What brings you to Sacramento today?
“My boss at NBA 2K gave me these tickets for the game so I just had to come out!”
Is this your first Kings game?
“It’s not my first Kings game, but it’s my first time sitting courtside and it’s awesome! You get to hear everything that goes on, on the court, and I was a ball player too so I like to be as close to the action as I can.”
You transitioned from a fashion-oriented career back into sports. What prompted that change for you?
“I was a ball player growing up. I was a McDonald’s All-American nominee, got a full ride scholarship to Old Dominion [University], so I was a basketball player my whole life. After I stopped playing basketball I went into fashion. I think taking a break from basketball for two and a half years, I started getting an itch for it again. I rediscovered my love for basketball when I went back into sports hosting and I was able to love basketball in a different way. So instead of playing as my job, I now get to talk about it and be involved in the culture and social media of it and that’s what I love.”
Talk a little bit about your new role with 2K TV and the impact you’ve seen it have on the gaming community.
“It’s awesome and it’s still a shocker to me that I’m part of the first-ever television show inside of a video game. NBA 2K is a massive video game company and I’ve known about it for years, so when they approached me with this new opportunity it was so cool! Now that I’m producing and hosting this new way to take in media, and my audience is big basketball fans, it’s so awesome. Our viewership is growing like crazy – we’re getting millions upon millions of views – and I’m just really excited to see how far we can take it.”
What’s your message to women hoping to make it in a sports-related career?
“I definitely think for women who want to go into sports, the way that I’ve become successful is staying true to who I am. With women, there’s a certain mold that most teachers [and others] will say you have to fit into growing up, but the way you’re going to stand out and truly be successful is if you stay true to who you are. The only way that the fans are going to connect with you, want to watch what you do and stay involved with you is if you’re genuine. My number one piece of advice would be to stay true to who you are, do what you’re passionate about and don’t let anybody tell you no!”