The Official Site of Jordan Farmar

Tue, Feb 17th 2009, 12:30

Jordan's Playboy.com blog - Five on 5: Week 14

It was a great All-Star Weekend with a lot of entertainment for the fans and for us players. There was Dwight “Superman” Howard and “Krypto-Nate” Robinson going against each other in the dunk contest. I saw it up close and it was great entertainment, both of them were very creative. You’d think there are only so many dunks that are possible, but they added in some showmanship and took it up a level. Then there was Shaq dancing during the player introductions — he’s such a great personality, just to see someone so big and lively and full of fun is great. And the big man has some moves on him, lol! There was the West beating the East with Kobe as the high scorer. A lot of fun.

I want to give a shout-out to all the fans. Even though it’s been tough economically, you guys continue to come out to games, you watch the games on TV, buy the merchandise and all the things that are necessary to keep this league going successfully. The fans are absolutely the most important part of the equation, without you guys we couldn’t make a living off what we do, so we want to continue to entertain you and play the game that we love. It’s just great to have your support. Like they say in Hollywood, without the audience — without the fans — there ain’t no show.

As Laker player reps, Trevor Ariza and I were at the All-Star festivities and around our fellow pros. One thing I was thinking about was that in any pro sport, once you make it to the top level, you become part of an elite fraternity of guys who’ve made it. There are millions of people who play basketball worldwide, many who want to be where we’re at but there’s only about 450 or so of us that make it into this elite fraternity. So when we get a chance to get together, get away from the game, it’s always a good time. It is a beautiful thing. There’s a lot of mutual respect. The younger guys are always going out and showing respect to the veterans who’ve paved the way for them. It’s sort of an unwritten rule, a rite of passage. Whether it’s to a legend like Bill Russell or present world champions like Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. It’s like that for me with Kobe, and the great respect I have for him and what he’s accomplished.

The longer you’re in the league, the more friends you accumulate. During the season, it’s good to see those guys and shake hands before the game, but once it’s underway, it’s a battle for 48 minutes. You don’t want anyone to get hurt, and in a hard foul situation you might ask if the opponent is cool. But for the most part it is a battle and that’s what you respect more than anything is the real genuine competition, giving your best effort and trying to come out victorious.

Now for the back half of the season. After our back-to-back wins against Boston and Cleveland, I referred to coach Jackson’s comment: “Phil says only one team can beat us, and that’s ourselves, and we believe him.” Offensively, we’re at the top of the NBA; defensively, we’re still a work in progress, constantly trying to get to a common goal. But we’re getting there. I was asked whether I want to get my minutes, points or assists up but for us, it’s all about sacrifice, not about statistics. It’s about trying to make this team better. There will be nights where I’ll have the opportunity to score 20 points, and there’ll be nights where I’ll only make one basket, that’s just how it goes. Points and stats don’t really matter, as long as we get the job done, and achieve our goal of winning the championship. That’s all anybody on the Lakers is focused on going into the rest of the season.

One last thing, did you see the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue? An Israeli model, gorgeous Bar Refaeli, made it onto the prestigious cover of the issue. She’s got a cool, healthy look. I’ve been to the Holy Land a couple of times, and I found the Israeli women to be beautiful. With great skin, pretty hair. Many Jewish people from around the world returned to Israel after the nation’s creation, and you’re getting all these mixes, and yes mash-ups, going on, creating some beautiful people, and girls.

Next time you check in, we’ll be back playing — I can’t wait. I also want to answer some questions about what I like to see women wearing, and about some new music I’ve been grooving to like Jamie Foxx’s new album, Intuition.

— JFarm.

Check out Jordan on the set of CBS’s hit show Numb3rs….