Tag Archives: nba

Dub Nation Birthday Celebration

This year my boys turned 5 and 6…and for the past year they have been ALL about basketball, specifically our hometown Golden State Warriors who just happened to prevail as back to back champions in June. So, their birthday party these was a no brainer…a Dub Nation Birthday Celebration! My boys have been spoiled when it comes to (NBA) basketball. Not only did both of their births coincide with NBA Championships (in Miami), but in both of their lifetime’s, they have only known living in places with NBA Champions! We are clearly a basketball family, so this year I got the wheels turning to play up a blue and gold theme fit for my basketball kings! I made a custom “ticket” invitation via Paperless Post to announce the event, you can see those details here.

I created a dessert table using a backdrop of alternating blue and gold streamers, and I stuck a warriors sign from Party City in the middle. I covered the table with a coordinating yellow table cover and added Warriors logo plates and napkins. We already had a couple Warriors basketballs, so I propped them up on clear glass cylinders stuffed with matching tissue paper. I got the Warriors themed sheet cake from Safeway and ordered blue and yellow frosted cupcakes. I topped the cupcakes with their age (5 & 6) numbers, along with team logos, that I sized and printed out myself, then glued onto toothpicks.  I found mini blue popcorn boxes which I filled with Boom Chicka Pop Kettle Corn, and filled the small candy jars with basketball wrapped butter mints.

The other desserts I added were rice krispy treats and chocolate dipped marshmallows, both made by me and both decorated with blue and yellow cake sprinkles. I also had a tray of (Costco) chocolate chip cookies, because cookies make everyone smile!

Over the years we’ve collected and saved various Warriors signs, so I thought, why no string them up and use them for decorations. That was really easy since we had several signs. I just punched holes in the corners and used twine to string them up.

  

Since it was an outdoor party at the park, I just made a couple centerpieces (you never know how the wind will factor in). I took a couple metal pails and filled with rocks for weight – found these at Dollar Tree. I then placed (free) foam fingers and clap sticks we’ve gotten from games, added tissue paper and stuck a “5” and “6” balloon to finish the look.

We played with water balloons….

Destroyed a basketball pinata, which I personalized with a Warriors logo print out…

You know it was a GREAT party when there was lots of laughter and smiles all around!

I also found the perfect thank you gift to give our guests, a Dubble Bubble “Slam Dunk” dispenser and I custom created a thank you tag to stick on them.

Thanks to all our friends and family who celebrated our boys with us and made it a very memorable occasion!

 

My Babies, My Womb and the NBA Finals

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The NBA Finals are upon us and I can’t wait for tip off tomorrow night at Oracle Arena in Oakland when the Golden State Warriors host the Cleveland Cavaliers in game 1. You may wonder what professional basketball has to do with my babies, and more specifically my womb, so please…allow me to explain.

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Professional basketball, specifically the NBA has always been a big deal in my house. My ethnic heritage is Filipino and well, if there’s a blanket statement you can make about Filipino people, it’s safe to say that they love basketball. Watching basketball and growing up around the game has always been a part of my life. When satellite and cable systems came out with NBA League Pass, my family did not hesitate to purchase it and every night you could bet we would watch every game that we could…we were constantly plugged in. Then, once I graduated from college I went on to dance professionally for an NBA team, the Sacramento Kings. And so, basketball – the game and entertainment, took on an even bigger role in my life. Eventually, I would cover NBA-related stories in my work as a television reporter and interview many of the league’s stars for my sports lifestyle and entertainment TV Show, On The Flipside.

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Fast forward to why any of this matters and how it all relates… I moved to Miami in the summer of 2006, right after the Miami HEAT got their first championship, and then, both of my boy’s’ births directly coincided with NBA Championships for the Miami HEAT. Not only were they both born in Miami-Dade County, but their father was also working for the team at that time, and as a result he was given a championship ring for each season.

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In 2012, I recall being at the huge victory celebration as a parade weaved through crowds of people in downtown Miami, and I waited for the caravan to enter American Airlines Arena. I had squeezed into my championship shirt at 38 weeks and put the hospital bag in the trunk, just in case we had an early entrance.

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In 2013, there I was once again, 9+ months pregnant, and while I didn’t make it to the championship parade and festivities that time around, my not yet 1 year old baby was IN the parade, riding high atop a double-decker bus, getting his first taste of all the fanfare and attention that comes along with being champions.

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In 2014, the Miami HEAT did make it to the Finals again, but this time it didn’t result in a Championship. I was neither pregnant and had just moved out of Miami… Coincidence?? LOL!

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So this year, 2015, I am getting the family ready to move once again. It’s almost like the NBA Finals mark important moments in my life! And this time, not only are we moving, but it’s a homecoming for me, to my original stomping grounds, the Bay Area. It just so happens, the Golden State Warriors – a team I grew up watching, is in the NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years! So, all this to say, there has to be a real connection here, right? There is no doubt we will be pulling for my hometown team and while I have an empty womb this time around, you’ve gotta believe there’s some kind of direct correlation, ya know? And – if it takes me to have another baby to spawn a championship for my  city…it’s not out of the question! JUST SAYIN’!

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My Boys are fan FAVORITES of Many Teams…

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I think my boys will grow up confused when it comes to picking their favorite sports teams… I mean I hope they develop a good appreciation for different teams and different sports, and I’ll let them know Daddy won’t mind if they want to just go with all of Mommy’s favorite hometown teams! Okay, yeah, I don’t think “Daddy” will have any part of that.

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I’m from the Bay Area, California…my teams are the Oakland Raiders and the Golden State Warriors, but I also worked for the Sacramento Kings. My other half is from Chicago. He’s all about the Chicago Bears, the White Sox, the Bulls and Blackhawks. I let Daddy choose Bears when Isaiah got his Doc Band wrapped…I mean he won’t even remember it when it truly counts! Then, we met in Miami, so it’s been Miami HEAT, Dolphins, Marlins for the boys. They have worn sports gear from all the various teams and while they really don’t have a say at this point, their loyalty is to whichever team Mom or Dad dressed them in! haha

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Hmmm…is there a rule of thumb? I think many times a child’s team ends up being whatever Daddy’s team is because sometimes the Mommy’s don’t care for sports…but not in my house. While I’m not over the top crazed about which team my kids need to root for…I would like them to be on my side. Maybe they’ll go with their South Florida roots since they were born into that sports culture..it all remains to be seen.

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So, let me know if you’ve ever dealt with any of this in your house? How have your kids gone about pledging their allegiance to a team!?!?

 

Kids Foot Locker x Anthony Davis


Foot Locker unveiled its new Kids Foot Locker advertising commercial as part of their “GO BIG!” marketing campaign.  The campaign encourages little heroes to dream big and play big, and look the part in fresh gear from Kids Foot Locker.

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The commercial, titled “Buzzer Beater,” features an unexpected appearance from NBA player Anthony Davis during a little boy named Alex’s driveway basketball game. While driving in his car, Davis notices Alex in his driveway as he is getting ready to take the game winning shot, all the while announcing in a sports commentator’s voice a play-by-play for the imaginary crowds. Davis decides to join in the game by rejecting the boy’s mid-air shot clear into the front yard and responding in his own sports commentator’s voice the surprising events that have unfolded.

“We were very excited to work with Anthony Davis on our new Kids Foot Locker commercial and have him be a part of our ‘Go Big’ campaign,” says Stacy Cunningham, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Foot Locker. “Both kids and parents can relate to Anthony’s playfulness and ‘Raise the Brow’ attitude while he encourages kids to dream bigger.”

Kids Foot Locker has the hottest gear in footwear, apparel and accessories this season for kids from Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, adidas, Nike, Asics, and many more.

“I really enjoyed working with Kids Foot Locker on this spot,” says Anthony Davis. “It was fun to let loose with an unexpected pick-up game and to remember my younger days as a kid when I would ‘go big’ on the court.”