San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
‘IT’S MOLDED ME INTO THE PERSON I AM’
Warriors’ Wiseman wouldn’t trade difficulties that have dogged his career
Warriors center James Wiseman, as ginormous as he is, was losing his battle against the cork. About 7 feet tall and 240 pounds, with muscles everywhere, he seemed to be summoning all his strength, yet it wasn’t enough to pop this one bottle.
The peer pressure was on, too. He was on the spot, atop the parade bus he shared with Gary Payton II. He was chilling in the back, taking it all in, as a turned-up Payton doused fans on Market Street with Moët.
But the rollicking fans lining downtown San Francisco were not content with Wiseman in the background. They wanted the young center to shower them with Champagne from up high. They were insistent enough that Wiseman left his post of observation and joined Payton in the reveling. He grabbed a bottle and shook it, smiling the
“Just experience, going through adversity, it teaches you a lot.”
James Wiseman, Warriors center whole time as he set to quench the thirsty crowd.
If only he could get the cork out. That’s when an older parade passenger stepped in to help him. He showed the 21-year-old that before the cork comes out, he must first untwist the cage.
Finally, the cage came off, the cork popped, the bubbly exploded. The fans got showered. And Wiseman got out of his comfort zone.
“It was my first time ever doing something like that,” Wiseman told The Chronicle. “Being able to experience that was a great moment for me and my family, but