Los Angeles, CA--Blake Griffin of the Clippers clinched the NBA Slam Dunk contest last night with an amazing leap over a shiny, new car and a pass from a teammate popping up from the vehicle's sunroof.The stunt would have been impossible if it wasn't for Jim Gallagher of Santa Monica, CA and his ... shiny, new automobile, a gray 2011 Kia Optima.
"When I first saw the car roll out onto the court for the dunk I was proud that I had just purchased the same car. Then when the public address announcer called my license plate number I didn't know what to do," said Gallagher, who was seated in the second level, where he pointed his keyless entry remote at the automobile and opened the trunk, confirming it was his car.
An eight-car accident on the Santa Ana Freeway prevented the red Kia Optima, being donated from Buena Park Kia in exchange for the free advertising, from being delivered on time for the contest. The NBA needed a Kia and began to search outside the arena for the exact model.
"We signed a deal with Kia and so we had to use a Kia car for the dunk contest," said NBA commissioner David Stern. "I gave the go ahead for the prop crew to search the Staples Center parking lots and garages for a new Kia Optima. It was our only choice. We attempted to get in contact with Mr Gallagher, after running the plates with the LAPD, but cell phone service inside the stadium is less than stellar. The car was returned to Mr Gallagher as we found it. We didn't steal it, we simply borrowed it until the red Kia arrived at the Center."
Gallagher was excited that his car was in the national spotlight for a short time but insulted that the league gave him Clippers tickets for the remainder of this season and next season and now plans to take legal action against the NBA.
"Clippers tickets? Really? I'm suing the crap out of the NBA. They stole my car. I'm gonna sue them as if they took my seat away at the Super Bowl at the last minute."
No comments:
Post a Comment