Ha Seung Jin Hosts Korea Day
By Andrew R Tonry
At the Trail Blazers practice facility Thursday, Ha Seung Jin got to feel little closer to home. The 7’3” center hosted a traditional Korean meal before taking the group of fans, many of them members of the Korean community, on a tour of the facilities.
Ha sat fittingly at the head of the table, as his enormous legs would’ve stuck out the other side if seated anywhere else. The meal was a traditional spread of Bi Bim Bap. The dish is based with rice, mixed with radish, zucchini, bean sprouts, carrots, chicken or beef, and topped with an egg fried over-easy. For the brave, there was hot sauce and seasoned fern.
The lunch evenly mixed health and flavor— and after trying Bi Bim Bap, you could see how such a solid meal could grow a man so large.
Upon seeing the spread, many of the Trail Blazers staff had to have some. Assistant coach Maurice Lucas dug in, but struggled with his chopsticks before opting for a knife and fork.
Ha was gracious and humble at the table where he chatted and joked quietly with his new friends, and despite his great size and domineering presence, Ha is rather shy. Even when freed to speak his native language, his tone remained soft.
After lunch Ha led the group on a tour of the Trail Blazers Tualatin facility. A lot of “ooh’s and ahh’s” soon followed. An excited youngster yelped at the site of Coach McMillan. Cameras snapped frantically as the group moved through the locker room, past the pool and into the weight room.
Strength and conditioning coach Bob Medina greeted the group and gave a proud rundown on the features of the NBA’s largest weight room. Medina was full of praise for Ha’s work ethic as well.
Every Trail Blazers player is required to complete a minimum of 10 workouts each month, and the number completed by each player is charted on the wall. Ha was in the lead, and according to Medina, he always is, averaging around 25 sessions per month.
The group then moved on to the practice courts and got the chance to shoot around. Ha threw a few passes then picked up some of the smaller kids and helped them throw down some dunks.
After that Ha kicked back under the basket and chatted with a revolving group of fans. When talking to the Trail Blazers young center, one on one, you could see their eyes light up.
As the afternoon wound down, Ha was in good spirits and both the kids and adults on the tour were ecstatic about getting a peak into the NBA. And while he admitted missing his old home, Korea Day made Ha Seung Jin feel a little more a part of his new one.
At the Trail Blazers practice facility Thursday, Ha Seung Jin got to feel little closer to home. The 7’3” center hosted a traditional Korean meal before taking the group of fans, many of them members of the Korean community, on a tour of the facilities.
Ha sat fittingly at the head of the table, as his enormous legs would’ve stuck out the other side if seated anywhere else. The meal was a traditional spread of Bi Bim Bap. The dish is based with rice, mixed with radish, zucchini, bean sprouts, carrots, chicken or beef, and topped with an egg fried over-easy. For the brave, there was hot sauce and seasoned fern.
The lunch evenly mixed health and flavor— and after trying Bi Bim Bap, you could see how such a solid meal could grow a man so large.
Upon seeing the spread, many of the Trail Blazers staff had to have some. Assistant coach Maurice Lucas dug in, but struggled with his chopsticks before opting for a knife and fork.
Ha was gracious and humble at the table where he chatted and joked quietly with his new friends, and despite his great size and domineering presence, Ha is rather shy. Even when freed to speak his native language, his tone remained soft.
After lunch Ha led the group on a tour of the Trail Blazers Tualatin facility. A lot of “ooh’s and ahh’s” soon followed. An excited youngster yelped at the site of Coach McMillan. Cameras snapped frantically as the group moved through the locker room, past the pool and into the weight room.
Strength and conditioning coach Bob Medina greeted the group and gave a proud rundown on the features of the NBA’s largest weight room. Medina was full of praise for Ha’s work ethic as well.
Every Trail Blazers player is required to complete a minimum of 10 workouts each month, and the number completed by each player is charted on the wall. Ha was in the lead, and according to Medina, he always is, averaging around 25 sessions per month.
The group then moved on to the practice courts and got the chance to shoot around. Ha threw a few passes then picked up some of the smaller kids and helped them throw down some dunks.
After that Ha kicked back under the basket and chatted with a revolving group of fans. When talking to the Trail Blazers young center, one on one, you could see their eyes light up.
As the afternoon wound down, Ha was in good spirits and both the kids and adults on the tour were ecstatic about getting a peak into the NBA. And while he admitted missing his old home, Korea Day made Ha Seung Jin feel a little more a part of his new one.
