METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) – What does a professional basketball player want for Christmas? WGNO’s Kris Cusanza caught up with some of the Pelicans players to find out what they want for gifts, and which players are the hardest to shop for on the team.
Pelicans Guard, Eric Gordon said Santa won’t put coal in his stocking! “Oh, he got to bring me a present,” Gordon said.
Gordon told Cusanza , he is starting to get into art, so a good gift for him is a painting or picture.
Pels Guard, Ish Smith, wants: “Health, I just want my family to be healthy that’s probably my biggest thing.”
“What I want is to keep getting wins,” Ryan Anderson, Pelicans Forward.
The Pels are pro’s on the court, but how does their style of play compare to Christmas classic characters. We asked the players if they are more like Santa bringing gift baskets, like elves assisting in getting gifts, or like reindeer driving the team to a “w?”
“I would say I’m more like an elf doing a little bit of both assisting and helping,” described Gordon.
“I would probably say I’m like a backup Santa, because I come off the bench,” Anderson said. “I think my job is to deliver some gifts when I get my opportunity on the court. “
Ish Smith explains, “It just depends on the game. Sometimes, you might have to be Santa, might have to be the elf. Sometimes, you might have to be reindeer. For the most part I’m assisting.”
Cusanza let the Pels play Santa. Here’s who they say on the team has been naughty and nice.
“Kendrick Perkins is maybe he naughty guy,” Gordon stated. “But, you always need that. The nice guy probably [is] Alonzo Gee. “
“We’ve got a team full of nice guys,” Anderson said. “Everybody is nice. There’s no naughty people.”
With so many nice guys on the team getting each player the perfect gift isn’t always easy.
“The hardest person to shop for would be Luke Babbitt. No idea what Luke would want,” said Anderson.
Smith has a different pick. He says the hardest teammate to shop for is “probably Anthony [Davis.] I would think he probably have any and everything.”
“Coach. You know coach he almost has everything, and you just have to figure out his style,”described Gordon. “That’s the toughest part.”
The Pels will be on the road Christmas Day, playing the Miami Heat in Miami. But the Players still find a way to tell their families happy holiday.
Smith game plan includes “facetime with my family is probably the biggest thing I’m going to do. Facetime them. “
The players also shared some advice for families who are looking for last minute basketball themed Christmas gifts to go under the tree.
“Kids love shoes,” Anderson said, “They love any kind of basketball shoe.”
Gordon added, “For kids, it’s always good to get head bands and arm bands. Those are always the coolest things that a lot of kids don’t really have. ”
Smith says, “I know a lot of people who can’t play wearing really, really nice stuff… so, first of all, start with the basics get a basketball and basketball goal.”
Or you could always take your basketball loving family member to a Pelicans game!
