On Meeting Whitney Houston, by Mover and Shaker Kym Hampton
I won't say I knew Whitney Houston but I feel blessed to have had the chance to meet her. My teammates (from the New York Liberty) and I, were all invited to her 33rd birthday party and boy were we excited! The WNBA started that year so we were new celebs ourselves, being invited to several VIP events.
I knew the moment Whitney arrived. The expressions of the people working for her immediately became serious and you saw security clearly setting the boundaries. Thank goodness we got to luxuriate in the VIP section along with Penny Marshall, Lil Kim, and others. Once Whitney finished her necessary greetings, she came over to meet us (thanks to Robyn Crawford) her long time friend (who plays basketball too). Whitney genuinely engaged us and was funny, witty, and ready to celebrate!
Now, that we'd had a taste of the celebrity world, we understood what was/wasn't cool. We didn't try to monopolize her time or make any request...we just acted like she was a normal girl celebrating her birthday and she appreciated that!
-Kym Hampton
PS. A photographer spotted us talking and ask us to pose for a photo...talk about the right place at the right time.
Kym as a Mover and Shaker: