Grizzlies' Haddadi leaves large footprint during camp at CSUN
Alonso Tacanga / Special to the Daily News
Published: Sunday, September 13, 2009
Hamed Haddadi let a half-court shot fly as 100 kids looked on. It was his camp, so it would have been fitting to hit the difficult attempt.
Unfortunately for the Iranian - the first ever to play in the NBA - he was just short, and the ball grazed off the front of the rim as the youngsters groaned in disappointment.
Then the Lakers’ Ron Artest picked up a ball and launched a nothing-but-net half-court 3-pointer.
The kids went nuts.
“Very nice of (Artest) to come out,” said a smiling Haddadi, the Memphis Grizzlies’ 7-foot-2 center who is hosting the youth basketball camp (which finishes today) at Cal State Northridge.
It was that kind of afternoon Saturday. Haddadi appeared to a group of loud-cheering campers, most of whom were of Iranian descent. He had them hanging by his every word and dunk. Artest, the Lakers’ new forward, entered the room two hours later, and the campers yelled as if they had witnessed a winning shot at the buzzer.
Yes, Artest took away some of Haddadi’s spotlight Saturday.
“I have that Lakers’ patch on my back,” Artest said, downplaying his new rock star status in Los Angeles. “It helps me help (Haddadi) in his camp. We just kind of help each other.”
The camp wasn’t a popularity contest, though. It was to reach out to the Iranian-American community in Los Angeles.
According to the 2000 Census, there are about 72,000 Iranian-Americans in L.A. Haddadi just arrived in the United States last year, but he already wants to do his part.”We’re trying to show the kids they can have a role model that’s Iranian,” said Behdad Sami, a coach at Haddadi’s camp.
Haddadi led his country to the FIBA Asia Championship title in August and was named MVP of the tournament. Haddadi also shined at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, averaging 16.6points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Iran went 0-5 in the Games, but that didn’t stop the Grizzlies from signing him to a three-year contract that summer.
Before that, there was a period of uncertainty for Haddadi. No NBA teams were able to sign him because of a federal statute that prohibits an organization in the United States from engaging in business dealings with Iranian citizens. Within days, however, the government had licensed Haddadi.
In 19 games for the Grizzlies last season, he averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 6.3 minutes.
Haddadi said he was always confident the United States would allow him to fulfill his NBA dream.
“I just want to be a basketball player,” Haddadi said. “I always represent my country as a basketball player.”
Artest might have overshadowed him, but what the 7-footer can do in the long run for his native Iran could be priceless.
Artest, who said it was his first time at a camp for kids from a different culture, could see the change that stories such as Haddadi’s could bring.
“Someday, I’d like to go visit all those countries that (the U.S.) really doesn’t have great relationships with,” Artest said. “Because I think the people are more important than politics. Go to Afghanistan, even North Korea. Just to say `hi’ to the people.
“It’s a short life, and you don’t want to spend it hating on somebody.”
Published: Sunday, September 13, 2009
Hamed Haddadi let a half-court shot fly as 100 kids looked on. It was his camp, so it would have been fitting to hit the difficult attempt.
Unfortunately for the Iranian - the first ever to play in the NBA - he was just short, and the ball grazed off the front of the rim as the youngsters groaned in disappointment.
Then the Lakers’ Ron Artest picked up a ball and launched a nothing-but-net half-court 3-pointer.
The kids went nuts.
“Very nice of (Artest) to come out,” said a smiling Haddadi, the Memphis Grizzlies’ 7-foot-2 center who is hosting the youth basketball camp (which finishes today) at Cal State Northridge.
It was that kind of afternoon Saturday. Haddadi appeared to a group of loud-cheering campers, most of whom were of Iranian descent. He had them hanging by his every word and dunk. Artest, the Lakers’ new forward, entered the room two hours later, and the campers yelled as if they had witnessed a winning shot at the buzzer.
Yes, Artest took away some of Haddadi’s spotlight Saturday.
“I have that Lakers’ patch on my back,” Artest said, downplaying his new rock star status in Los Angeles. “It helps me help (Haddadi) in his camp. We just kind of help each other.”
The camp wasn’t a popularity contest, though. It was to reach out to the Iranian-American community in Los Angeles.
According to the 2000 Census, there are about 72,000 Iranian-Americans in L.A. Haddadi just arrived in the United States last year, but he already wants to do his part.”We’re trying to show the kids they can have a role model that’s Iranian,” said Behdad Sami, a coach at Haddadi’s camp.
Haddadi led his country to the FIBA Asia Championship title in August and was named MVP of the tournament. Haddadi also shined at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, averaging 16.6points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks. Iran went 0-5 in the Games, but that didn’t stop the Grizzlies from signing him to a three-year contract that summer.
Before that, there was a period of uncertainty for Haddadi. No NBA teams were able to sign him because of a federal statute that prohibits an organization in the United States from engaging in business dealings with Iranian citizens. Within days, however, the government had licensed Haddadi.
In 19 games for the Grizzlies last season, he averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 6.3 minutes.
Haddadi said he was always confident the United States would allow him to fulfill his NBA dream.
“I just want to be a basketball player,” Haddadi said. “I always represent my country as a basketball player.”
Artest might have overshadowed him, but what the 7-footer can do in the long run for his native Iran could be priceless.
Artest, who said it was his first time at a camp for kids from a different culture, could see the change that stories such as Haddadi’s could bring.
“Someday, I’d like to go visit all those countries that (the U.S.) really doesn’t have great relationships with,” Artest said. “Because I think the people are more important than politics. Go to Afghanistan, even North Korea. Just to say `hi’ to the people.
“It’s a short life, and you don’t want to spend it hating on somebody.”