It was about 1:30pm and I was at my desk in my Alexandria store when I received a call from the Darlinghurst store manager advising me that Justin Bieber was in store shopping our range. I jumped in my car and raced down to Darlinghurst in the hope to meet the superstar himself but when I arrived I had missed him and the crew by 2 mins. Justin’s security was still there paying for his Warriors head to toe getup and it was great to chat to him briefly of their Australian experiences. The bad weather made me think of the time we had Jamie Foxx come through our local gym a couple years ago behind closed doors so he could shoot some hoops, so I invited their crew to join me for a game back at Alexandria Basketball Stadium (home of the Sydney Comets and where our other store is located).

Within 15 mins we had the gym shut down and I was back in Alexandria, personally standing on the street welcoming their black on black SUVs on arrival. JB and the fellas entered the gym from the side and were drawn immediately into our store before even noticing the adjoining indoor courts.

After a few hookups with accessories for the entire crew Justin and the boys were out on the courts but there was one problem - they were one short for a pickup game of 3 on 3. Justin looked at me and goes “ay you ball? We need a sixth player and you’re on my team”. The next hour was likely the most surreal experience ever… All I can say is the kid can play (but I made sure I splashed a few 3’s too to show him what I had (Coach Mellett and Comets favourite son Blake Borgia watched on along with my friends and Throwback staff). I think the private environment was much appreciated by them as JB really seemed to relax and we saw a side of him where he could enjoy himself without any pressure from the media or fans. Justin asked for a team photo so we took this once we finished.

Big thank you to Sydney Comets for allowing us the court to ourselves and greater thanks for not just Justin but his crew for making it a game. I am personally so humbled by the experience and hope I can hook up another game with the crew one day soon.

Mike.

Get Biebers Steph Curry Swingman Jersey and Stance On Court Arena Socks here at Throwback.