Veteran CBS News Teams Can't Help But Crack A Smile When NBA Trophy Comes To Visit
Q: Roberta, was that the REAL NBA World Championship Trophy I saw on the News today? - William Keys, Millbrae
A: Oh hey! Yes it was!
The NBA World Championship Trophy paid a visit to us here at our CBS compound on Thursday and Friday. It's a beautiful sterling silver basketball, coated in 24K gold, raised on a pedestal and carefully trucked around in a big black box on wheels. The keeper of the coveted trophy is Massimo Degaudenzi from the Golden State Warriors Public Relations Department. And lucky me, on Wednesday, I just happened to be riding bikes with Massimo. I casually asked if he could bring the trophy to our studios so we could show it on TV and he simply said, "yes!"
Oh the Smiles.
The trophy even visited our friends from radio:
Thank you for stopping by @warriors! I think Greg is just going to hold on to the trophy for safe keeping! pic.twitter.com/zjl3rqI1OX
— Big Bay Mornings (@BigBayMornings) August 13, 2015
The #Warriors NBA Championship trophy just paid a visit to #KCBS Radio. pic.twitter.com/y9wyGXhnKg
— Steve Bitker (@SteveBitker) August 14, 2015
Da Mayor strikes a pose with @warriors @NBA Championship Trophy in @KCBSNews Studio A pic.twitter.com/Z7f2tDwxAe
— Stan Bunger (@BungerKCBSRadio) August 14, 2015
The (mostly) smiles one trophy can bring to so many people is priceless. Those smiles will last me a lifetime. And what is so fun to see, is the exciting complete transformation in each individual. I asked Massimo, what's it like to bring so much joy to so many people?
"I never expected such sheer joy! It's the 'people's trophy' and people just want to see it for themselves," he said. "The trophy was earned through determination and hard work. And people can relate to the discipline it took to win this trophy. And they really like the team. They are a great guys that make up a great team."
Agreed. And that's what makes this Golden State Warriors team so special. They are like you and me. They work hard, stay focused, community leaders and had one goal: to bring the NBA World Championship Trophy home to the Bay Area.
Let's hope one year from now, I will be writing about more smiles from a "repeat" visit from that golden statue!