22 year old Nina Parpana, a graduate of University of California, Irvine, majored in Film and Media Studies as well as Sociology. She is an avid Laker and Sasha fan. According to her, she has been a fan since birth. But what was it that caught her attention about Sasha? Or how has Sasha influenced her life maybe? Well, I took the time to get to know her to find out.

How long have you been a Laker fan? A Sasha fan?

I was born into a family of die-hard Laker fans. I was too young to remember my first game but I was about two or three and it was at the Great Western Forum. I’d been cheering them on my whole life, but really became as die-hard as my family during the Shaq-Kobe 3-peat era.

As far as being a Sasha fan specifically, I can remember being a casual fan as far back as the draft. I really started getting into basketball the year before and my brother was watching the draft. I saw the Lakers’ first pick so I decided to do some Internet sleuthing and didn’t find too much beyond pictures. Once the season started, however, and he had my full attention. I can proudly say that I’ve been rockin’ his jersey since my senior year of high school, his rookie year. I just graduated college, so you do the math!

What was it about Sasha that first caught your attention?

Honestly, at first, he was just the Lakers’ really good-looking first draft pick. Once the season started and I started paying attention to the games again after the summer, I just remember him being the skinny, over-eager kid that looked like every minute he was in the game was the greatest thing to ever happen. I found his eagerness and obvious passion endearing, and that’s what really got me into being his fan. I also met him at a signing his rookie year, and realizing that he really was as endearing in person as he seemed in the games got me hooked for life.

What are some of your favorite things about Sasha?

Like I mentioned earlier, his obvious passion for the game. He’s one of those guys that knows he can always do better, and even when he’s having an off-game, you know he’s itching for another chance. He lives and breathes the sport, on the court, on the bench, and outside of games. That’s the kind of passion you can’t find in other players, who are really just playing for the dollar or the fame. Besides his passion, he’s really an upstanding guy who’s using his celebrity to bring good to other people. He’s also very genuine and gracious to everyone he meets; I’ve never once heard about a fan having a negative encounter when meeting him.

Do you have a favorite Sasha moment or game?

I’m definitely a fan of the “Slamma Jamma Bing Bong,” AKA the dunk against the Sacramento Kings. Second runner-up is Game 3 against the Celtics last Finals, but nothing shocked or amazed me more than that dunk (or maybe his teammates’ reactions to the dunk, either or). I also have a soft spot in my heart for that video of him hula-hooping with the elementary school kids.

How has Sasha influenced you?

As cheesy and cliche as it sounds, he is the embodiment of what can happen when you let nothing shake your faith in yourself. He worked hard and played harder to get to the level that he’s at today, and I have nothing but the most deep-seated admiration for him. I have goals for myself that I hope to achieve one day, and I look to him as a source of inspiration when I feel like the chips are down for myself.

On a more micro level, I also credit him with getting me more into basketball and having something more in common with my whole family. Through being a fan of Sasha, I became not just a fan of the game but a student as well. I graduated this year with two Bachelors of Arts degrees in FIlm and Media Studies and Sociology, and I’m seriously considering a career in sports journalism because of my newfound interest in the sport. I never would have found myself to be into basketball had it not been for Sasha.

Anything else about your fandom that you’d like to share?

I’m one of those fans that’s very superstitious. I followed the ban on green, but I also made myself wear purple or yellow each game day, all the way through the Finals and the big win. During big games, I rock my Vujacic jersey. I always try to get people together to eat and watch games together; nothing makes a basketball game more enjoyable than having good food and good company. In my various circles of friends, I’m known as “the Sasha girl,” and nothing comes in between me and my Lakers!

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

First of all, congratulations on your first ring! Secondly, you are an amazing person, let no one tell you different. I’m proud to call myself a “Vujachick” because of everything you stand for, and I sincerely hope that you continue to shine in all the ways you have been. Don’t ever change; stay the same sweet, kindhearted, and humble person you are. And let’s win a few more championships!