.

The very first NBA basketball that I ever remember watching was the 1991 NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls (with MJ) and the LA Lakers (with Magic).  I knew about Jordan, I knew about Magic, and as is nearly ALWAYS the case with me I go with who I perceive to be the underdog who is many times the less-hyped one.  Jordan was ridiculously hyped so I cheered for the Lakers.  Of course Jordan winning that championship was just Insult #1 in a long line of insults that made me never like Jordan.  I stayed with the Lakers even after Magic's famous press conference (and loathed AC Green for saying that he wouldn't want to play with Magic on the Dream Team) and after he retired--the first time.  I actually lost my voice screaming at my TV for the massive underdog Lakers in that colossal 5 game series against the Phoenix Suns in 1993.  My hatred for Phoenix after they pulled the Lakers series out followed through until they met up with an upstart Sonics team featuring a high-flying, thunder-dunking Shawn Kemp who took Phoenix to 7 games. 

The 1993 - 94 season was the changing of the guard from the Lakers to the Sonics, as Laker players got old and retired (Worthy) or left (B. Scott).  Also it helped that one of my Lakers, Sam Perkins went to the Sonics.  I stayed with the Sonics through good (Finals appearance) and bad (stupid Denver!) until they began dismantling the team circa 1999 starting with the 3 way trade that sent my favorite player, Shawn Kemp, to Cleveland. 

When Seattle got rid of George Karl and Milwaukee signed him, I loosely became a Bucks fan for a couple of years (the teams with Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson, Sam Cassell, and Darvin Ham).  But really from the period of the lockout (1999) until 2002, I didn't follow the NBA religiously like I had. 

When Joe invited me up to join the fantasy league in 2002, and I began to take in games to really learn about the players in the league again:  I completely fell in love with the games of Manu Ginobili (a rookie) and Andrei Kirilenko (a sophomore).  San Antonio had been a champion, a contendor in the league; Utah, an up and coming young squad starting over post Stockton/Malone.  What does Skander do, root for the underdog.  The Utah Jazz have been by team since. 

[SPURSX3]

I never watched Basketball until David Robinsons rookie year, or atleast never really paid attention to it, I remember people making a big deal about the Lakers back when Magic was playing and also the Bulls when Jordan started blowing up, but I really did not pay much attention to the NBA.  Don't knnow what to say except that seeing David sprint from one end to another and block shots was pretty impressive.  That and the whole "small town" mentality we have here may have been swayed to watch when they started doing those "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" commercials.  SA was tiny back then compared to what it is today, I mean it is not the size of LA or Chicago or anything like that, but I have seen this city grow, and grow, and grow.  It was cool having our town in the spot light back then and, in my eyes atleast, David Robinson had a lot to do with that.  I have been a Spurs/NBA fan ever since.  



speaking of back in the day commercials, anyone miss those old "Gran Maw Maw" commercials???

 

[SPURSX3]

I was born and raised in the Midwest and initially was the fan of players but not a team.  I liked Jabbar, West, Earl the Pearl and others.  Unfortunately tv coverage back in the 60s and 70s was limited.  As well as media coverage in general.  

I moved to SA in 1981 and began to follow the local team.  It was a scrappy team that featured the Iceman, James Silas and the start of the Bruise Brothers (Olberding, Paultz, Deitrich, Corzine).  They were solid contributors to the community also and started a long line of tradition.   Tough play on the court and give back tons to the community.  Very little negative press...in fact over the years one of the fastest ways out of the Spurs organization was to show up on the police blotter.

I envy you.  I love watching old footage of Gervin play.  The man was insanely smoothe on the court.

[Derek Bodner]

How can you miss commercials?  Youtube is your friend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thbUkBW_ftM

[SPURSX3]

well, I can't access youtube at work, and when I am at home if I am not busy with kids, or house stuff, I am playing Halo...    but I will make a poitn to look up that link when I get home today.

[WayOutWest]

It has always been more than just a passing interest, I have admired them and the fact that since they were formed in 1946, they have missed the playoffs only 5-6 time or something like that, they have always put a quality product on the floor and in the past 10 years they have added a soap opera atmosphere as a bonus!

In their 60 year history, the Lakers have been in the playoffs 55 times.