“I almost flunked kindergarten,” Kenny Mayne admitted on Wednesday’s midnight ET SportsCenter. “I was almost held back because my art was horrible.”
So when a planned segment with co-anchor Steve Levy on fans trying to lure LeBron James to their city called for some creative artistry (see video above), Mayne knew just who to call: his niece in Seattle, Heather Pasley. (He also contacted friend, artist and Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, but he was traveling in South America.)
“I got the text as I was with my friend CK [Hernandez], waiting to pick up my daughter, Kenna, from Pacific Middle School,” Heather told Front Row. “He said he needed something with LeBron, Mount Rainier and the Space Needle. And I happened to have my paints in the car, so he reached out at the right time.”
Pasley (nee Ostrom), a self-taught artist, said CK, “inspired the concept and design, we put on some old school rap music,” parked at a local Park & Ride and got to work, using the minivan’s steering wheel as an easel. (CK set up the time-lapse camera used within the clip above, to have a recording of the magic moments when the painting
came to life.)
“Sometimes I can’t paint, but for whatever reason, I have a weird gift when it all comes together and this was one of those times,” said Pasley, a mom of four and former teacher.
Thirty-eight minutes later and VOILA! “Le Super BRONics” was complete and Pasley was set to join her young son, Abel, as a Mayne extended family member who got SportsCenter air time (last July).
“Don’t be fooled by me, there is some talent in our family,” Mayne said. “I try to exploit it whenever possible.”
A rabid Seattle sports fan, Pasley, as a child, paired with her sister Kirsten, to sing the national anthem for several sports teams, including the Seahawks, who brought the duo back in 2015 to sing again.
Last night, Pasley was singing again – albeit as a fan at a They Might Be Giants concert she was attending with her dad – so she had to catch the SC segment during intermission.
“She stole the show on SportsCenter,” her proud Uncle Kenny said.
