Interbasket

Yesterday, we mentioned a little about the Peja on a Stick phenomenon as we chatted about Peja Stojakovic’ss resurgence and his two great playoff performances against the Spurs.

Interbasket has decided to create a post dedicated to the Peja on a Stick spectacle because we love the wacky, out-of-the-box idea and we see that this “Stojakovic on a Stick” is one of the defining moments that everyone will remember from this year’s playoffs.

From my cursory research, Peja on a Stick first showed up in the Hornet’s first round series; their second playoff home game against the Dallas Mavericks on April 22nd, 2008. It was such a huge success that they decided to pass out thousands of Peja heads for the Hornet’s first playoff game against San Antonio on May 3rd, 2008.

Wait, so why Peja on a Stick?
Sometime during the game on April 22nd, a HUGE giant Peja head on a stick ran around the arena during that game. And after Stojakovic hit a three, THREE Peja on a Sticks ran around the arena. From what I can gather, Peja on a Stick was created by the New Orleans Hornets organization, we assume, as a way to get the crowd involved, and recognize the sharpshooter’s contributions during the game. The phenomenon has caught on like wildfire as fans are making their own Pejas paraphernalia at home.

So that gives you a little history behind Peja on a Stick. If you’re interested in making your own Peja on a Stick, or PejaSicle as it has also been referred to, check out the NBA’s official Peja Stojakovic profile photo enlarged here. I’ve already got one and it’s amazing how much immense joy it brings me. It’s scary really.

You might not be seeing any severed Peja heads for the next 5 days or so as the Hornets play game three and four in San Antonio.  They’ll return home to New Orleans and huge Stojakovic cardboard cutouts on next Tuesday, May 13th.  If the series even goes that far.

Sources: Interbasket’s Peja Stojakovic Head on a Stick Pic (Flickr), Peja Stojakovic Head Image for Stojakovic on a stick (Nba.com), Why is Peja Stojakovic’s head on a stick carried around the New Orleans Arena? (Yahoo Answers)