Dejuan Blair Representing Pittsburgh

written by Emily Mallon

 
Few can forget Dejuan Blair's dominating performance as a Pittsburgh Panther. I remember watching him and thinking I'm so happy this guys not only on my team, but he's also from Pittsburgh! There was something about him staying in the 'Burgh that resonated with me. It's no secret that the Schenley High School standout had the opportunity to go to several other top tier programs, but he chose to stay in Pittsburgh. It may not seem like a big deal, but there are plenty of Pittsburgh athletes who are highly recruited and choose to leave the city (Terrelle Pryor immediately comes to mind).

There are two specific images that always pop into my head when I think about Blair's time at Pitt. The first came when Pitt faced number 1 UConn. He flipped Hasheem Thabeet over his shoulder in what looked like a wrestling move! Many writers had pegged Thabeet the better of the two and UConn the best team in the Big East up until that point. Blair wasn't having it, and proved he was the real deal that evening.

The second image that stands out in my mind is Blair at the 2008 Super Bowl parade. He was sitting in the back of a truck, waving his terrible towel, acting like the biggest Steelers fan around. He may have been a hot NBA prospect, and playing for a top 5 team, but at that moment he was a proud Pittsburgher celebrating the Super Bowl win like everyone else.

Blair is now a starter on the title contending San Antonio Spurs. He's playing well, but what impresses me more is the man he seems to be off the court.  If you're one of Blair's 23,158 twitter followers, you'll find a mix of inspirational tweets, invites for Spurs fans to go bowling, and Steeler Nation mentions. During the Steelers playoff game vs the New York Jets, he must have tweeted at least 20 times.

Blair was recently named to the NBA All Star Sophomore team with the likes of Tyreke Evans, Stephen Curry, and Brandon Jennings. He's exceding far beyond others expectations in the NBA. Pitt fans aren't surprised in the least.

So far, Blair has been an excellent ambassador for Pittsburgh. I hope the usual pitfalls of life in the NBA don't get a hold of him and he can continue to make us proud.

Fingers crossed we get to see Dejuan at another Super Bowl parade this year! Let's Go Steelers!

*If you'd like to follow Dejuan Blair on twitter his name is: DeJuan45...Tell him emilykm sent you. "

written by Emily Mallon