February 15, 2008
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NEW ORLEANS - Seven years and stints on more than a dozen minor-league teams have passed since Jamario Moon began his pursuit of a job in the NBA.
The Toronto Raptors rookie finally finds himself on the game's biggest stage.
Moon will take part in the dunk contest on ``All-Star Saturday Night,'' and is the first Raptor to do so since Vince Carter won the event in 2000.
The 27-year-old rookie, whose unlikely journey to the NBA has made him a feel-good story for the Raptors this season, met with the media Friday in the ballroom of a posh New Orleans hotel, surrounded by basketball's biggest stars.
``I know I'm only here for the rookie game and the dunk contest, but I feel like an all-star too,'' said Moon.
The six-foot-eight forward is one of four Raptors taking part in the all-star weekend, tying the Utah Jazz at the team with the most players here. Moon also played in Friday's rookie game, while Andrea Bargnani played on the sophomore team. Jason Kapono will defend his three-point title Saturday, while Chris Bosh will suit up for the Eastern team in Sunday's all-star game.
Moon had been bouncing around the minor leagues since 2001, and was playing for the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association when the Raptors decided to take a look at him.
They eventually took a leap of faith in signing the high-flying forward. Raptors head coach Sam Mitchell told Moon they planned to keep him while the two were in line for a lunch buffet on the final day of cuts.
Moon said he hopes his struggles can be a positive lesson for others.
``Just to never give up on your dream,'' he said. ``When you've got a dream, just put what you want to do in God's hands, just continue to focus on what you're supposed to be doing.
``My whole journey was tough, but it was never a point where I wanted to give up.''
The native of Goldwater, Ala., played for the Harlem Globetrotters in 2004 as a hired dunker. His job was to dunk, no matter how high the ball was thrown.
``I could dunk all day, and if they were going to pay me to come out and dunk for the kids, then that was great. How many people would turn that down?'' Moon said. ``We played in NBA arenas, and the front row was full of kids. It was fun to go out and see the kids smile.''
He stayed a year for the kids, but the wear on his body took its toll, propelling him back to the CBA, with the Rockford Lightning.
``I went back to pursuing my dream to get to the NBA,'' Moon said.
The high-flying Raptor, who dunked his first basketball in Grade 7, promises to wow the crowd in New Orleans. But he wasn't offering up any hints Friday as to what he has planned, although his teammate Kapono will be involved.
``I think I've got some nice dunks,'' Moon said. ``I've got a couple of them that I can pull out in case they do something crazy and make me go deep into the hat.''
For the first time, the dunk contest will be decided partly by online voting and text-messaging. The four entrants _ Moon is up against Orlando's Dwight Howard, Minnesota's Gerald Green and Rudy Gay of Memphis _ campaigned online in YouTube videos.
Moon's video shows his foot taking off from beyond the top of the foul line. And by Thursday evening, the Raptor was in the lead, with over 260,000 views of the video. Green was second with just over 250,000, while Gary and Howard had just over 100,000 each.
Kapono, meanwhile, will attempt to become the first back-to-back winner of the three-point shootout.
The Raptors sharp-shooter, who won last year in Las Vegas when he was with the Miami Heat, takes a certain amount of pride in his three-point prowess.
``It's my only chance to show my kids and say, I'm the best at something so when I'm 35, 40, 45, and my kids tell me that I'm a scrub, I can at least say I was the best for one year, 2007,'' Kapono said, laughing. ``That's about all I can say I'm the best at, because I'm not very good.''
