GalaxyCon—quite the adventure!!

COMMENTARY

I will be the first to say, attending my first GalaxyCon was like nothing I have ever been to in my life. It’s amazing how many people you really don’t know until you walk into a place that is way outside of your environment. But I will tell you...if you have never been to one, I strongly recommend you visit one in 2025.

Everything I imagined wasn’t even close to reality. The people who dressed up far exceeded my expectations and spent tons of money on their costumes. I saw anything and everything as far as characters and cosplayers. Even the young kids got into the theme! I saw a lot of Star Wars characters. I also saw things I had no idea what I was looking at.

When I walked into the Greater Columbus Convention Center, the line of people waiting to enter the different rooms was incredible. It stretched the entire length of the building, but thanks to the great media relations folks, it only took me about five minutes to pick up my badge and meet with the GalaxyCon management who were so gracious.

It definitely was not what I was used to—there were no baskets or goalposts—so for the first hour, I definitely felt a bit out of place. But it actually was a great experience. Everyone was so nice. I grabbed lunch about 11:30 and sat at a table for nearly two hours just talking to people who came to sit at the table. They were from places like Chicago and Kentucky and all points in between.

The stars were out, as they had a live AEW Wrestling show that aired on TNT that evening. Several former WWF wrestlers were there meeting fans such as Sting, Arn Anderson, Jake the Snake Roberts, Mick Foley, Jerry the King Lawler, and Trish Stratus. It was something that I am very glad to have experienced once in my life.

Everyone was there to meet Hayden Christensen, who played Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars movies. I mean to tell you, his line was a mile long. I was walked around the event by the PR director of GalaxyCon, and he said they had to schedule something like 14 photo shoots with fans and Hayden. Most other celebrities only had one or two.

Without question, my highlight was getting to meet my all-time favorite actor and “world-saver,” Jack Bauer, as Kiefer Sutherland was among the celebs, athletes, and other dignitaries involved in this amazing event.

For most of the celebs and others who did signings, you could just pay cash when you made your way through their line, and the ones I observed were all very cordial and chatty with their fans. Most of them also had items for sale to get signed, and other visitors, like myself, brought something to be signed that was special to them.

My time in basketball has allowed me to meet and become friends with any athlete I wanted to, but the one guy I always wanted to connect with and chat with was Kiefer. I don’t fanboy like most people, but I will admit even I was a little starstruck for a couple of minutes.

He signed a basketball for my “40 year wall” that commemorates my 40th season in the sport of basketball and admitted it was the first one he has ever signed. I would also recommend doing the professional photo op. It is great to have such a memorable moment.

It was the largest GalaxyCon to ever come to Columbus, and when the dates come out next year, you should definitely take a day and just experience it. It isn’t cheap, as one-day passes run about $50-65 all the way up to a 3-Day VIP pass for $355.

But you only live once…. Eat the cake, take the trip.