[Underdog]

This is a great read... The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in the Nelson family!


From drinking snake’s blood to winning Olympic gold in China, Tony Ronzone’s journey through basketball has taken one incredible turn after another
https://www.mavs.com/from-drinking-s...after-another/

Once Nelson and Ronzone arrived in China, they spent some time getting to know some of the Chinese leaders on the scene. One night, as they were all out for dinner, it was time to test the loyalty and trust of Nelson and Ronzone. One of their traditions involved bringing in a bag of snakes.

“In the bag, there were four or five snakes and they asked Donnie to pick a snake out,” Ronzone recalled. “Of course, Donnie picks the biggest one. It was a king cobra.”

They took the snake that Nelson chose and took it to the back to chop it up. Ronzone said they had no clue what to expect. The snake was served as a meal next and, to Ronzone’s delight, it tasted quite well. But then the meeting took a quick turn.

They brought out a liquid, red with a little green mixed in. It was the snake’s blood, and it was Nelson’s to drink. If you wanted to be a trusted member of the group, you had to drink the snake’s blood.

“Of course, Donnie decides to pass it down to me,” Ronzone remembered. “I took the blood in honor of Donnie and the Dallas Mavericks to help promote our relationship in the country of China.”