Andris Bulbiks has been a basketball fan for more than 20 years, but the idea for such an unusual fan accessory came to him and his wife 15 years ago, when the family was expecting their daughter Laura.
“Four months before Laura was born, we thought about how we could make our basketball fandom more attractive. I don’t remember how the idea for the basket came about, but it was made from an exercise ring attached to a basketball cut in half. But the net is made from a real basketball basket,” explains Andris, who is nicknamed the Basket because of this fan accessory.
The debut of the unusual headdress in the games of the Latvian national basketball team was at the 2007 European Championship in Seville. “It was the first big trip to the national team matches, we went to Spain with four friends by car. And that was the first time I showed the basket. There was wildly high interest from other fans as well as foreign media and TV operators. It was a great honor for me,” recalls Andris, saying that all these 15 years of active fandom, the basket has survived without repairs. It has survived active fandom, and the autographs of Jānis Blum and Kaspars Kambalas, national basketball players of that time, are still preserved on the cut ball.
A year later, another similar basket was made, which Andris gave to one of his friends to fan basketball with, but now he supports the Latvian national team much more often with his daughter. “It’s a great opportunity not only to lift, but also to have a wonderful time and make new friends. Yes, and I won’t hide that I am always in the spotlight because of this basket. That’s why I almost perceive these championships as work – they interview me, they want to take pictures with me. But it’s a nice job. Just this summer during the World Cup in Jakarta, I was very surprised how many people wanted to take pictures with me. I feel like a star,” Groz smiles, adding: “All my vacations are subordinated to going to major championships. Because I am a fan not only of basketball, but also of hockey and beach volleyball. Fandom is in my blood.”
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2023-12-26 03:59:00
#Latvian #basketball #fan #basket
