re: Who is the nicest pro athlete you've ever met

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Antoine Walker

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Played for the Mavs during the 2003-2004 season. Was a big SEC Football fan. When he found out I was going to four or five LSU games a year, he talked about wanting to go to an LSU game. If he had come back to Dallas the next season, I think I could have gotten him to Tigers Stadium. I would have told him I'd get the tickets. Maybe he would spring for a private jet.

I always had to wait for Dirk and Nash to get quotes about the game. I'd talk to Marquis Daniels a lot while I was waiting for them. He was a rookie that had a great year for a undrafted free agent, but didn't play a lot of minutes that year. He was an Auburn guy so I talked football with him too. He reminded me of a guy I went to high school with.

One night I mentioned that while they were on a road trip, I was going to cover an NCAA Regional at the AAC. A kid from his high school was playing for NC State and they were playing at the Dallas Regional. Marquis asked me to go tell him he wished him good luck, he was sorry he couldn't be there to see him, and to ball out! I found the kid before they played their 1st game. I told him I covered the Mavs & knew Marquis. Then I told him what Marquis said. He turned away from me and said to his teammates, "Marquis Daniels asked him to tell me hi."

"And to tell us 'good luck, and to ball out."

I've mentioned how most of the SEC guys in the NBA are huge college football fans. Stromile Swift and Brandon Bass were the only LSU players that I got to know, but I talked SEC Football with Robert Horry a few times too. I always thought they all treated me the same way they would a fan from their college. The guys I mentioned all were nice every time I was around them.

The only SEC guy I was around, but never got to know was Erick Dampier. He hated talking to the media. They'd have to make him talk to us. It felt like the only times I had to talk to him was to ask about something bad he did, so that didn't help. His locker was in a corner, where there was an exit the media didn't use. He would slip out. He barely talked to his teammates. I can't say he's a bad person because he didn't like talking to the media. I just never got to know him.