Father, son superfans make social media statement one jersey at a time
Only one game ever has made Antonio Braxton cry.
"It was Game 1 (of the NBA Finals) in '95," the 43-year-old lifelong Memphian said. "I'm like, 'Man, Penny's fixing to win a championship.'"
The Penny in question is, of course, Penny Hardaway. At the time, Hardaway was a 23-year-old second-year player with the upstart Orlando Magic, and he was four wins against the Houston Rockets away from an NBA championship. He had all of Memphis behind him. Especially Braxton.
"You just knew the young lads would beat the seasoned vets," he said.
That didn't happen, though. Instead, Hardaway and the Magic lost Game 1 in overtime, and the Rockets went on to sweep the series. But Braxton did not let the heartbreak spoil his superfandom.
What began as a love affair with professional wrestling – specifically Jerry "The King" Lawler, a Memphis legend – eventually turned into a hardcore affinity for Memphis State athletics and, later, became a borderline obsession with the Grizzlies. It's now hit social media.
Braxton has transformed several rooms in his home into folksy shrines. Littered with jerseys, magazine covers, collectibles, newspaper clippings, souvenirs, autographs and photographs, parts of the Braxton residence feel more like a museum than anything else.
The crown jewel of his exhibit: Antonio Braxton Jr.
The 8-year-old soon-to-be third
grader at Treadwell Elementary probably is one of the only Memphians who can give his dad a run for his money in the superfan department.
"What college did Tony Allen go to?" Braxton asks his son in what becomes an impromptu pop quiz.
"Oklahoma State," Antonio quickly answers.
"What happened on the Jeff Green game-winning alley-oop?" Braxton asks.
"Oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah," Antonio begins. "I remember I thought it was Mike Conley that did that, but my dad said, 'JG!' And I was like, 'Ooohhhh, Jeff Green." "Who did they beat in that game?" "Phoenix." Recently, the Braxtons have taken their love of Memphis sports to the next level. Antonio, who was born just hours after his mother and father attended the Grizzlies' triple-overtime loss to the Thunder in Game 4 of the 2011 Western Conference semifinals, has turned into a social media star almost overnight. Braxton said he and his son were inspired by a video posted by a Toronto Raptors fan, who showed off his extensive jersey collection by putting them all on, then taking them off one by one.
The first video Braxton posted on Twitter – which got the attention of popular online outlets like House of Highlights and Throwbackhoops – has more than 18,000 views and counting. In all, Antonio starts with 19 Grizzlies jerseys and over the course of 60 seconds takes all but the last one off.
Antonio also appeared in a similar video, which was posted on Twitter almost three weeks later, only this time he started with a collection of 16 Hardaway jerseys – from high school through his professional career – and ended in a black suit.
"It feels awesome," Antonio said of all the attention the videos have gotten. "It's fun, too. It doesn't take that long. I try to keep a straight face because that's what my dad says to do. Sometimes it feels like I'm wearing a football uniform with shoulder pads."
"I take great pride in that," Braxton said. "My thing is I just want to let people know, yes, we're a small market. But we have some real passionate fans that can probably compete with anybody in the country."
Reach sports writer Jason Munz at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @munzly.