The Chicago Bulls pulled off the perfect wholesome “prank” after Zach LaVine was named to the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.
Zach LaVine has already gone through a career’s worth of drama and adversity at the young age of 25. But he has continued to work hard and was finally rewarded with an All-Star nod in 2021.
He is the first Chicago Bulls player since Jimmy Butler in 2017 to make the All-Star Game and joins a historic list with that franchise. Receiving this honor was a big deal and the team decided to “prank” LaVine by setting up a special Zoom meeting.
Bulls set up a special Zoom meeting featuring LaVine’s friends and family
We are here for this wholesome content. The call starts with a surprise visit from LaVine’s parents and continues with other family, friends, and familiar faces like Jamal Crawford and Thaddeus Young. It is clear just how much LaVine means to so many people and they wanted to give back in any way possible.
His All-Star play also has the Bulls in the Eastern Conference playoff race this season. That may have made the ultimate difference to prove his play was worthy of an All-Star nod.
“I feel I’ve played at an All-Star level the last couple of years. I don’t think there are people who have had better seasons than me over the last couple years in the Eastern Conference,” LaVine said via NBC Sports Chicago. “But it comes down to winning. You have to show that.”
Winning will always make a difference and it proves LaVine can carry a team on his back. He is averaging 28.6 points per game on a team where no one else is averaging over 20 points per game. LaVine is the face of the franchise and is being recognized as such.
He also took some time to reflect on all those who supported him in the Zoom meeting.
“Just the look on their faces, it’s been a long time coming,” LaVine said viaNBC Sports Chicago interview. “We put a lot of work in for this and my support system is always there for me and has my back, so just to see the looks on their faces and showing me that I made them proud is more than enough for me.”
LaVine first made a name for himself as a prolific dunker. But he was always much more than that. This is someone who managed to thrive on a Bulls team with a coach in Jim Boylen who was constantly at odds with his own players. Now Billy Donovan is in charge and LaVine has only gotten better.
Professional sports teams have to get creative in terms of content creation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. This Zoom meeting was a small gesture that meant a lot to LaVine and is something other teams should consider doing as well.