I Just Saw Evan Turner.

When my internship with the Philadelphia 76ers comes up in conversation, people tend to think it’s a little cooler than it actually is. People tend to think “basketball” and automatically assume the internship is all fun and games; it’s not.

To be honest, most of my work with the 76ers has been in front of a computer screen, at a cubicle, in a windowless office (also known as the basement). For the past few months I’ve seen semi- famous basketball players every time I intern, but in jpeg form. It’s true, even I was fooled by the idea of working here, thinking I would be attending free games, getting free Chickies and Pete’s french fries and maybe even getting all sorts of free merchandise (is a complimentary T-Shirt too much to ask for?).

Today, out of all the days I’ve spent staring at their pixilated faces, I finally saw the players in 3-D. We were sent to the court with a camcorder and a microphone with the mission to record a short interview with the 76er’s coach, Doug Collins. I’m not a huge basketball fan, but I will say that seeing the players whose photos I’ve been editing for three months was only slightly less exhilarating than when I saw Lady Gaga’s tour bus parked outside the Wachovia Center (I was outrageously excited).

Like an insect drawn to a light bulb, I got a little too close to the court and was quickly ushered outside (silly intern). Nevertheless, I got pretty close to those b-ballers. I may not have felt cool, but for a split second I kind of felt like my internship was cool. After all, it’s not every internship that gets you within ten feet of Evan Turner.