Sasha Vujacic’s ever-changing pro athlete lifestyle continues to bring forth a multitude of colorful and exciting experiences for him to retain and enjoy. One can clearly observe this by keeping up with his latest venture on the Anadolu Efes team in Istanbul, Turkey for the 2011-2012 season. His continuously evolving lifestyle comes along with some constants, however, and one thing that remains the same for Sasha is that his fierce dedication as a player and true competitor seems to leave lasting impressions on his fans wherever he goes. Steve Ozawa illustrates his impressions as a fan through pictorial – style commentary on his own blog, lakers – EDGE.com. With Steve’s keen and image – evoking observations, a reader can actually recall and visualize the time and moment in which he describes in each of his articles. We were able to interview Steve and here are some of his vivid thoughts on Sasha since he started his NBA career up until present time.

Where do you live and where did you grow up?

I currently reside in Torrance, CA. It’s literally 5-minutes from the beach and the weather here is gorgeous. I grew up in Monterey Park (located in the sweltering San Gabriel Valley) and after graduating from Schurr High School I enrolled at CSULB where I found the climate more suitable to my tastes. I quickly realized that I was destined to live near the beach. I had year-round fishing (my other passion) and recreation at my fingertips plus Torrance was still easily accessible to every major destination within the greater Los Angeles area, including both the Fabulous Forum and Staples Center.

You’ve been a Lakers fan since the Jerry West and Wilt Chamberlain days and started your own Lakers blog called lakers – EDGE.com, would you please tell us about it?

Although my memories about the Lakers of the 70s are somewhat clouded, I vividly recall attending many Lakers games sitting in the front row situated right along the baseline. My uncle would get use of his company’s season tickets and he would frequently invite me out to a game. Being that close to the action and watching in awe as these giants strode around on the court was truly eye opening. It wasn’t until much, much later when I began to really understand the game in earnest did I realize what a truly memorable experience I had.

Lakers-EDGE (lakers-EDGE.com and @lakersEDGE) sprang to life one day as I became increasingly frustrated with the Lakers up-and-down play. I mean, I had grown up through the Showtime era, experiencing first hand the joy and tribulations of winning in dominant fashion. The Shaq-Kobe years was Hollywood drama tenfold yet we still managed to win, and the latest incarnation of the 2008-09 Lakers were characterized as a bunch of wimps and underachievers. Something had to change if the Lakers were ever going to reclaim their position at the top of the league.

I had called upon the ghosts of Lakers past to help this team find its championship identity. To help them forge forward and get over the proverbial hump since their lopsided loss to Boston in the NBA Finals the previous season. It was the first meeting of the new season against the Celtics since that fateful day and like many Lakers fans, I had my doubts. I had posted, “I hope the Lakers are ready come game time, not with false bravado and a sense of entitlement, but one of grit and determination. How they play tonight will greatly reflect if anything was gained from last season’s loss. One night can make or break this team, and in this case I silently hope for a loss to reinforce the lessons that need to be learned in order to become a champion.”

To my great surprise, the Lakers came out as the intimidators, not the intimidated and ended up beating the Celtics 110-109 in OT. Lamar Odom had a breakout game scoring 18 of his 20-points in the second half after a heated exchange with Kevin Garnett and the rest is history… Both Jordan Farmar and Sasha contributed during key moments in the game and the Bench Mob was born.

As a die-hard Lakers fan with his own blog, you must have watched Sasha since the beginning of his NBA career. How do you feel Sasha has grown as a player since them?

Pulling and cheering for guys like Sasha is easy. Hearing about and reading who practiced the hardest, who put in the most time and who was truly dedicated to his craft, Sasha’s name was constantly at the top. I knew he would not fail because of his work ethic. When Sasha was first drafted by the Lakers, he must have weighed a whopping 160 lbs soaking wet! As the years went by, you could see the work that he put in the weight room starting to pay off and along with his newfound confidence, his overall play improved as a result.
I’m sure it didn’t hurt to have Kobe Bryant pushing you along the way as added incentive. Stu Lantz would constantly mention that the toughest practice player was always Sasha, if only he could translate that same spirited play onto the court at game time. As his minutes increased, Sasha finally came into his own. As further proof, his tenure with the New Jersey Nets showed that Sasha was still capable given adequate playing time.

I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll say it again. Part of the Lakers demise this past season was due to the absence of key bench players, knowledgeable of the intricacies of Phil Jackson’s Triangle offense. Sasha would have been a valuable asset to have during the playoffs in the Lakers quest for their second 3-peat.

You’ve watched and analyzed many basketball players, what distinct qualities do you see in Sasha as a professional basketball player?

What has always amazed me about players such as Sasha and Kobe, is that whenever they shoot the ball, I think it’s going into the basket. Their form, technique and balance is always so consistent and exact, the ball rotating beautifully off of their fingertips, arching its way towards the goal. Pure shooters like Sasha are a joy to watch. In a league full of highlight reel dunks, it’s refreshing to see that the artistry of shooting the ball has not been lost.

In keeping up with Sasha on his new team Anadolu Efes in the Euroleague, how do you feel the lockout situation and the growth of the Euroleague and its players will affect the professional basketball world internationally?

The NBA has always been at the forefront of professional basketball. Because of the current lockout situation, a good majority of fans were not even aware of the many available opportunities to play overseas. Gone was the notion that only players who couldn’t make an NBA squad were relegated to play elsewhere. Superstars were being courted by foreign teams pushing the NBA on an accelerated, albeit unintentional presence in the international market.

Former Nets teammate Deron Williams, JR Smith and numerous others, along with Sasha has led the brigade of players opting to play overseas rather than dwell on the current labor lock-out. Bringing NBA talent to the Euroleague as well as other internationally flavored leagues will only improve the play around the globe. A true World Championship, inclusive of the NBA may be on the horizon in the not-to-distant future.

In watching Sasha with his experience in two NBA championship seasons, how do you feel he can help and guide his team and up and coming players in Europe?

Steve's advice for reading his blog: Sit back, read, relax, and remember, “no harm, no foul.”

Sasha can instill the dedication and work ethic needed to those who want to succeed at the highest level, to remain mentally and physically prepared for when your number is called and furthermore, to understand and embrace one’s role on a team, whether it’s within the locker room walls or out on the court, it’s important to work towards a single, united goal.

Sasha was the epitome of preparation, repetition and execution. Whether it was making sure he sufficiently pushed Kobe Bryant in practice or knocking down an important shot straight off the bench, Sasha understood the importance of both and how it directly related to the success of the team.

You grew up playing basketball and still play once in a while. If you could ask Sasha to help you with something in your game, what would you ask him to help you with?

I think at this point in my playing career, the only thing that Sasha could help me with is if he knows where the Fountain of Youth is located.

If you had the opportunity to say something to Sasha, what would you want to tell him?

Thank you. I’ve been a Lakers fan my entire life. Even though LA has had our share of mega-superstars over the years, I’ve always had an affinity for the bench guys. Perhaps it’s through my own struggles as a player that I can empathize with what a bench player goes through. The passion is the same if not greater, the burning desire to make an impact if only given the chance, and the sacrifice and dedication it takes to make oneself better does not go unnoticed.

Casual fans are bandwagon fans. They look at the box scores and little else. I appreciate the secondary screen that allows a teammate to get free for an open look. I appreciate the weakside help so that our bigs can recover in time and better position themselves for the defensive rebound. And I appreciate the excitement that you exhibited when your teammates performed well. Being a good teammate is a difficult task in itself, especially when you yourself want to be out on the court, and I can only imagine how much more difficult it is at the professional level.

You’ve always portrayed yourself in a classy and professional manner. You’ve never embarrassed yourself, the organization, or its fans. I appreciate everything that you’ve done, not just from a basketball standpoint, but also from your charitable contributions to bringing awareness to those afflicted and less fortunate. Thank you for making me proud to be a Lakers fan and hurry back home to the South Bay… you can’t let Kevin Love garner all of the beach volleyball love for himself.