NBA Stars Tell Maxim How They Spent Their Summer Vacations
It’s not all a day at the beach, either.
Danny Green – China and Taiwan
“In every city I visited in China there were interesting moments. From the culture to the fans, I experienced the country in ways I never imagined I would. In Taiwan it was the food, it was a lot better than I’d expected. In Beijing, it was the diversity of the people. The city reminded me a lot of Chinatown back home in New York. In Inner Mongolia it was the underdeveloped style of living. Everything we did was very rustic, from horseback riding to archery. We also stayed in huts, which was something I never thought I’d do.
The food was what I’d say I was the most adventurous with. Every restaurant had something unique. I tried anything put in front of me. Except for the drinks, I’m not a big drinker and I noticed they were pretty strong for the Americans. One night I was the guest of honor for a huge dinner. I was brought a large cooked lamb on a plate and as the guest of honor, had to bless it, slice into it, and serve it to everyone at the table. I’d had lamb before, but everything about that experience was new and interesting.”
Chris Bosh – India
“I always take away the different environments and the different cultures that people live in. In India and many parts of Europe there are places very rich in history and historic places in the world that are very old. You get to see and experience things that you don’t get to in the states. I loved how much people in other places watch and love the game of basketball. Everywhere I went people wanted to take pictures and ask me about the Finals and what it’s like to play with Dwyane and LeBron. We truly have die-hard fans in parts of the world we don’t even think of.
I tried new types of curry in India that I’ve never had before. I had friends from India back in Toronto and I would try traditional foods with them, but I think I had more authentic types in Mumbai. I couldn’t try everything because they said my stomach wouldn’t be able to take it so I left it alone.”
Damian Lillard – Italy and China
“In both China and Italy, I was surprised by how familiar the people there were with me. Despite not having access to our games the way they do stateside, the fans are NBA crazy in both places.
I had tuna tartare in Udine, Italy, for the first time. Once I got over the fact that I was eating raw fish, I realized it was pretty good.”
Jrue Holiday – Spain and China
“The food was awesome – I really enjoyed that both in Spain and China. Additionally, the architecture in Bilbao was crazy, especially the library. The weather in Bilbao was amazing too! I thought it was going to be so sunny, and nice, because you always think of the sun coast in Spain. But it was interesting to see how diverse the weather was.
Also, in China it was awesome just how big it was. The country was so technologically advanced. The buildings were huge, and it was just really cool to see.”
Harrison Barnes – China
“How immensely different the culture is here. I’ve had a chance to walk on by the water, in rural areas, though the financial districts and it’s vastly different from the US in a lot of respects. It’s been interesting to see and experience.
I had the opportunity to go into a family’s house and make pork dumplings. Mine were terrible but the ones that they made were great. I’m not going to attempt to spell the foods I tried but my favorite was either this spicy tofu or duck that I had.”
Iman Shumpert – China and Taiwan
“In China the best experience was doing the clinic for the kids and having them play through the rain. When it began to rain on the outdoor court we were using, the kids thought that I would want to stop. I explained to them how many times I played through the rain and they proceeded until it got dangerous. To have them share this passion to play through the rain was a feeling to hold onto.
What surprised me most was the amount of custom pieces of clothing I could purchase! And I had some good duck neck…as weird as it sounds, it was crazy good!”
Stephen Curry – Tanzania
“While speaking to 17 kids from four different families, they mentioned that all but one of them had contracted Malaria. This showed me that just having one mosquito net surrounding someone’s bed can help alleviate so much pain caused by the disease.
It was crazy just how many people were at the refugee camp I visited. There are 66,000 Congolese refugees in a 15 mile radius with little to no resources. I mean you hear about it, but it’s just different when you see it.”
James Harden – China and the Philippines
“We went out there to let the fans know that we were going to be back out there for preseason. The best part was that I got interact with the kids, we got kind of work them out and shoot with them a little bit. Just to touch the fanbase out there, it was my first time out there by myself, so it was great.”
Check out George R.R. Martin’s Fantasy Football Preview and our interview with James Harden.
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