The Mis-Education of Noah Baldwin (2027 - ???)

[chosenone58]

[The JZA]

Man that 1 on the record is a sight for sore eyes

Rui!!

[chosenone58]

Man that 1 on the record is a sight for sore eyes

Rui!!

I did not want that L, but the Pelicans were on one.

Rui is a solid contributor here in NYC.

[ShamWowNY]

Brutal loss, but nice bounce-back win. Could still catch that 77 win record too

[chosenone58]

Brutal loss, but nice bounce-back win. Could still catch that 77 win record too

Thanks. I think we can eclipse 77

[Agent]

oh we taking that slam dunk championship!

[chosenone58]

oh we taking that slam dunk championship!

Appreciate the vote of confidence

[chosenone58]

[chosenone58]

The Usual

Remy, Uncle Derek and I had just walked back into the hotel after visiting with the team at Nike. We flew into Salt Lake City for All-Star Weekend the morning after our game in Detroit. A lot of companies that we had endorsements with were here, so of course, Devin had us taking meetings and Nike was up first. They had set up a pop-up shop downtown in what used to be a nightclub, and we went to check out the set up for my uncle’s Dark Horse brand. There was an entire floor dedicated to him. It was completely iced out for the “Coldest Player in the Game”. There was an ice luge where a pair of his shoes would come down when you made a purchase using the kiosks. All things Derek Baldwin would be made available for fans to buy. From jerseys to socks, t-shirts, and sweats. There was also basketball court for the kids and some limited edition, hand painted basketballs. They really went all out for his final season.

My second pair of shoes were scheduled to be released on March 1, so there were a few pairs for us at to rock for the games this weekend. Rox Brown had done it again. The shoes were amazing. But I wasn’t as excited as I should have been. I thought Kori would have been able to join us for the weekend, but she was feeling a little under the weather and wasn’t up for travelling. She said that she’d be sure to watch the games this weekend though. And of course, yesterday was Valentine’s Day and I was on the road with my teammates instead of being in New York with my girl. That’s the nature of the business.

I turned in the direction of the elevators when my uncle stopped me.

“Let’s swing by the bar real quick. Grab a drink.”

“I just wanna get back to my room, Unc. You and Remy go on ahead.”

“Come on, Noah. We just got these fresh kicks, we need to celebrate, my guy. You know it’s all business starting tomorrow.” Remy chimed in. He put his hands on my shoulders and steered me in the direction of the lounge before I could protest any further.

When we got to the bar, my uncle ordered a bottle of Lobos Tequilla.

“Really? A bottle?”

“I’m sure you can find someone to share that with.” A voice said from behind me. I turned to see Kori smirking at me. She didn’t look sick at all. Not too far behind her sat Iris and Aunt Naya.

“How did you get here?”

“I hitched a ride.” She said, gesturing over her shoulder.

“Aunt Naya, you are the best!”

“You are welcome, Baby Boy. Your uncle said you looked so pitiful in Detroit, not being able to spend time with Kori for Valentine’s Day.”

“I think pitiful was a stretch.” I said looking over at my uncle.

“You were sulking. Grown ass, man. Sulking.”

“You were pouting a little bit, my boy.”

“You saw how me, Remy and Mike had to carry this boy last night in Detroit, babe?”

The teasing continued as we made our way to the booth the ladies were seated in. So, I may not have been at my best, but we still got the win. We ordered lunch before deciding to see what Salt Lake City had to offer this weekend. We’re usually only in town for games, so we’re never in the area too long. We ran into some fans who were also in town a little early and a few players too. Dwyane Wade, who was now a minority owner of the Utah Jazz, made sure we would be on hand for the Spades tournament on Sunday night. I had another meeting scheduled that evening with Mountain Dew to autograph some merchandise and discuss the hours that I needed to be at the pop-up shop, so everyone went back to the hotel to rest before dinner, while I headed to The Gateway.

Two hours and what felt like a thousand autographs later, I finally made it back to my room. I had given Kori my keycard, so I requested another one when I got to the front desk. When I opened the door, I could hear her on the phone talking to her daughter. I just stood there and watched her for a minute before she waved me over so I could say hi to Isabella and her parents, who were babysitting. After promises to bring something back and guaranteeing a win for Team Derek this weekend, we ended the call.

########################

“Is that Allen Iverson, Noah?” Kori squeezed my arm as we headed to our table.

“Yeah. I thought I told you he would be here.” I didn’t tell her. I knew it and she did too.

“I wouldn’t have forgotten that. This is The Allen Iverson! A.I.! Sitting at our dinner table.”

“Yeah, I know, babe. I told you he was a friend of the family.”

We took our seats next to Iris and Remy.

“How do I look?”

“Seriously, Kori?”

Growing up in Philadelphia, Kori was a huge fan of Iverson. He just so happened to be in town early to partner with Reebok in celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Answer 4 sneaker. So of course, when we found out he was in town, my uncle invited him to dinner with us. We had a private room at The Capital Grille. Besides, A.I., we also had the usual suspects: Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, Kobe Bryant, Paul George, and my cousin, Devin. We had a few new faces as well, as Derrick Rose joined us this year.

“This is crazy.” Kori mumbled as she looked around the table at the players and their significant others.

“It’s just dinner. My uncle has done this every All-Star Weekend, for like the last decade. Even when he retired. This is extended family here. After our summer in L.A. I thought you would have been used to all of this by now.”

She nudged me with her elbow.

“So, how was your meeting, Noah? Heard you got that deal with Mountain Dew.” Carmelo asked.

“All good. I have to hit up the pop-up shop tomorrow afternoon before the celebrity game. Shake a few hands, take a few pics, sign a few cases of Dew.”

“What time are you going to the Crossover?”

“I’m doing that on Sunday.”

“And our shop?” My uncle asked.

“Tomorrow morning before I hit up Mountain Dew and again Saturday morning before the HBCU game.”

“When are you gonna practice your dunks?” Kobe asked.

“Whole season has been practice, Kob.”

“Alright then, young man.” He reached over the table and slapped my hand against his.

“Is Ariel coming?” My uncle asked. He had come a long way since finding out that my half-sister, Ariel, wasn’t his daughter, but actually his niece. She’s currently a freshman at Grambling State University, so since they were playing their rival Southern University this weekend, I thought it would be cool if we went to the game together.

“Yeah, she’s, uh, flying in on Saturday morning. Without my dad.” I answered before he could even ask. I was surprised Pops hadn’t weaseled his way to Salt Lake City, but I guess Utah isn’t really his scene.

“Sounds like a peaceful weekend for all of us then.”

Conversation flowed between our dinner guests. We talked sports, fashion, movies, music and everything in between. By the time we got to dessert, Kori seemed to be a bit more comfortable. So much so, that Allen actually offered to talk to her dad on FaceTime for a few minutes. I think that really made his night. Having Iris seated next to her helped some too.

We said our goodbyes and finally made our way back to our hotel room. I fell on my back in the middle of the bed as Kori sat on the edge slipping off her heels.

“So, that’s how you all do dinner?”

Yeah, that’s pretty much the usual.”

“The usual, huh?”

“Yeah. The guys, the wives. Just something private and out of the way before all the hustle and bustle of the weekend sets in. We’ve got events to go to and appearances to make as well. My schedule is gonna be a little hectic. I’m doing something every night. Glad I got the big meetings out of the way today.” I said as I pulled off my Tom Ford suit jacket.

“I don’t think I could ever get used to this.”

“Used to what? I’m just a regular guy.”

“Regular guy? We flew here on a private jet."

"That's my aunt's preferred method of travel."

"Babe, I’m wearing eight-hundred dollar Jimmy Choo’s!”

I shrugged and began to untie my Gucci shoes.

“What regular guy sends multiple five-hundred dollar floral arrangements?”

“Okay, so I’m a regular guy with a not so regular job that pays me not so regular money. But it was our first for real Valentine’s Day and I knew I was going to be stuck in Detroit and heading here right after. And you gotta admit, those Choo’s got that ass sitting right!”

She laughed.

“You know I don’t need all of this from you, right?”

“I know, but I like to spoil you sometimes. And if it makes you feel any better, I sent Mama and Grandma B the same type of flowers. Just one arrangement though.”

“It does make me a feel a little better.” She looked over at the clock beside the bed. It was almost midnight. “So, how early do you have to be up in the morning?”

“What did you have in mind, Ms. Hilliard?”

“I didn’t really get to give you a proper thank you for my gifts.”

“So, not the usual thank you?”

“Far from the usual,” she said as she walked toward the bathroom.

A brother does appreciate the unusual every once in a while.

[Agent]

Things are going well for Noah. DB telling him he was sulking