****Official Professional Athletes you have met****

[tgull]

Here is who I have shaken hands with, none would ever remember me:

Hulk Hogan
Bruno Samartino
Dusty Rhodes
Jason Kidd
Donavan Baily
Dave Winfield

Hulk, Winfield and Donavan brushed me off, but Jason Kidd was actually a really decent guy. It was a long time ago but actually was legit interested in what I was doing even if he was likely faking the moment. Dusty seemed loaded but fuck he was the American Dream at the time so it was what it was. He was the booker at WCW at the time, he had a huge ego.

[Walter Sobchak]

Oscar Robertson
Reggie Jackson
Kim Clijsters
Cheryl Swoopes
Calvin Johnson
Tony Gwynn

[nightmarefish]

Bill Walton
Ryan Leaf (went to high school with him)
Eric Allen (corner in NFL, plays in my pickup basketball game at the Y)
Andre Reed

[IamGreek]

John Stockton
Karl Malone
Jeff Hornacek
Mark Eaton
Adrian Dantley

Hornacek and Stockton were the most down to earth of the bunch.

[GrenadaRoger]

Primo Carnera, former world heavyweight boxing champ?

he owned a small liquor store in Glendale , CA---i passed by there daily as i walked to junior high school...one day i got brave enough to go in and buy a candy bar just so i could see Primo...as i stood there transfixed looking at him, he said to me "What you want boy?" i paid and left without saying a word, and never ventured in again

[gut]

I've never been the type to approach celebrities in public, can't imagine how upset fame would make me if I was in their shoes, so I refrain. Do have a few organic type stories:

Wound up having beers and chatting a bit with Channing Frye when he played here in Portland, a couple random times at different bars. Just a cool, regular dude (as regular as you can be as a 7 foot black guy in Portland), don't think I ever mentioned basketball.

Had beers and watched/chatted basketball various times with Dean Demopolous (he drank wine), former baller and at the time the lead assistant coach for the Blazers under Nate McMillan. This was like 07-08ish at a small brewpub he was a regular at. Pretty chill dude, was pretty upfront with opinions of other players. He thought Ray Allen was by far the best player he ever coached, in the Sonics days.

Met Meadowlark Lemon of Harlem Globetrotter fame when I was in high school and he stayed at the hotel I was working at. Seemed nice enough in a very brief chat.

Probably others I'm forgetting.

[Texter]

Curtis Duncan former HOUSTON Oiler used to work at my company super nice guy

Got some autographs for my kid at Astro fan fest, Velander, Springer are the most famous

Chuck Norris

[Walter Sobchak]

I forgot Antoine Walker. The Celtics when were on the road and I happened to be in the same city at the same hotel. He was talking to someone at the concierge desk and so was I. I overheard him giving a list of names to them, saying if any of those people comes and asks for something, whatever it is, get it for them and put it on his tab. I looked out of the corner of my eye and there must have been 25 names on the piece of paper, I guess his travelling entourage. This hotel had very expensive food, spa treatments, you name it. I thought to myself when this guy's NBA career is over he is going to go bankrupt, and sure enough he did.

Said a quick hi, that's it.

[hutmaster]

Tommy Lasorda
Steve Yeager
Magic Johnson
Reggie Miller
Rod Carew
Cheryl Miller
John Wooden
Brian Bosworth
Don Maclean
Phil Jackson
Danny Tartabull
Bruce Jenner (when he was a he)
Danny Duffy (pitcher for KC Royals)
Dave Stockton (2x major winner on PGA tour)

[Crowe Diddly]

I've met more famous ones, but my favorite was Dana Barros, multiple times, over a span of 15 years.

[nunbeater]

OJ Simpson

[Zap_the_Fractions_Giraffe]

The Dunkin' Dutchman
Coach Brad Stevens

[Walter Sobchak]

OJ Simpson

Did you return his glasses?

[nunbeater]

OJ Simpson

Did you return his glasses?

no I borrowed him a knife

[Jayjami]

In 1987, this 5 ft, 90 lbs, mild-mannered, black lesbian that I worked with asked me if I wanted to go to a 49ers game. I’m a life long fan and tix were hard to come by those days, so of course I accepted. She turned out to be the most rabid Niner fan I’ve ever seen, literally screaming at every call and cheering every play. After the game she was: “I know a bunch of the players, I can get us into the parking lot, want to go?“ The guy at the gate just said: “Hey Michele” and let us in. All the family members were there. Hung out and talked to most of the players except Joe Montana. He had God like status.