As a “sophisticated” musician, you would never guess that Anji Bee was a huge Sasha and Lakers fan. As one-half of the band Lovespirals and host of The Chillcast podcast, Anji frequently talks about the Lakers and Sasha in her blog, Chillcast, and vidcast. However, her admiration for Sasha does not stop there. Through her interest in Sasha and the Lakers, she also made new friends. She also had the honor of meeting Sasha at a John Mayer concert. Since Anji is a devoted Sasha and Lakers fan, it was only appropriate that she deserved a spot in the Fan Spotlight.

1. How long have you been a fan?

I’ve been following the Lakers pretty closely since 1999. Sasha’s been my favorite Laker for the past 3 or 4 seasons, I’d say.

2. What was it about Sasha that first caught your attention?

I liked how he seemed interested and present at every game, no matter how long he had to ride the pine. And when Sasha came in, he always gave it his all, even during garbage time. You gotta pull for a guy like that! His defense is some of the most enjoyable to watch of any player I’ve seen in the NBA, and the way he gets into his opponent’s heads – even some of the most high profile players – is pretty awesome. All of that was great to watch even before he came into the big shooting streak that caught the rest of the world’s attention.

3. What are some of your favorite things about Sasha?

I love Sasha’s team spirit, his energy on the court, his dedication to the Lakers organization, his honesty and openness with the media, his friendliness with the fans, his willingness to take criticism, his work ethic, his embrace of the South Bay, and of course his dazzling good looks and personality!

4. Do you have a favorite Sasha moment or game?

Well, my personal favorite Sasha moment was running into him at the Nokia Theatre for a John Mayer concert. It was a thrill to speak to him alone for a few moments and find out that he is genuinely a nice guy. He had just flown in that morning from a tough game, he’d hurt his ankle, and was generally feeling a little down. It felt good to tell him he was my favorite player, encourage him, and wish him luck on the next day’s game in person. I can only hope it helped cheer him up a little bit!

Aside from that, I have to admit that watching him dunk this season was a real kick. I’d gotten so used to thinking of him as a three-point shooter that it was a shock. Watching those slamma-jamma-bing-bong moments in the highlight reels cracks me up every time.

5. You are a singer/musician and talk about Sasha and the Lakers on your podcasts, vidcasts, and blogs. How do you incorporate Sasha and Lakers talk into these?

You know, it’s funny because my fans apparently find it odd that a “sophisticated” singer and DJ would be “into sports.” I started out by working in little references to games at the end of my podcast, mentioning that a game was coming on TV or whatever. But this year I really ramped it up and basically came out of the closet as a big fangirl. When I met Sasha, I gushed about him on my vidcast, and after getting really good seats at Staples, I posted photos and wrote a blog about my experience. When I was featured on Sasha’s site and the Lakers’ site, I posted news entries and bragged about it on Twitter and Facebook. Most recently, I dedicated an entire one hour episode of The Chillcast to the Lakers and Sasha in celebration of winning the championship. Sometimes I feel like a big dork, but hey, it’s fun to show support for the team I love! Why be serious all the time?

6. You also have a Ning group for Sasha. Can you tell me more about your Ning group?

I started the Ning group for Sasha fans after meeting a few ladies that were hanging out on the Sports Talk site. I saw the need for a well organized community where his fans could easily communicate with one another and share photos, videos, and news stories. This was before Sasha had an official site, so options were really limited at that time. Being as heavily into the social media scene as I am, I figured I was the fan best suited to get the ball rolling for the Vujachicks. When I set up the Ning forum, I thought I’d basically just show them how to use it and turn it over to them, but I ended up getting drawn into the community myself and being one of the biggest contributors. I never even used to do Google searches on Sasha but now I’m always looking for new content.

7. You have also formed friendships through a common love for Sasha and the Lakers. Describe what it was like meeting your new friends and how your common interest in Sasha and the Lakers bonded you together.

None of my friends are into basketball, so I literally had nobody to talk to about the games and players until I created the forum. It was awesome to start chatting with other fans during games, to help shake off some of the nerves and celebrate the wins. Turns out I’m not the only lady who has no other lady friends that are into basketball! Finally meeting up in person for Game 4 was so much fun, and it was so surreal to be in the same room together, rather than meeting online to chat. I’m sure we’ll get together for a game at Staples next season. They’re already talking about maybe meeting up in Vegas for a Summer League game!

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

Don’t listen to the haters out there! We all know what a great shooter and defender you are and trust that you will find your rhythm again. Just try to relax and let the game come to you. And whatever you do, stay healthy this summer – don’t push yourself too hard with EuroBasket.