Basketball Boys

Back - Index - Submissions - - What is RSS? Date: Aug 17, 2099 Source: NBA Inside Stuff Submitted By: ReekaEE@aol.com The Pop Superstars Love This Game By Dan Markowitz As the hottest band in pop music, the Backstreet Boys are known for their sweet, sentimental songs and soaring harmonies. But the more than 3 million fans who have flocked to their concerts around the world, and the 28 million who have bought their albums, know little or nothing about the group's basketball prowess. Nick Carter, the blond dancing machine, and Brian Littrell, lead vocalist on many of the band's songs, are basketball junkies. Between performing and touring, they don't have much free time on their hands. But when they do, it is not uncommon for Carter and Littrell to hit the playground with ball in hand. That's exactly what happened when the two were on break in New York City last May during the filming of their Disney Channel special, The Backstreet Boys In Concert. They found one of the most competitive pickup hoop spots in Manhattan -- a playground on the corner of Houston and Sixth Avenues -- and played ball for hours. Carter, 19, is the youngest of the Boys, and along with Kevin Richardson, the tallest, at 6'1". Besides being a video game fanatic, he professes to love "shooting and dribbling." A native of Orlando, Fla., where the band is based, Carter is a big Orlando Magic fan. And until Shaquille O'Neal left the Magic in 1995, he was Shaq's biggest fan. When Teen magazine did a photo shoot with the Boys this year, Carter told the wardrobe stylist, "Remember, when you're dressing me, you're dressing Shaq." Carter's "dead-on dance moves invoke screams that defy decibel measurement," wrote Teen People. Those jukes and spins that cause mass hysteria during a Backstreet Boys concert also come in handy on the basketball court. Littrell, 24, is a Kentucky native (like his cousin Richardson), and thus a big University of Kentucky basketball fan. Known for his howling during concerts, Littrell also likes to hoot after a slick move on the court. In 1998 he underwent open-heart surgery to correct a birth defect. Just as the surgery couldn't put much of a crimp in the Boys' nonstop touring schedule, Littrell was playing basketball and golf, his two favorite leisure-time pursuits, in less than a month. "I love shooting hoops," Littrell says. Carter and Littrell have played against members of the other wildly popular teen band in Orlando, 'N Sync, and profess to have had no problem reigning over them on the court. As the Backstreet Boys' first hit song stated, "We've Got It Goin' On." Comment on this item. Recent Comments Submitted by: johnansaz http://imrdsoacha.gov.co/silvitra-120mg-qrms Comment on this item. Next Item: Heart Broken Fan Needs Advice Prev Item: Readers respond to "An Open Letter To The Backstreet Boys"