Get Out of Town

Greetings from Shanghai, everyone. It’s already been a trip – in every sense of the word.

Going to the huge outdoor market was really great. We read a lot in advance about negotiating with the street vendors, so it was fun doing that as well as just walking around. I felt like I was like LeBron or Kobe or Shaq – with people following me around. I don’t really go through that kind of thing in the States. To be here and everyone coming up to you, it was pretty interesting.

I’ve been really just taking in the whole city – the crazy traffic patterns, the structures of the high-rises. I just put my headphones on and walked around the city on Sunday.

I think it’s good for the team to get out of town for the camaraderie, but it’s also an excellent chance for us to see a different part of the world. I got into the hotel yesterday and was just amazed – even being in the league for 14 years – at what basketball has brought me. I would have never thought I’d be in Taiwan this summer. I never would have thought I’d be in Shanghai. I was with USA Basketball, but it was a different experience. Now I can come to a place like this and afford to get things and have fun in a different country halfway across the world. And it’s an amazing feeling.

Being on the road with the guys, we always say throughout the year that we only have each other. And when you’re over here, that’s really all we have. We’re the only people who understand each other, really. So it’s a good time to bond as a team. The food is different, so most of us go out to eat together. It’s a great place to bond.

You can tell by the response here in China that basketball is becoming a world sport. I don’t know if it’ll ever replace soccer, because if you go to Brazil, for example, that’s a soccer country – even though they’re starting to put out some really good basketball players. Yesterday, I’m sitting in my hotel room and ESPN International is talking about football, and I’m getting ready to watch a football game – until I remembered that they’re talking about soccer.

Being in Taiwan earlier this summer got me somewhat prepared to travel here to Asia. But Shanghai is completely different – the buildings, the structures, the people. Taiwan has a ton of shopping and I haven’t done too much shopping here. There, there was a huge mall on every block, but here I just picked up a couple of suits.

My wife is here with me, and she’s enjoying it. Anytime she can go shopping, she’s enjoying any experience. She’s more of a sight-seer, which is what she’s doing right now. I think that’s what I’ll do when we finish practice. And I’ll catch up with you a little later this week.