#nbaphotography

It was the MOST important game of my life. January 13th, 2018. Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, and Paul George. The OKC Thunder came to town and I was ready to get some shooting done at the game. I knew it would be a great day, because the night before went entirely too perfect. I didn’t plan on going to the Hornets vs Jazz game but after I received some free tickets to shoot, I figured why not? I also knew that I wouldn’t be able to stay the entire game because my line brother (Fraternity brother that I crossed with, for those who don’t know) was proposing to his girlfriend that same night! So, I began to formulate a plan. After work, I headed straight to the arena. I figured if I wasn’t going to stay the entire time I shouldn’t waste the $15 on parking that I normally do.

So being the frugal guy that I am lol, I decided to use one of my old parking tickets that I had bought at a previous game. I tore off the date and pushed it down into my dashboard so it would look believable, and IT WORKED!!! I was so excited, I got to see Donovan Mitchell, caught some awesome shots, and I actually made it on time to capture my Line Brother’s proposal. It went so well. I took some great shots of the proposal and I knew that the next day was going to be even better.

I got home with so much excitement because I knew the next day I was finally going to meet Russell Westbrook. This would be my first time seeing him play all year and the Hornets were wearing their CLASSIC uniforms, so I definitely didn’t want to miss out on any action. Because I had been using my camera so much the night before, I decided to charge my battery so I could take as many shots as possible.

The next day arrived, and I headed to the arena as I usually do. As soon as I got there I paid for parking and I headed in to the security clearance. I make it through and I head to the visitor’s tunnel and immediately I see RUSSELL WESTBROOK! He’s chatting with his trainer and I’m just in awe. All I could say was “Wassup Brodie!” as he sprinted back to the locker room. All of the other players started to make their entrances to the pregame shootaround as I began to get autographs and handshakes from each of the Thunder players. It was then time for the game as everyone was forced to take their seats. I headed back to my seat to get my camera ready as the Thunder proceeded to the court for the final warmups. I turned the knob to “ON” and nothing happened. Suddenly I got into a frenzy, I checked my camera only to find that there was NO BATTERY. I ran frantically to the entrance only to be told there was no reentry. So, I sadly walked back to my seat and began to wonder, “Why me?” Although it was a great game, and a great experience, I learned one valuable lesson: No matter what you do, ALWAYS, and I mean ALWAYS PAY FOR PARKING. That was karma coming back to haunt me from the night before! Below is a screenshot from a video I had to take of Melo on my iPhone SMH.