EVANSTON— It’s not every day that you get to play basketball with a former NBA player, who used to be number one for 3-pointers, and who played against the great Michael Jordan — especially not in Wyoming.

From 1993 to 2006, the NBA (National Basketball Association) had history-making player, Bryon Russell. 

Kids of all ages had the opportunity to play with Russell for the Junior Jazz Clinic that was held at the Rec Center on Friday night. Evanston was one of Russell’s many stops. 

Russell played for an assortment of teams, such as the Washington Wizards, the Denver Nuggets, and the Los Angeles Lakers. However, he said his favorite team he’s played for is the Utah Jazz. 

Being a key contributor for the Jazz, Russell was a part of the team when they went to the NBA Finals in 1997 and 1998. 

Fans remember the 1998 season as the year the Chicago Bulls and the Utah Jazz went head to head during Game 6 of the Finals. During the question and answer with Russell and the kids, this topic was brought up a lot. 

There was 5.2 seconds left in Game six, when Michael Jordan hit a jump shot, while being guarded by Russell, making the final score 87-86. This game lead the Bulls’ to their sixth NBA Championship of the 1990’s. However, there were fans who believed that Jordan pushed off of Russell without a foul being called. 

Even though the kids weren’t even born during the time of this historical game, it was still their biggest interest with Russell. 

When being questioned about that last shot in Game 6, Russell said, “That shot was going in no matter what.” 

Russell answered a few questions for the kids, ran drills with them, played a scrimmage, signed autographs, and took pictures.