Joining our growing roster of international Sasha Vujacic fans is Yulie Llorenz from Mexicali, Mexico. The 20-year-old graphic design student tells us her favorite things about The Machine and how she bonds with her family over Sasha and the Lakers.

How long have you been a fan?

My father had been a huge Laker fan for a very long time, so I was practically born with Laker blood. I didn’t care much about basketball when I was a kid, though … It was when I was about 14 when I started watching the games with my father and my brother, and I became a Laker fan. As for Sasha, I became a fan specifically of him during last year’s playoffs.

What was it about Sasha that first caught your attention?

His passion for the game and three-point shots.

What are some of your favorite things about Sasha?

One of my favorite things about Sasha is that he puts his heart out on the court. He plays with such dedication, and doesn’t care what he has to do to help his team win. Also that he seems very lighthearted, outgoing and fun.

Do you have a favorite Sasha moment or game?

My favorite Sasha moment was definitely that game against Portland when Lamar Odom passed him the ball while he was on the bench. I laughed so hard, and continue to laugh when I see it online.

My favorite game was the third game against the Celtics at last year’s playoffs. I think Sasha did a great job overall in that game.

What is it like being a fan in Mexico?

People in México tend to follow soccer much more than they do basketball, so the NBA fan base is not as large as it is in the U.S. But since I live so close to the border with California, it isn’t that hard to find other Laker fans … at least where I live.

I watch the games on TV. Sometimes they broadcast them on Mexican cable, but most of the time I watch them on my brother’s TV that has Dish Network.

I went to a game at Staples Center this year in January against the Hornets. I’d gone to NBA games before, but I had never seen Sasha or the Lakers play live; even though they lost, it was a really cool experience.

It sounds like your family members are avid fans.

Game nights serve as family bonding for us, because basketball has been a huge part in my family’s life. My grandfather was part of one of Mexicali’s first basketball teams, my mother and my brother have played basketball all of their lives and my dad’s a huge basketball fan.

I wasn’t that much into sports growing up, and since I became a Laker fan I became MUCH closer to my brother and father. We even made my mom go with us when we went to the Staples Center, and I’ve never seen her more excited. It definitely is something that we share, the love for basketball … but most importantly for the Lakers.

My brother and like to watch the games together, and later talk about them over beers in our favorite bar. I showed him the Machine videos a while ago, and they are a constant topic of conversation between us. Our friends are constantly annoyed because they never know what we’re talking about when we laugh about the videos, but we don’t really care.

If you could say one thing to Sasha, what would it be?

That I am confident that they’ll win the Championship this year. And that I’m proud of his hard work … even though he’s been playing less minutes, he plays with all his focus and strength, always looking for what’s best for the team.