featured-image

Bazemore: "Why Walk Away From Something So Perfect?"

On the day that he and Kent Bazemore addressed the media after signing with the Hawks as free agents, Dwight Howard spoke eloquently about his return to Atlanta. 

Except at the beginning, that is, when Bazemore's passionate words left him speechless.

"Uh, wow. That was tough," Howard said. "I don't know what I can say to ... wow."

Howard wasn't the only person in the room momentarily flummoxed by trying to pick up where Bazemore left off. He was, however, the one with the microphone, the following act to Bazemore, a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, his jersey, his face and everywhere in between.

The 6-foot-5 wingman had moved the audience moments earlier with a stirring ode to the city.

"This is one of the high points of my life," Bazemore said of re-signing with the Hawks, "and I couldn't choose a better place to be. I said I wasn't going to get emotional, but I just love it here, you know. People have just embraced me and it just feels like home, man."

As eager as Bazemore was to return to Atlanta, the Hawks certainly felt the same way. The 27-year-old made a huge splash in his first season as a full-time starter, averaging 11.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game while making just as much noise on defense as he did on offense.

"It just made sense, you know?" Bazemore said of returning as his voice choked up. "Why walk away from something so perfect? Having (General Manager) Wes (Wilcox) bring me back, man, it's not often in this league where say you want something to happen and it happens. So when you get to come back, it's just that much more special and I thank y'all for just embracing me."

A standing ovation gave Bazemore a chance to regroup and corral his emotions, but it wasn't long before he let loose again.

"I play for you guys every night, wearing the 'Atlanta' across my chest. It means more than just a jersey. I feel your pain here. I love the grit that this area gives off." 

As Bazemore has shown in his two seasons in Atlanta, he approaches the game of basketball with the same determination he sees in his adopted home, as noted by Wilcox. Wilcox held up Bazemore as the epitome of what it means to be a Hawk.

"Kent is the embodiment of hard work, competitiveness and unselfishness, which are core tenets of who we are as the Atlanta Hawks," Wilcox said.

Wilcox also said that Bazemore chose Atlanta when he had numerous opportunities to play elsewhere. But in picking where to play for the 2016-17 season and beyond, Bazemore stayed true to the city of the fanbase and franchise that first made him part of its core.

"Why not stick with someone through the ups and downs and try to change the city?" he said. "That's what I'm here for."

Story by KL ChouinardTwitter: @KLChouinard