Part of enjoying the game of basketball and supporting your favorite team includes the opportunity to meet some unique and passionate fans that also share your own vision. The trouble lies when you support a basketball team that has been the joke in not just its own league but of all sports (not just basketball). It takes more than just a casual fan to stick by a losing team year after year and believe in the players despite what the critics may say.

After being a diehard fan of the Clippers for over two decades, I can finally say with high esteem and excitement that I've gotten to know someone in this world who loves this team and its players just as much as I do. It's with great honor and pleasure that I introduce Anton Toncheff, a 21-year old college student all the way from Bulgaria, Europe. Anton approached me via e-mail several months ago regarding using some of my Clippers photos for his wallpapers, banners, and other Clippers-related artwork that he designs, some of which have been up on Clippers.com. I've followed Anton's love for the Clippers and a particular player on the team on various message boards and can proudly tell you how lucky I am to know such a devoted fan.

Over the past two weeks, I had the chance to interview Anton and ask him a few questions related to who he is, what he does, and everything related to the Clippers. Please let me share his responses with you. As always, I sincerely thank each and every one of you for taking the time to not only check out my photos, but also read what I have to say. I hope you enjoy this interview!

Henry Chen Photography: What's the NBA culture like where you live? Are other sports more popular than basketball?

Anton: Most people here don't even care about local basketball at all, not to mention the NBA. So it's immensely difficult to follow a team not that famous. 95% of the people don't even know who Kevin Garnett is, not to mention Corey Maggette or Elton Brand! Yet a true fan doesn't go with the current trend and always remain a rebel and support teams nobody's heard of or nobody cares about.

HCP: How did you hear about the Los Angeles Clippers all the way from Bulgaria?

Anton: Well, I've always loved the city of Los Angeles (and "Baywatch Nights" happens to be my all-time favorite TV series). So when I fell in mad love with NBA basketball, LA's teams just stood out. But that doesn't mean I got equal love for both LA teams. The Clippers mean so much more (than any other team) to me. I love underdogs and I always will. Supporting the Clippers is something special indeed. It's a whole new attitude towards life.

HCP: How long have you been a die-hard Clippers fan and what got you into supporting them?

Anton: I've been a die-hard Clippers fan since the 1998-1999 NBA season. Clippers' curse because their history is full of defeats.

HCP: Who is your favorite Clipper player and why? If you had a chance to meet him, what would you say (to him)?

Anton: My favorite Clippers player is Corey Maggette. He's also my all-time favorite athlete AND my role model. Corey's been leading by example for years. When young guys see Corey work hard, they push themselves to work hard too. Great players inspire teammates by what they do.

The first to arrive, the last to leave - that's Maggette!

HCP: Please let the readers of HCP know just how much of a Corey Maggette fan you are by telling us some of the things you've done to show support for him.

Anton: What I've done to support Corey? I don't know where to start. I don't just try to cast as many votes as I can (every year). I multiplied what I call the "How to Vote Clippers" guide, made 1000s of copies in various languages (for my Korean teachers, African friends, and others):

HCP: You visit many forums, including ones about the Clippers. How would you describe your experience engaging with other individuals that are all over the world?

Anton: Yes, I've been on many other boards, and I've seen a ton of Clippers fans, but they usually support Brand more than anyone else including Maggette. No offense, EB's a great athlete but that doesn’t justify how others devaluate Corey's efforts. Frankly, many people attacked me for supporting Corey Maggette. There were some really brutal comments indeed. But that only fuels my fire and makes me appreciate true fans when I meet them. I'm talking about faithful supporters like The Honorary Fan himself! (Note: The Honorary Fan is Henry’s handle in many of the forums.)

HCP: Some of your artwork have been up on Clippers.com. Could you please share them here and explain what each one means to you?

Anton: Of course, it would be a pleasure:

I actually drew that back in 2004 but then I lost it. I found it this summer and finally colored it. It's my 1st Corey Maggette drawing. This year, I decided to make an artwork that would picture my dream: Corey Maggette in a West All-Star jersey:

I did it to make other people visualize this dream, to make them see how Corey would look in an All-Star jersey. I've been voting and trying to recruit voters for so many years that I don't know what else I can do to make some LAC fans realize that Corey's competition is huge. He could sure use some help. So please vote daily because your vote can make a difference. Your vote can make a dream come true.

HCP: Tell me a little bit more about yourself. What are you studying, and what kind of plans do you have for your career? Besides being a Clippers fan and supporting them, what are your other interests and hobbies?

Anton: I am a Korean Studies sophomore student (Sofia University). But my career plans would not necessarily involve Korean. I adore Polynesian art, and I really love all aspects of African/Afro-Caribbean culture. So I'll try to add these to the mix! Besides being a Clippers fan, I'm also an avid Cobi Jones fan.

My other interests include African and Oceanian languages, music, and culture. I would've been studying Zulu or Swahili if either was available here. My hobbies are drawing, playing basketball, listening to reggae, and watching flicks (love "Rush Hour"). By the way, you can check out some of my all-time favorites here on my website.

HCP: Ever considered coming to the United States to actually attend a Clippers game and maybe even meet some of your favorite players?

Anton: Yes, as the matter of fact I've been dreaming about it. I'd love to visit L.A. and I may do so in the Summer of 2008. For now, my only chances are a summer job or a student transfer. But nobody would like to go to Bulgaria so the latter is not an option. Friends who've worked there tell me I'll have a really hard time working in California (at least 2 jobs). Living there is pretty expensive but it's not so bad if you're visiting. So if I visit for a summer, I'll have a hard time unless I have a good job or a place to stay at.


HCP: Any words of wisdom for the team before we kick off the season in a few days? How about to other Clippers fans that might be reading this?

Anton: I'd like to finish with a quote:
"I don't believe we'll have a problem with scoring. We have guys that can score. We need to bring it on both sides of the court. As a team, when we are not shooting the ball well, we have to stay focused on defense to stay in ballgames. That's not the easiest thing to do, playing 82 games of defense." Elgin Baylor (general manager of the Clippers)

I would also like to ask all Clippers fans to chip in when it matters the most: during All-Star Balloting. We had no All-Star representation last year. Let's make sure that won't happen again come February 2008. Clipper Nation unit and vote daily!

There you have it! Anton is actually sending me over several gifts, including a custom-made Corey Maggette All-Star t-shirt, in the mail this week! I can't wait to wear it at Staples to represent his hard work and dedication to Maggette and the Clippers. Hopefully it'll encourage more fans to vote for Anton's hero and make his dream come true. I'll post some photos of the cool things he's sending me here on this weblog when I get them, perhaps in conjunction with Maggette's birthday on the 12th of this month (this coming Monday). I hope you've gotten to know this amazing fan all the way from Bulgaria a little better through this interview.

It's really those special and dedicated fans like Anton that motivate me more than anyone/anything else to continue being a fan myself of a team like the Clippers and to do the best job I possibly can behind the camera. I'm truly blessed to have the opportunity of photographing my all-time favorite interest in life and to be the eyes and ears for other Clippers fans from around the world. I'm proud to be "The Honorary Fan" of not just the Clippers, but Anton: my all-time favorite Clippers fan!