(From the Chicago Tribune Online)
The significance of playing a matinee at Madison Square Garden on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, followed by Tuesday’s inauguration of Barack Obama, hasn’t been lost on the Bulls.
“I was just talking to the guys in the locker room about that,” said Drew Gooden, who, like Obama, is the product of a mixed race marriage. “It’s going to be an exciting week, not just because of race but for American as a whole. I think Obama is someone we’ve needed. He represents the melting pot and is very global and international.”
The Bulls posted taped, eloquent tributes to King from Ben Gordon and Joakim Noah on the scoreboard during Saturday’s home game. Gordon said he was so nervous he practiced what he would say by typing his words into his iPhone and repeating them over and over.
“I took that very seriously,” Gordon said. “I didn’t want to go up and not represent him in the right way. I just wanted to make sure I did him justice in the few minutes I had to talk about him. What Dr. King has done for this nation and world and what his life stood for are amazing.”
The Bulls play at home on Tuesday night and might have a morning shootaround, but players said they would tape Obama’s inauguration if they can’t watch it live. Even Andres Nocioni said Obama’s election has created big news in his native Argentina.
“He has all the support of the countries,” Nocioni said. “People are talking about him a lot.”
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