The stretch of an NBA player’s reach goes far beyond their measurable wing span. From the internet to television, player’s lives are dissected and analyzed twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Savvy players create charitable foundations, Facebook fan pages and blogs to market themselves and keep the fans “close”.
While the Sacramento Kings Omri Casspi is not your “average” American-born basketball player, it is clear that Omri’s impact goes far and beyond what any might have originally expected.
This past December marked the launch of www.casspi18.com, an interactive website that connects fans directly to Number 18, giving them the chance to write him questions, follow in-depth Omri’s success on the court and even brush up on some Omri Casspi history. The site features both a Hebrew and English option to cater to both American and Israeli fans, and even boasts an official Omri Casspi newsletter that sends fans updates on Omri’s game statistics and future meet and greets with the new found Israeli “King”.
Omri takes great pride in the website, personally answering each e-mail that he receives and dictating the look and feel of the site.
“I am very proud of the site” Omri said, “It really gives the fans an opportunity to ask me questions and learn more about the Kings. “
One of the most interesting tidbits about the new Omri Casspi site is the attention that it has received across the nation. From China to Sacramento and everywhere in-between, fans have logged on and sent their support to Omri by way of Casspi18.com.
It is no surprise that the country of Israel has supplied the site with the most amount of site hits; yet what is surprising is the site has also made its mark in other countries around the world. Neighboring Middle-Eastern countries such as Lebanon and Iraq, India, and Australia all have made the trip to Casspi18.com to learn more about Omri, demonstrating, once again, the international impact that Omri Casspi has made in a relatively small amount of time.
While site hits from neighboring Middle-Eastern countries does not equal peace in a troubled war zone, Casspi18.com is only one display of the impact that Omri has been able to create across the globe.
Recently, the Israel Ministry of Tourisim began to offer Israeli’s the “Omri Casspi Flight Package”. This one-of-a-kind package includes a round trip flight from Israel to Sacramento (with connections in Los Angeles) and provides travelers a ticket to see the Sacramento Kings and Omri play at Arco Arena. Omri’s presence is Sacramento alone has helped international tourisim rise in the Capitol City of California.
On Monday, November 23, 2009 the Sacramento Kings squared off against the Memphis Grizzles in Memphis, Tennessee. Thousands of miles and at least a sixteen-hour plane ride away from the Middle Eastern conflict, history was once again made as the first and only Iranian NBA player, Hamed Haddadi, and Omri took center court, before the game, to shake hands and take historical pictures. Casspi and Haddadi exchanged pleasantries and wished each other luck, snapped a few pictures and then continued on to their normal pre-game rituals. While their meeting only lasted a few moments, its impact proved to be far more significant.
The NBA posted the historic pictures on NBA. com and on its Facebook account for the world to see and comment on. With-in hours, hundreds of comments were posted and the pictures were viewed across the globe. While there were posts of both encouragement and ridicule, the amazing thing was to see how many people and from how many far-away places the pictures had reached. Again, a center court picture between two professional athletes will never solve the eternal struggles in the Middle-East, but to see how many people the picture affected, near and far, was truly profound.
So as we continue to cheer Omri on throughout his successful and amazing first year as a professional athlete, remember the buzz that Omri has created, remember that eyes from across the globe are fixated on his every move, and remember the impact that Omri Casspi has managed to create stretches far beyond the walls of Sacramento and Arco Arena.