Jed Soriano, a 25-year-old construction worker from La Puente, California, has been a Sasha fan for 3-4 years after taking notice of his surprise three-point jump shots. Jed is one of my newest friends and he caught my attention when I saw him wearing a Sasha shirt from the 2008 NBA Finals one day. I was delightfully surprised that Sasha was his favorite Laker, so I asked him more about his Sasha fandom. Some interesting facts about his Sasha fandom are that he likes to use Sasha when he plays NBA video games and wishes to get the well-coveted Sasha jersey to call his own.

How long have you been a fan?

I have been a Sasha fan since around 3-4 years ago. I started noticing his skills during his brief moments in the court due to his surprise three-point jump shots.

What was it about Sasha that first caught your attention?

Sasha is known as “The Machine” for a reason. From time to time, the Lakers are faced with a complicated situation. Phil Jackson would decide to put Sasha in. Sasha would start busting threes back-to-back and turn the game around. The quarter would end and next thing you know, Sasha is back on the bench.

What are some of your favorite things about Sasha?

First of all, I really don’t have a specific favorite thing about Sasha since I have so many. I would grow my hair like Sasha every once in a while and wear the headband. Then I would play ball with my brother and I would own him with my Sasha skills. Just like Sasha, I’m not much of a ball handler; I am more like a long-range shooter. But if I really have to say one thing, I guess it would have to be his jump shots.

Do you have a favorite Sasha moment or game?

I think it was that one game with the Celtics when Sasha kept making threes. The Lakers would just pass him the ball and he doesn’t even have to think about it, he just shoots and makes the shot. Making threes back-to-back like a machine.

If you could say one thing to Sasha, what would it be?

Sasha, I know you don’t get to play much. But keep your game on. Keep making your long-range shots. You have more fans than you know. There’s nothing that gets me more excited while watching a Laker game when you get on the court.

Anything else about your fandom that you would like to share?

I find it interesting that whenever I play NBA games with someone on the Playstation, they go all crazy over using Kobe Bryant. I’m the only person that keeps using Sasha all game long. I customize my starting line-ups so that Sasha would be there. Then I turn off auto-substitute so that he doesn’t get subbed automatically. I would just pass the ball to Sasha and own everybody until his stamina runs out. I have only converted one person into a Sasha fan and that’s my best friend Jett.