On January 16th, Corey Maggette of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons found me on Instagram and it changed everything.

Just 11 days later, after some messaging back and forth between myself and Corey, I was at the Orlando Magic vs. Detroit Pistons game on Sunday to meet him, thank him for his kindness and to hand deliver a mevsMJ.com shirt!

Me and Corey Maggette (Video)

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcYb4dBIyOc

One Man’s Kindness

It’s amazing what one seemingly simple “like” on an Instagram picture can do.

Mind blowing, the chain of reaction that one’s kindness, can begin.

After the game on Sunday, I asked Corey how he found me and he told me that he’s just always searching around for things.

His search, turned into a “like”, which led to a retweet of this site to his +1 million followers on Twitter and then 11 days later, me meeting him in person and hand delivering a mevsMJ.com shirt!

I mean, it is overwhelming that an NBA player like Maggette knew me when he came out of the locker room.  Just wild that he has my shirt.  Wow!

For me, it was awesome to have the opportunity to thank Corey in person for helping me show others, like YOU, that everything I’ve been saying is true!  Anything really Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!

He allowed me to tell him all about my journey, never seeming rushed and listening intently the entire time.

I could tell he got the bigger purpose behind what is mevsMJ.com.

Truly, such a nice guy.

Maggette’s kindness also led to more….

Joe Dumars and Bo Outlaw

While waiting for Corey to come out of the locker room I was able to share my faith and my journey to play Michael Jordan with two former NBA greats, Joe Dumars and Bo Outlaw.

Both were kind, generous with their time, extremely encouraging and genuinely interested in the mission.

At one point, as I was describing what this journey is about and all that has happened thus far, I said to Joe, “God is so amazing!”

Joe smiled, shook his head in acknowledgement and replied, “That’s why I’m (Joe) standing here talking with you right now.”

Before we took the picture and he left to make his way to the team bus, he encouraged me to stay persistent in my pursuit.

I most certainly will!

me vs. Michael Jordan…the amazing journey continues!  As always, thank you for following along!

1 Game – me vs. Michael Jordan…it’s GOING to happen!

####

If you’re new here, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

####

Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

Last night I asked for support in my quest to play Michael Jordan 1-on-1.

I put a grouping of words together on Instagram and asked others to support my pursuit.

I stated something that I live and believe, at the end of my ask and that was, “Anything is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!”

Then something amazing happened!

I received a random and very unexpected LIKE from the NBA’s Corey Maggette!

Sitting on my couch at home, stunned, I leaned over and showed my wife what had just happened.  Both of us amazed, I declared, it’s a God thing!

God wasn’t done.

Corey Maggette Shares mevsMJ.com with over 1 MILLION people & Follows ME on Twitter!

I then sent out the following tweet, which linked back to the Instagram post above.

Just got an instagram like from the NBA’s @ghostc5m (Corey Maggette) – Your support means a lot! (MEvsMJ.com instagr.am/p/UkW2-TC_5i/

— Kenny Eller (@KennyEller) January 17, 2013

Within a few minutes Maggette had retweeted that to all of his followers!!  ALL 1,011,205 of them!

Then to top things off, he FOLLOWED ME on Twitter!  (He only follows 1,880 people on the social media platform.)

Did I mention that last year Corey played for Michael Jordan and the Charlotte Bobcats!?!?!!?!

Just a coincidence?  Naaaaaa!

I know some will think it’s a coincidence that an NBA player randomly finds a posting of mine on Instagram and chooses to like it.  A posting that in total received just 31 likes.

Some will think it’s a coincidence that the same NBA player took my message and gave it to the +1 million followers he has on Twitter.

Some will go on thinking it’s merely a coincidence that Maggette chose to also follow me on Twitter, when he follows just .185917% of his followers.

And some will then of course think it too is a coincidence that Corey played for and knows Michael Jordan.

Some will think that.

I know better.

Anything Is Possible with Faith & Hard Work!

Honestly, when I posted that grouping of words on Instagram, my hope was that I’d pick up a few likes.

God gives us a dream and then in moments like last night, with me, He says DREAM BIGGER!

He says BELIEVE FOR GREATER THINGS!

My belief that I carry around with me, is that Anything Is Possible with FAITH & Hard Work!

I hope through this journey of mine to play Michael Jordan that you are seeing that!

I hope that this is another example to you that YOU CAN experience the things in life you were created to experience!

I hope you know that amazing moments aren’t reserved for just me and others.  Amazing moments are here for us all!

Thank you for all of your support!  It means so much to me!

me vs. Michael Jordan…the amazing journey continues!  WOW!

** UPDATE 1/18/2013 **

After all of this happened, one of the people that I shared this with was my great friend Dave Hopla.  Dave is an assistant coach for the New York Knicks.

NOW IT GETS EVEN MORE AMAZING!

I asked Dave, if he had a chance, to please tell Corey that I appreciate his support and that it means a lot to me.

Today, just before 6pm, I received a message from Dave letting me know that he had spoken to Maggette about me and my journey to play Michael Jordan before their game in London.  Yes, the Pistons were in London to play the Knicks the day after all of this happened!  

Another coincidence?  Naaaaa!

He said that Corey thought my journey to play MJ was really cool!  

WOW!

Two people from the small family that is the NBA, talking about my journey to play Michael Jordan, on an NBA court, in London, England!

I’m telling you!  ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH FAITH & HARD WORK!

me vs. Michael Jordan…it’s going to happen!  So blessed!

####

If you’re new here, I set out in August 2010 to get a game of 1-on-1 vs. my childhood hero Michael Jordan.  This site is about that journey…through every valley, to every mountain top of triumph!

####

Connect:  Twitter (@KennyEller) and mevsMJ.com Facebook Fan Page.

Sitting in the last of a long row of folding metal chairs lining the sideline of the court I studied the footwork of Rudy Gay, Roger Mason and Jared Dudley as they went through their morning court workout with the founder of Impact Basketball, Joe Abunassar.

My eyes red and heavy from lack of sleep the night before did their best to paint mental canvases of the player’s execution on each drill.

In an empty gymnasium just off the Las Vegas strip, on a Wednesday morning in September, I was being shown exactly what the best do to get better and I couldn’t have been happier!

John Wall

Forty-five minutes into their workout in walked one of the most electrifying point guards in the NBA, John Wall.

The night before as I was shooting around on the court after the games, I dribbled up to John as he walked across the hardwood floor and playfully asked, “You wanna play some 1-on-1?”

With a slight smile he responded, “I’m too tired right now man.”

It made sense.  He had just dropped over 40 points in the game some 20 minutes earlier, hitting the hole like the roadrunner.

Now less than 12 hours later he was back in the gym ready to work on his game.

As he walked down to the court he took a seat in the chair directly next to me, kicked off his slides and began putting his shoes on.

We talked briefly about my journey to play Michael Jordan before Rudy, Roger and Jared came over to greet John, having just completed their workout.

Me, Roger, Jared, Rudy and Stephen Jackson

Because John had chosen to sit next to me out of all the empty chairs, I soon found myself next to Roger and Rudy, who had taken seats next to John before he proceeded to begin his workout.  Then Jared pulled up a seat at an angle on the other side of me and for the next 30 minutes or so I listened as they talked shoe contracts, music, and what players were leaving to play overseas.

Then in walked Stephen Jackson and as he was giving handshakes to the guys, because I was there with them he reached out to me and said, “What’s up man!”

Wearing my Jordan Six Rings shirt, Jackson noticed and said, “I have the white one, but I haven’t seen the black one.  I like that!”

It was all quite surreal to say the least.

I’m Trying To Get A Game of 1-on-1 vs. Michael Jordan

Over my three days at Impact Basketball’s facility I told Chauncey Billups, John Wall, Corey Brewer, Jermaine Taylor, Rudy Gay, Jared Dudley, OJ Mayo, Damon Jones, Kenyon Martin, Corey Maggette, Marreese Speights and Dahntay Jones about my journey to play MJ.

They all for the most part were very supportive wishing me luck on my quest.

While I wasn’t able to get anyone to agree to play me, I did get some encouraging feedback and at one point was shown a move by John Wall.  I’d describe it, but Mr. Jordan might be reading!  Oh, what the heck…it was his patented spin move!!!  How cool is that!?!?

On another occasion as I was shooting one evening, I did a little hesitation dribble towards Chauncey Billups, prompting him to say to me in an encouraging tone, “Oh, that’s what you’ve got for Jordan!”  I then ran right next to him on the court, launched a NBA 3 pointer over him, that swished, to which he said, “Nice shot!”

In all, to list every single interaction with a player would take much more than a single blog post and for some reason I’d like to just keep some of them for myself.  All I can is, it was an amazing experience for sure!

Impact Competitive League Action

In my time in Vegas I watched eight fairly intense games of NBA basketball.  I’ve never been closer to the action, including my days in TV, as I was last week.

With a couple hundred people there to watch daily, I could hear the trash talk, the shoes squeak and all that falls between the two.

It was awesome!

For the fans that did show up, they got an up close and personal look at a group of NBA guys that just love to play ball.  Stripped away was all the formality that has become today’s NBA.  Left was a group of highly skilled men that love the game and appreciate the fans, even interacting with them at times during the games.

I also saw numerous players sign autographs and stop to take pictures after the games.

Shooting In Front Of NBA Players

Thursday morning as Eric Bledsoe was working out on one end, the other half of the court was open, due to Coby Karl having completed his morning session.

Always equipped with my Jordans, I walked down and asked if they mind if I shoot on the other end until the next workout began.

After getting approval, I proceeded to get some shots in for the next hour and 15 minutes in front of the top trainers and players like Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo.

At first, to be honest, I was a bit nervous.  I had just watched Bledsoe make almost every shot he took and now I was shooting with an NBA ball, which is a bit different than what I routinely use, in front of a group of basketball’s best.

The adrenaline was sprinting through my body, but after a few minutes I found my rhythm, took a deep breath and was fine.  I honestly don’t know if they watched much of what I did, but I know they heard that net pop, haha!

What I Learned Watching NBA Guys Workout

They are so freaking good!  Like in all walks of life, some go harder than others, but the consistency is amazing!  The footwork, the elevation, the fluidity and ease at which they move, the conditioning, the explosiveness and their ability to make the majority of their shots was so inspiring!  They are so efficient on the basketball court!

There is such a gigantic difference between them and most everyone else that plays basketball and getting to see them workout further proved that and blew my mind.

They made me want to work even harder because I know now how great you can actually be at the game I love so much.

My Impact Family (Thank You!)

Last year I reached out to Impact Basketball and told them about my dream.  Matt Hiller who trained me some 11 months ago has been like a brother to me and I can’t say enough good things about him or Tom Carollo who hooked me up with VIP, all access passes to the Impact League event.  Great men, no doubt!

Impact Basketball truly is a class act organization and I’m so happy and thankful to have them on my side.

I’d like to thank Impact Basketball creator Joe Abunassar for his hospitality as well.  Very much appreciated!

I also want to thank every single person at Impact Basketball for having me and for their kindness.  Means the World to me!

More Impact Basketball In My Future

I’m actually looking to possibly make another trip to Vegas next month for some more hoops!  I simply can’t get enough!  There is talk of perhaps putting on another two week league in late October and that has me already wanting to book some airline tickets!

While those details are being worked out, I will without a doubt make my way back down to Sarasota to work with Matt and Tom very soon.

Life Is Amazing If You Allow It To Be!

I’ve been saying all of 2011 that “Life is Amazing If You Allow It To Be!”  This is just another example of that and for it I’m so thankful.

Never be afraid to go after your dreams!  Amazing, wonderful things are waiting for you, if you just take a long stride and believe!

me vs. MJ…the now cross country journey continues!  As always, thank you for following along!

Full Video Recap of Impact Basketball’s Competitive League Series

httpvh://youtu.be/ZneQFX2kZho

 **Check Back Thursday For…Me vs. Damon Jones (The Shootout That Almost Was)

Only thing left to do now is buy lots of socks and more basketball shorts!

The next BIG STEP

On October 18th, I will take my Journey to Jordan Camp to the BIG TIME and attend professional basketball training at Impact Basketball, in Sarasota, Florida.

I will be there for one full week (18th-22nd) to train like a PRO.

I’m extremely excited and to be transparent, a bit nervous!

The Real Deal

Impact Basketball is the real deal.

They have trained everyone from Baron Davis to Chauncey Billups, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette, Paul Pierce, Vince Carter, Chris Bosh, Tayshaun Prince, John Wall (recent #1 pick in NBA Draft) and the list goes on and on.  (See Alumni)

As you can tell by the list of players above, I’m not their typical client.

Typically guys attending the training are looking to make a living playing basketball or at the very least get a free college education.

When I contacted Impact Basketball, they really connected with what I’m looking to accomplish here at me vs. MJ.  The gentleman from Impact who called me to discuss was almost as excited about it as I am.  His exact phrase was, “Don’t ever grow up!  I love it Kenny!”

So they are doing something they don’t typically do.  They are going to train a 33 year old guy, who was never a great basketball player, in an attempt to get me as ready as I can be to face off against the best hoopster to ever live…Michael Jordan.

I have worked on getting this set up for a couple of months now and for it to all come together, feels amazing!

The Doubt

The nervousness I feel going into this training, has actually caught me a little off guard.

Doubt of my ability.  An inability to belong in such a group of basketball players.  The thought of other players there, wondering what could I possibly be doing training at Impact Basketball.  The thought of the trainers wondering the same.

All of those doubts have put their arm around my shoulders and tried to be a friend, but I sprint forward.

I sprint forward because I KNOW I will learn!

I sprint because I KNOW they will make me better!

I sprint because I CAN NOT let doubt EVER beat me!

I sprint so that I CAN climb my peak of ability!

I sprint so that I can LIVE!

The Process

I don’t know much of what my training will consist of at this point, other than I’ll be working out around 5 hours per day.

I plan on doing some updates from Sarasota, if I’m able to do anything besides train and sleep.

If you’d like to follow along daily, the best way is probably through Twitter.  (You can follow me by clicking here)

Exercise and Prayers

For the 11 days until my training I’ll continue along my workout schedule (see on right side column or click here).

If you could pray for me, I would much appreciate it!  If you don’t pray, wish me luck!

I’ve included a video below to give you a better idea of exactly what Impact Basketball is.

Thanks for following along!  This is about to get really fun!

ps:  Mr. Jordan:  I’m about to get a lot better

Impact Basketball Promotional Video:

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koLhFrwv1xY

The closest I ever came to throwing one down was repeated attempts in high school during gym class.  Each attempt thwarted by merely a few inches in jumping ability.  At the time, I could take a step or two and grab the rim with both hands, but I never could quite get the ball over the rim and down through the net on those attempts.

It was never really that disappointing though, because the logical side of me knew that jumping would never be how I made an impact on the court.  Not being able to dunk just focused my attention more on shooting and defense.  While the other guys, who could dunk, would stay on one side of the court attempting things they had seen on the tube, I’d practice shooting.

I had known the thrill of the slam from playing on the adjustable goal at my parents’ home.  We would lower it to 9 feet 6 inches and play games of 2-on-2 or 3-on-3.  There was nothing better than beating my man while the defense was looking the other way and dunking one.  I would get some sort of the feeling Mike had when he went baseline over Pat Ewing.  It was awesome!

My reality at 18 years past my birth was not dunking, but just trying to be the best overall player I could be.

I didn’t totally give up on the dream of being a high flyer though.  Around the age of 22 I bought a book written by the famed Tim Grover, called Jump Attack.  Tim was the guy that trained Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and many others. The list of famed athletes that turn to Tim’s Attack Athletics today is staggering.  At the time, it was mostly about MJ.

My brother and I went though the training for a few weeks.  It consisted, if I remember right, of a lot of polymetrics and strength training.  The workouts in the book were no joke.

At the time I was working in the sports department for a local Orlando TV station and the Orlando Magic had drafted Corey Maggette out of Duke.  I saw in the book where Corey also trained with Tim.  Maggette could and still can jump out of the building.  After one game, in between interviews, I asked Corey about Grover.  The training was kicking my butt and I needed to hear from someone with experience if this was really going to help.

Corey confirmed that he did workout with Tim and was emphatic that if I did the workout it would add at least six inches to my vertical.  That was exactly what I needed to hear, but I still had questions.  I knew that talking about working on my vertical wasn’t the most professional thing to be doing as a young journalist in the making, but I didn’t really care.  I had a goal of being able to dunk and we were close to the same age, so I asked away.  Corey was beyond nice enough to answer each question and we even compared verticals (verbally), which gave him a good laugh:-)

Imagine not being able to dunk and then talking about your vertical in the locker room of an NBA team, to a guy who has springs in his legs.  That’s a enough pressure to make a polar bear sweat:-)

At the time my vertical was around 23.5 inches.  Corey’s was around 38-40 inches.  Over the following weeks, I would ask a question here and there.  He could tell I was into basketball and was really working my way through this book.  He even offered to allow me  to workout with him during the summer if I wanted to, so that I could see how he prepares and trains.

This was my chance to join the aerial elite!  Training with an NBA guy like Maggette would surely take my jumping ability to the next level.

Unfortunately for me, Orlando traded Corey a couple of months later, so that never happened.

I in turn slacked on the Grover workout program and to this day still have not dunked.  I haven’t even tried in over nine years.

Today I have little desire to slam, but it would be nice to get some of that limited jumping ability back.  When I match up with Jordan I at least need to be able to grab the rim.  The last time that happened was 10 years ago:-)

Note:   All those looking to improve their vertical, I highly endorse Tim Grover’s Attack Athletics.  Don’t let my lack of focus keep you from giving Attack Athletics and Jump Attack a try.  While I never achieved my goal, I did see improvement.