Before Jason Terry finished the post-game press conference following the Dallas Mavericks NBA Finals win over the Miami Heat on Sunday night, he made sure to, once again, give a shout-out to Seattle and the Sonics. Terry emerged as a character in these NBA Finals, and gained wide-spread attention for it. His words were entertaining, but his play always backed it up, unlike others on the court.
Like he did after Game 5, Terry remembered his roots after the Mavericks win while speaking to reporters. On Thursday, he gave a shout-out to Gary Payton, but this time around it was a few Sonics legends, and champions, that he recalled fondly.
"Growing up, many nights on the playground emulating the greats. Even my hometown heroes like Slick Watts, Freddie Brown. Now I'm in their realm," Terry said. "Champions. Dr. J texted me before the game saying it's my time. Now I'm a champion, just like them."
Terry has been somewhat of an ambassador during the playoffs, performing well on the NBA's biggest stage while remembering the city he grew up in. And his respect for those that came before him, and the legends of the now-gone Sonics, shows the city pride he, and many others from Seattle that "made it," still have
Once again, congratulations to Jet for an excellent Finals performance and for his first ring.