Have Mark Fidrychs autograph from 1976. I was 16yrs old, couple friends and I had a chance to get it. We had a brief 30sec conversation with him, real cool guy!!!
When playing the Pistons, NBA visiting teams stay at a hotel called The Townsend in Birmingham. Over the last 12yrs. some NBA teams have a morning shoot around before their games that night at Birmingham Seaholm HS where I work. Lakers where first team to visit in 2004 before NBA finals. Real cool to watch their practices. Spurs are regular visitors, real friendly. (Hawks least friendly)
Miami Heat where here Wednesday before Thanksgiving couple months ago. Coach Spoelstra came up to me and our AD, shook our hands thanked us for letting them use our HS gym. After practice, The Birdman, Chris Andersen & Dwyane Wade both took the time to thank us. Real cool to take the time to do that, they didn't have to. They're my favorite visiting team. (And the $100 their athletic trainer gave me for helping out also helped make them my favorite team!)
March 2012, Lakers in town. One of the HS kids came and told me Kobe was in the gym. I said yea, right! So went to gym, sure enough he was there, with a trainer and a very large security guy. He took over 1/3 of gym. Kobe busted his ass for about 45mins. Here's a guy with 5 titles, numerous ind. awards, yet here he is at some HS gym in Michigan still doing what ever possible to get that 6th ring.
Had 10mins to talk to him after his shoot around, I got his trainer 4 ice bags for Kobes ankles and knees. So while Kobe iced had a chance to have small talk with him. Very friendly, asked what I did for HS, don't remember what I asked him. He acted real cool!!! enjoyed our 10min talk. Didn't ask for a autograph.