There’s something about NBA pre-game introductions that makes me want to get to the game two hours ahead of time. Growing up watching the Chicago Bulls in the ’90s made The Alan Parsons Project’s song “Sirius” a staple on my iPod – and even the primary ringtone for one of the Dime Crew and his BlackBerry.
Missing player intros is on-par with missing your brother’s wedding. No joke, I’ve spent hours on YouTube searching to see each team’s video – critiquing their music choice, visuals and special effects. Having the chance to watch games all across the country, there are certain stadiums that just do it better.
For example, in Los Angeles when you go to a Lakers game, it’s as if you stepped onto the set of Steven Spielberg’s latest cinematic feat. Not only are the player intros crazy, but during the game they don’t let you in and out of your seats until there is a stoppage of play.
In Boston, as you saw all throughout the playoffs, their player intro video was punctuated by a screaming Kevin Garnett – an image that still haunts me at night. (Although the fact that they won puts me right back to sleep.)
While all arenas are different, one team we can finally add to the list is the Utah Jazz. To start the 2008-09 season off right, the Jazz had a new lighting and sound system installed at EnergySolutions Arena, which will finally enable them to darken their arena for player intros. Deron Williams is ecstatic.
“I’ve been trying to get that since we got here,” Williams said. “When you’re growing up, you always envision NBA games, going and turning the lights off and having intros. It was kind of weird when I came here and I’m like, ‘What’s wrong with the lights?’”
Although the lights may have not been working, Utah’s record at home was, as the Jazz went 37-4 in Salt Lake City last season.
What’s your team’s player intro like? Let us know, and if you send us a link, we may even post it up.
Source: Salt Lake Tribune
Perhaps the greatest player intro of all time.
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October 7th, 2008 at 11:05 am
fReSh says:
first
October 7th, 2008 at 11:09 am
SteveNash says:
i bet luc longley has his intro saved when he walks into strip clubs in australia
October 7th, 2008 at 11:19 am
deeds says:
goosebumps everytime i hear that
October 7th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Desrat says:
Nice Luc Longley reference! Go Lobos!
October 7th, 2008 at 11:29 am
Aron says:
@SteveNash
That is the funniest thing I’ve heard all week!
October 7th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Jim says:
SE Oklahoma, Central Arkansas, Miami (OH), New Mexico, UNC…it’s almost as if college scouting messed up here.
October 7th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
marcus the great says:
the bulls intro in the 90s was the shit. i’ll never forget that one. it sets the bar imo
October 7th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
dapro says:
The Bulls had the best intro hands down
I’m getting nostalgic, damn I miss those days
October 7th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Sam says:
Yeah, the Bulls perfected it… “Sirius” is bad-to-the-bone.
October 7th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
craig990 says:
woah!
I got goosebumps!…lol i miss those days!
October 7th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Mark says:
“Although the fact that they won puts me right back to sleep.”
Hahaha. Awesome awesome comment. But the Bulls is classic. There are better ones in my opinion, but you can’t beat the sheer nostalgia attached to that introduction.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
BMW says:
The Heat in 06.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
Meica says:
Yeah, there’s a consensus here for a reason. Those ’90s Bulls team had the best introduction in all of sports. I was lucky enough to attend a few of those games, and I’ll tell you that almost nothing compares to that moment, after all the build-up, “Sirius” blasting, the Bull charging through the Mag-Mile and into the United Center, when they announced MJ’s name: “a 6′6″ guard, fFFrroomm North Carolina… Mi-chael Jor-dan!” Literally, you couldn’t hear a god damned thing, not the music, not the announcer, just the fans. If that doesn’t pump you up, nothing will.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
craig990 says:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPEblUMqhIA&feature=related
check this one out!
October 7th, 2008 at 3:45 pm
Aron says:
@Mark
It’s true!
@BMW
You have a clip of it?
@craig990
That’s pretty dope, but too bad it couldn’t get them out of the First Round.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:13 pm
QuEsT??? says:
that rocket intro was fireeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
October 7th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
craig990 says:
lolll thats true Aron!
hopefully we will this year!