t see me as just a basketball player, they see me for who I am and the amount of time and effort I put into being a supporter of the movement.Drummond w

Standing 7-feet tall and weighing 280 pounds, Andre Drummond is one of the most physically imposing big men in the NBA.Put him in a gym with 400 Special Olympics athletes, and the Detroit Pistons All-Star center turns into a little kid again.Drummond, 23, was named as the newest Special Olympics ambassador on Thursday, and he celebrated his new role by hosting a pep rally and basketball clinic in Detroit.Its a feeling you dont forget. Its a genuine look and genuine excitement, Drummond said with a chuckle in a telephone interview. They dont see me as just a basketball player, they see me for who I am and the amount of time and effort I put into being a supporter of the movement.Drummond was first introduced to Special Olympics as a rookie when he attended an NBA Cares event. From that moment on, he was determined to be as involved as he could in promoting the cause and working with the athletes all over the world.Just seeing how much they love the game and the excitement they had just drew me to them, Drummond said. Year after year I continued to do it, and I tried to be more involved, and now its kind of like that next level being an international ambassador.Drummond joins other high-profile ambassadors such as Michael Phelps, Damian Lillard, Yao Ming and WNBA star Elena Delle Donne.Andre has experienced firsthand how sports can build fitness, confidence and skills among Special Olympics athletes and how playing unified and being unified can break down barriers and help build respect and inclusion in every neighboring school and community across the nation, Special Olympics CEO Mary Davis said.Unified programs work to pair students with and without intellectual disabilities for education and sports.As much as Drummond enjoys playing basketball with those he met on Thursday, he said the real experience comes in the conversations and interactions away from the court.Anybody can shoot and throw the ball around, he said. But when you get the time to really speak to them and hear their stories and see the kinds of personalities they have, its something you cant really describe. You have to be there for the moment. Adidas Jordan Oesterle Jersey .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. Adidas Nick Cousins Jersey . Pert has formerly spent time as an assistant coach with Cardiff City, Coventry City, and Bahrain mens national team. "Martyn is a highly-respected coach with experience at the top levels in England," said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson. http://www.cheapcoyotesjerseys.com/ . The Dutchmans tenure got off to a poor start when referee Guido Winkmann awarded a penalty within two minutes for Niklas Starks clumsy challenge on Alexandru Maxim. Adidas Mario Kempe Jersey . The native of Mont-Tremblant, Que., captured a World Cup downhill event Saturday, his second this year and fifth career victory on the circuit. Adidas Laurent Dauphin Jersey . "Were just throwing s--- at the wall hoping something sticks," said Tortorella about the possible line combinations for Fridays game against Columbus. The Canucks have lost five straight games and six of their last seven, leaving them in a logjam in the Pacific Division, currently sitting fifth - good for ninth in the Western Conference. WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court has rejected a long shot appeal from the Washington Redskins challenging a law that bars offensive trademarks. But the justices could still resolve the same issue in another case the court took up last week.The court on Monday turned away an unusual request to hear the teams case even before a federal appeals court has weighed in. The Redskins are appealing the governments decision to cancel its trademarks over concerns that the name disparagess American Indians.ddddddddddddn a separate case, the justices will decide whether the trademark law violates the First Amendment. That case involves The Slants, an Asian-American rock band that was denied a trademark on the ground that it disparages Asians.A federal appeals court sided with the band. The Redskins wanted both cases heard together. ' ' '