Shawn Bradley was involved in the one of the biggest trades in Dallas Mavericks' history. In fact, due to his seven foot six inch frame, his trade was head and shoulders the biggest, if we consider height as the benchmark. Because of his towering height, Bradley has had to live with often-unrealistic expectations throughout his five year NBA career. Expected to become the franchise cornerstone for Don Nelson's Mavs, Bradley has simply existed as one of the NBA's leading shot-blockers. A devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Bradley delayed both college and careers for his Merman mission in Australia. During this self-fulfilling year "down under" Shawn developed a perspective on life that would carry him through and connect him with future wife Annette, Shawn and Annette are madly in love with each other and the Dallas area, where they hope to continue raising their three girls, Cheyenne, Ciera, and Chelsea. And now that this season's NBA trade deadline has passed, they can continue to focus on establishing roots here in the Metroplex, Regardless of how his Mavs career prospers, you can be assured that Bradley will ride "tall in the saddle"...

YST: Tell us about where you grew up.
"I grew up in Castledale, Utah...about three hours south/southeast of Salt Lake City...on a farm/ranch, with a bunch of cattle. "

YST: How is it that you are from Germany?
"My father was in the army and they were stationed in Germany when I was born. When I was two and ahalf we moved back to the states. My mom was from the area where I grew up. "

YST: What were your family experiences like growing up?
"Very family oriented. I was the oldest grandchild. My grandfather had three daughters and no sons, so he kinda took me as his son. A lot of our activities centered around the farm... farm-life chores: milking the cows, branding, irrigating . "

YST: Do you fall back on some of the lessons you learned on the farm ?
"Growing up in that kind of life taught me the effectiveness of work. Every morning at five o'clock I had to get up and milk the cow... get home from school, 3:30-4:00, and milk the cow again. If I didn't go out and do that, there were problems, so I had to have that responsibility. We didn't go without anything, but there wasn't anything we got that we didn't work for. Mom and Dad instilled in us,'you work for the things you get'. "

YST: Who was the most positive influence in your life ?
"In religious aspects, it would be God, because of what he has done for all of us. As for people, my father and grandfather were both great men. My grandfather was the man that I spent the most time with. He shaped a lot of my childhood. "

YST: Can you recall a 'not-so-fond' childhood childhood memory ?
"As a child, I had a horse named Apache. He was a black and white paint. I got him when he was about a year old. I LOVED that horse.., he was my best friend... we knew each other. I rode him everyday. But when he was a colt, he got a cut that wasn't treated correctly. A couple of years later he developed swamp cancer in his leg. We ended up having to put him to sleep. That was one of the hardest experiences in my life. I cried for a week. A couple of weeks later, in church, us children were being introduced to the others. They did a little profile on each of us. When it was my turn, they said "...and his best friend and favorite horse is named Apache". I broke down into tears... it still gets to me. "

YST: What sports did you play while you were growing up?
"Everything I could. I've had a basketball in my hands since as early as I could remember. Organized sports in the small community of Castleberry started with baseball, so I first played baseball... I played all the way up through high school. Gymnastics at four then baseball, golf, track, little league football, horseback riding, snow skiing, water skiing and hiking through the years. "

YST: While you were playing at BYU and before, did you know that you were going to advance to the PROS?
"es, I knew. I didn't know when but I knew that I would one day be there. I remember my fourth grade teacher telling me, "Shawn, all I want are tickets to one of your games when you make the NBA." I looked at her and said, "OK", knowing with full confidence that it was going to happen. Ever since then I've always believed that I'd be here. I did make sure that she got to see me play. "

YST: What is your most prized accomplishment on the court?
"Three really stick out in my mind. In high school we won the Utah state championship my junior and senior years... those were special experiences and neat times. The second was when I was a freshman at BYU and won MVP of the Western Athletic Conference tournament. And most recently, last year when I lead the league in blocked shots. That's the one that I am most proud of. "

YST: Tell us a little about the Mormon religion.
"The real name of the church is: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Christ is the center of our religion. It's very family oriented, very close knit. Growing up, I went to church every Sunday with the family... to Sunday school. I was involved in scouting, which was associated with the church. We didn't smoke or drink or take drugs. We tried to keep the Sabbath day holy... tried not to work unnecessarily. All in all it is a very conservative religion... and something I am proud to be a part of. When a young man turns 19, he is asked to go on a mission... which I did. I went to Sydney, Australia. I had a great experience down there. I lived in Sydney for about a year and then in surrounding areas for about a year. It was really neat. "

YST: How has your mission directed your life ?
"It was a goal that I had ever since I was in early Sunday school. We sang a song... 'I hope they call me on a mission when I have grown a foot or two'. I used to sing it, when I grow three of four more feet. I always anticipated and looked forward to the adventure. Yet the final decision was somewhat difficult because you are leaving for two years, but for the most part the decision was already made. I had decided to go years ago and looked forward to it my whole life. I took part in that experience and came back.., it really set the stage for the rest of my life. There are things that I went through in Philadelphia and New Jersey the first couple of years of my career, that had I not had that experience of the mission, it would have been very difficult in lots of ways. Annette: Our mission stories really brought us together.., we kinda connected about that. We both have strong feelings about our beliefs. "

YST: How did you and your wife, Annette, meet?
"We met in Philadelphia the summer before my rookie year, at church. She was speaking about her mission in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It was one of those 'love at first sight' experiences. She gave me one of those half smirk smiles. After church, I tracked her down, I knew we had to talk. It turned out that we were both invited to the same place for dinner that night, we talked just enough where I had the courage to ask for her number. I called her the next day and we ended up going out.., two months later we were getting married. It has been a fairy tail romance."

YST: (To Annette) How did you and Shawn meet?
Annette: "At church in Philadelphia. I was speaking at our church on the Sunday that he happened to come to visit. It worked out that we had dinner at the same house that night. We went out the next day... that was about it. We saw each other every day since and got married within two months. "

YST: Describe your first date.
"It was awesome, we had a blast. The true first date, I went over where she was watching some kids. We swam in the pool and she fixed some ribs and had a relaxing afternoon and evening. A couple of weeks after we met and fell in love, she was going to go to Bermuda for a week with the family that she was a nanny for. Of all times, her birthday was during that week. As a surprise, that family helped me arrange to meet her there. They kept her busy so I could fly down to Bermuda and surprise her on her birthday. It was really a storybook romance... I couldn't ask for anything better. "

YST: Tell us about your girls.
"My three little girls are the light of my life, next to my wife. Cheyenne, the oldest(3 1/2), is in school two days a week now... very attentive and a smart girl. She loves helping her little sisters. Ciera is two and Chelsea is nine months old. Ciera has long curly blond hair, beautiful blue eyes and perfect lips. Just a darling, Cheyenne has straight blond hair and she's a little more sensitive. Chelsea is just starting to develop her personality, she loves to smile. "

ANNETTE: "Cheyenne was an angel from God. She gave me something else to focus on besides the pressure from the media and the occasional bothersome fans. Cheyenne was a gem... my little buddy from the get-go. She's a smart girl with the funest giggle. Ciera tries to do everything that Cheyenne does. Ciera... she doesn't care what it is, she can do it. She's all over the place with no fear of any obstacle. She's always got some kind of owie going on. Chelsea at only nine months old is a lot of fun. Cheyenne and Ciera love to help out Mommy. All three of the girls are best friends... buddies. "

YST: What do ya'll do as a family for fun ?
"We have a playroom set-up at home. The girls love watching Barney and any princess movies... Cinderella, Snow White, Aladdin, Little Mermaid. They've got all the pajamas to dress up like the princess characters. We also end up spending a lot of time at McDonald's... Cheyenne calls it 'Old McDonald's', Ciera calls it 'Donald's', and Chelsea doesn't know yet, but she will soon. We can't pass a McDonald's without the children wanting to stay. "

YST: Can you recall a recent special family event?
ANNETTE: "Every Monday night is family night with a new church-type family lesson to learn. We have fun... eat pizza, go bowling, sing songs, take. pictures. This week the girls were singing the song that we learned, in the car. That means that it is special to them and the lesson sinks in."

YST: How did your family adjust moving from New Jersey to Dallas?
"We have fallen in love with Dallas. We love this city. We hope to be here for a few years. We love our neighborhood and church in the Plano area. We're starting to make friends. The people are just great. The east coast was a great experience for us, but this environment is more conducive to how Annette and I want to live our lives and raise our family. "

YST: How does being publicly known affect you and your family?
"We feel like normal, average, everyday people. When other people treat us like we're above that or different, we feel uncomfortable. It is difficult at times, but it does also gives us the chance to do lot of good. There are times when it is hard on the family... it is probably harder on my family than it is on me. I understand the responsibility of being a public figure, but when it starts to interfere with the time I have with my family, I have to draw the line. I will never put anything before my family."

YST: (To Annette) What's it really like being married to a celebrity?
ANNETTE: "I don't think of Shawn as a celebrity. He's my husband. There was nothing about sports that attracted me to him... it was everything else that really matters. Sometimes it's hard. I'm always sharing him. Knowing nothing about sports or the actions of 'star-struck' fans, it was a hard adjustment for me. It took me a good three years to be able to handle it a little bit better. Before, I would get angry with people... wanting them to leave us alone and get the cameras out of our face and let us have peaceful dinners. Respect our time together as a husband and a wife. I just try not to think about it as being married to a celebrity. I love Shawn for who he is."

YST: If there was any time in your life that you could return to, what would it be?
"I'm happy where it is now. The here and now is the best. If I had to go back, these guys (Wife and three girls) wouldn't be around... this is what brings me the most joy in my life. "

YST: Tell us about your affiliation with the Bryan 's House association.
"Great situation for me. For every blocked shot I get this year, Cici's Pizza and myself are donating a sum of money to Bryan's House... to help the children there. Those children who have been put into such a tragic situation which is so unfortunate. If Annette and I could, we would take them all home with us and raise them. I am also associated with Children's Miracle Network, which helps run Children's Hospital on a national level. They manage my fan club. There are four different levels that you can buy in.., for each level you get more stuff. All the money that is raised by the club memberships goes directly to Children's Hospitals to help the children ."

YST: How was it to participate in Space Jam?
"It was fun. I get such a kick out of kids coming up to me saying, 'Wow, you were in Space Jam, you're the blue guy huh?' Yeah, I was. Did you hit your head hard? Yeah, I did." They know, it's not so much that I play basketball, it's that I was the guy in Space Jam."

AUSTIN (10): Does it hurt your hands when you hang from the rim, after a dunk?
"Yeah, sometimes it does. I've got calluses on a lot of my fingers. When I come home after a game and have cuts on my fingers and wrists, my daughters say, "Oh daddy, owie" and kiss them all better."