IT’S OFFICIAL!

On March 1st, at 11am in Dallas, Texas, I will sit down and have lunch with Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks!

The How

If you’ve been following along on this journey of mine to play Michael Jordan since day one, you know that Twitter has been good to me!  From Jeff Jordan to Tracy McGrady, Damon Jones to Coach B Meyer, I’ve made numerous basketball connections through the 140 character social media platform.

I can now add Mark Cuban to that list!

I currently follow 158 people on Twitter, with one of those being billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban (@MCuban).  Just over two months ago, on the afternoon of November 3rd, I opened Twitter on my phone and saw this retweet by Cuban himself.

At first I didn’t really think much of it, figuring the odds of “winning” a lunch with someone like Mark Cuban would be highly unlikely.  So I skimmed through the rest of my Twitter feed and went on with what I was doing…for a moment.

Then curiosity got the best of me.

I went back to the tweet a few minutes later, clicked the link and read that the lunch would go to the highest bidder of an auction taking place on eBay, with proceeds going to charity.

Again, my initial thought was, this will most likely quickly get out of my “giving” range, but the optimist in me, read on.

As I read through the details, the actual prize was a lunch for two with Mark Cuban.

I immediately thought, who could maximize my giving potential?  Who loves hoops and or Mark Cuban as much as I do and is as crazy as I am to go for it?!?!

A minute later, I sent an email to my buddy Karol and just moments after that, he was in!

Do You Really Want To Do This?

A day or two before the auction was due to come to a close on November 11th; I was out for a run when I received a message from Karol asking if I still really wanted to bid on the lunch.  He said he was definitely in, but would leave it up to me.

It was gut check time.

I had then just recently returned from Las Vegas, and Impact Basketball’s Competitive League and while I loved the idea of having lunch with Mark Cuban, I wasn’t sure it made the most sense financially to make an unplanned charitable contribution at that time.

I continued on and finished my run, thinking about what I should do the majority of the way.  I got home, took a shower, while still thinking of all that could be and could come from such a meeting.

Then with just under 24 hours of opportunity remaining, the dreamer in me, said, YES, WE’VE GOT TO GO FOR IT!

On November 11th, thanks to some great bidding by Karol, we won by just an $11 margin, with a final bid in the closing seconds!!

The Million Dollar Pitch

This may come as a shock to most reading this, but I don’t plan on pitching any “money making” ideas to Mr. Cuban.

I know, I know, most people would kill for an opportunity to share their ideas with someone like Mark Cuban, because he has the ability to make dreams come true.

All I want to do though, is get to know him a little, talk hoops, tell him about mevsMJ.com and my journey to play Michael Jordan and ask him one major question/favor.

I plan on asking Mark:  Will you call Michael Jordan and ask him to play me?

That’s it!

In a Position to Succeed!

I can’t control how the upcoming lunch will go.  While I am hopeful that Mark Cuban falls in love with what I’m doing here at mevsMJ.com and wants to make it a priority of his to make my dream a reality, I just don’t control that.

I leave that in HIS hands.

All I can do is work hard and do my best to continue to place myself in positions in which I can succeed.

That’s all any of us can do.

Hoops Instead of Lunch?

Through email we’ve actually asked to shoot hoops with Mr. Cuban as opposed to lunch, but have yet to hear back on that just yet, haha!  If that happens, you know he may just sign me after seeing me shoot the ball!!

Anyway, as the trip gets closer and more details come my way, I’ll be sure to pass them on!

I’m just happy now that it’s confirmed, to finally be able to share with everyone something I’ve known for two months!

me vs. MJ…the amazing journey continues!  As always, thank you for following along and for your continued support!

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

As the final days and hours of 2011 come to a close, I can’t help but reflect on my official slogan for this year, which was “Life is AMAZING, if you allow it to be!”

For me and my journey of playing Michael Jordan 1-on-1, 2011 was beyond amazing and for that I am so thankful!

Having said that, there were definitely some struggles over the last 365 days, but overall it was without a doubt more than I ever could have expected!

Here is a recap of all that was 2011 for mevsMJ.com!

-1st Quarter-

(January, February, March)

Looking back, January seems like years ago.  I began 2011 gaining my first 1-on-1 match-up win (Me vs. Scott Spencer) and feeling like my game was getting stronger and stronger.  Unfortunately then, but rather fortunately I suppose as I reflect now, I got injured on the next to last day of the month (Pop Goes The Dream) and was faced with painful rehabilitation that consumed the next eight weeks, testing me both physically and mentally.

During the rehab, even though I wasn’t playing, some great things still happened!

The very next day following my injury in the most surprising turn of events, I got some Jordan love! (Jeff Jordan promotes mevsMJ.com!)

Over the eight weeks of rehab I wrote 18 different posts including (Dear MJ:  My Letter to Michael Jordan).  Then exactly 62 days after the injury that left me devastated, I made my comeback in the last part of March against now Virginia Tech Hokies freshman Robert Brown, a good friend and the very first player to really believe in what I’m doing here on this site! (I’m Back!!!!)

-2nd Quarter-

(April, May, June)

I gave my life to the Lord when I was 23 years old (Yes, I’m a huge Jordan fan, but no, I didn’t plan that!)  I’ve sprinkled my faith over many of the posts I’ve written on this site and I mention that to say that I always feel that God has a plan for me.  During the injury I believed that and as I went through the second quarter of 2011, HE left me amazed as things began happening so quickly that I could hardly keep up!

April began with me meeting up with a talented young man named Ziarekenya Smith!  He had gained National accliam for his Jordan typeface, pictured to the right.  (God Inspired Designs)

From there, a simple hope filled email returned back to me, someone I now call a friend and mentor, Dave Hopla. (My time with Dave Hopla, World’s Greatest Shooter)

Then, still in April, I took on my first real professional basketball player, in what was the worst showing of my life! (Me vs. Garfield Blair)

May began with another no and then the biggest YES to date! (Nick Anderson Called Me!!!)

While nothing ever materialized with Nick, it was beyond cool having the former NBA player call me on MY cell phone!

Later in the month I had the blessing of getting to know and workout with then one of the top high school coaches in the country and now George Washington assistant coach, Kevin Sutton! (My First Workout with Coach Kevin Sutton!)

June came around, I played much better against my second professional player (Me vs. Andy Gebru) and had my third rematch with Robert Brown (Me vs. Robert Brown – Round 3).

-3rd Quarter-

(July, August, September)

The third quarter of 2011 kept up the momentum with me spending a little time with Tracy McGrady and even getting a shout out from T-Mac himself! (My Time with T-Mac)

On August 22nd, mevsMJ.com turned 1 year old. (me vs. Michael Jordan – 365 Days Later!)

In September I flew to Vegas for Impact Basketball’s Competitive League, where I told Chauncey Billups, John Wall, Rudy Gay, OJ Mayo, Corey Maggette, Jared Dudley and more about my journey to play Michael Jordan and almost had a shootout with NBA Sharpshooter Damon Jones! (Me vs. Damon Jones – The Shootout That Almost Was)

-4th Quarter-

(October, November, December)

In October I switched things up a bit and did my first video post (Where Are You Going?) so that everyone could actually hear me speak!  [Side note:  I often wonder how people sound when I’m reading their blogs/posts.]

A few days later, by reader request, I posted a video of me draining 22 of 24 from the 3 point line. (Is This Why NBA Guys Won’t Play Me??)  So pretty!

Mid November, I began working harder and sweating more than I probably ever have in my life! (Me + B Meyer Training – The Man Behind Dwight Howard)

On Thanksgiving day, Eric Griffin and I helped one young man’s dream come true, in what was one of the most fulfilling moments of my life.  (Thanksgiving Day Dreams)

Then the moment I had been waiting for happened!

→Michael Jordan KNOWS!!!←

I‘m still blown away by what happened in the first moments of December, the last grouping of days of 2011!

In what played out like some scene from an inspirational movie, I met Michael Jordan! (Michael Jordan Knows About ME and mevsMJ.com!)

As I wrote when I began this post, LIFE IS AMAZING, IF YOU ALLOW IT TO BE!

####

Through all that has happened on this journey, the part I never really anticipated is all of the great people that would come into my life and become true friends.

This mevsMJ.com walk has always been about truly believing that anything is possible with faith and hard work and I really feel that through 2011 that became more eveident than ever!

I’ve always believed in me vs. Michael Jordan and now I’m sure a few more people do too!  That’s a great thing!

For every person that has read a post, for each one of you that has believed in what I’m doing, for those who took time out of their life to help my dream come true, for those of you that I’m fortunate enough to call my friends, I say THANK YOU!

2011 was an unbelievable ride!

Off to 2012 we go!

me vs. MJ…the journey continues!!!!!  Thank you for following along!

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

The T-Mac Shout Out!

Yesterday at 10:02 am the following message from Tracy McGrady came across my Twitter feed!:

I dream big things here at mevsMJ.com, but even for me, having Tracy McGrady give ME a shout out blows my mind!  The fact that one of the best basketball players to ever play the game knows ME and all about what I’m looking to accomplish here on this site truly hasn’t even registered with me completely!  I’m so unbelievably thankful and humbled.  Dreams DO HAPPEN!

Here is the backstory on how it all came about.

The Backstory

The Bold Challenge (June 22, 2011)

Four weeks ago I sent the following tweet to Tracy McGrady:

I then asked some friends to please send him a message on Twitter letting him know that I’m serious.

By the seventh message sent T-Mac responded with:

I was blown away!  Tracy McGrady had responded and checked out mevsMJ.com!  Unreal!

Still, I wanted to play him and the “Get ya team” in his message, I thought might just be my chance, as it was in reference to his upcoming Indoor Streetball Tournament held this past weekend in Auberndale, Florida.

My History with Tracy McGrady (Summer 2000)

I met Tracy for the first time eleven years ago during the Summer of 2000.  He was a free agent and the two major teams in the running for his services were the Chicago Bulls and the Orlando Magic.

At the time I worked in the sports department for the local ABC affiliate, in Orlando.  In those days I was working for peanut shells, I didn’t even get the peanuts, but experiences like the one that would happen on this particular evening in 2000 were priceless.

The main on-air guy in sports at the time had gotten word that McGrady would be flying into Orlando around 10:30 pm from North Carolina.  We also knew that the next day the Orlando Magic would be holding a press conference, but up to that point it was still unknown as to where McGrady would be signing.  Remember, this was before Twitter and instant information.

So I was sent to Orlando International Airport, just one cameraperson and myself and asked to see if I could get any response from Tracy when he came off of the plane.  We were the only crew there.

Sure enough, like clockwork, a rather small plane arrived with no more than 15-20 people on it and after about 10 people exited the plane, I could see T-Mac making his way down the walkway, accompanied by his then personal trainer Wayne Hall.

I was a bit concerned as to how Tracy, who I had never met before, would take us being there, camera, bright light, microphone, and it being rather late in the evening, but my worries were quickly dispelled.

As soon as McGrady saw me, a large smile erupted on his face.  I think he was surprised to see us there, but not the least bit upset.

He walked right over, answered every single question I had, gave me the scoop on his signing with Orlando (on camera) before anyone had it, including ESPN, shook my hand and went on his way, signing autographs as he walked through the airport.

Soon thereafter I exited television and Tracy McGrady went on to Superstardom, at one point being regarded as perhaps the best player in the NBA.

Eleven Years Later (We Meet Again in Auberndale)

This past Saturday, I got up before the sun and headed 45 minutes down the road to Auberndale, Florida for the first time.

I was there for Tracy McGrady’s Annual Streetball Basketball Tournament.

I was there to see Tracy McGrady and ask him in person to play me 1-on-1!  

I arrived just in time to see the start of the first game of the tournament, which was filled throughout the two days with some serious basketball featuring numerous current or former pro basketball players.

Midway through the second game, in walked T-Mac.  After some hellos he made his way into the stands about 10-15 feet from me, took a seat and began taking in the basketball action.

I gave him a good 30 minutes to an hour to get settled in and then decided it was time.  It was time to see if T-Mac would play me 1-on-1.

As I made my way over to him, I felt the same way I did some eleven years ago, not exactly sure how Tracy would feel about me approaching him while he was relaxing with a friend.

Just as I was almost to him, he looked up, and I said, “Hey man, I’m the guy with mevsMJ.com.”

Like all those years ago in the airport in Orlando, that same smile and laugh came across his face and he welcomed me with a handshake.

I sat down next to Tracy and told him all about mevsMJ.com.  He asked me whom I’ve played and at one point, with a smile asked; “Do you score when you play these people??” to which we had a good laugh over.  After I informed him that, YES, I do score, haha, he said that was great and gave me some kudos for competing with true athletes.

I explained to Tracy how my goal of playing Michael Jordan 1-on-1 has really become about showing people what’s possible with faith and hard work, to which he concurred, tagging it with, “It’ll be awesome if you can get the game with MJ!”

We chatted for a few more minutes and as I shook his hand and thanked him for his time I said to him, “If you have anything left after your games tomorrow, let me know!”  He knew exactly what I was talking about, laughed and said no problem!

I Didn’t Play Tracy McGrady

In the end I didn’t play T-Mac.  He played in the first of three games his team played on Sunday and then took in the festivities from the crowd, taking pictures and signing autographs throughout.

I did make my way over to him and thank him on Sunday for his time and then enjoyed a full day of super intense hoops!

I Would Have Played T-Mac…IF

I really feel Tracy would have played me IF he wasn’t hosting his own tournament and doing all that comes with that responsibility.

I also really feel Tracy would have played me IF he grasped just HOW BIG OF A DEAL he really is.

Let me explain.

As we were talking on Saturday about me playing Jordan, I said to him, “Anything is possible, I mean, look at what’s happening right now.  I’m sitting here talking with you!”

I could tell that the comment kind of made him feel uneasy and his humble response of “I don’t know man, how hard is it to really come to the tournament?” proved that.

I met Tracy McGrady, while we were both in our early 20s, before he was really T-Mac.  Before he was truly a household name.  He was extremely welcoming, kind and humble then.

It’s nice to see that after all of these years and all of the accolades he’s amassed along the way, that some things never change.

Tracy McGrady is a true superstar of a person, one that I’m happy to now say I know.

me vs. MJ…the amazing journey continues!

For more information on T-Mac and his Tracy McGrady Foundation which sponsored the Streetball Tournament be sure to check out his website.  You can also follow Tracy on Twitter:  @TheReal_TMAC.  Lastly, HELP T-Mac (Ambassador to China) and the Red Cross raise money for the disaster relief program by visiting http://www.tmac-china.com/Home.html.