The Game Never Stops

This is definitely not the March Madness hoopheads were planning on. For many I’ve spoken to, the lack of basketball is about as unnerving as anything else about these uncertain, scary times.

In my lifetime, the only comparison I have in terms of global impact is 9/11.

On September 11, 2001, I was living in the East Village of NYC, less than 2 miles from Ground Zero. Early September is one of the most beautiful times of year in New York, and in 2001, the weather was as nice as I can ever remember it being. On September 12th, NYC Police closed off all streets south of 14th to traffic. New Yorkers, trying to regain a sense of normalcy, were walking in the middle of streets and avenues. Totally surreal.

Every American has a 9/11 story and my suffering pales in comparison to those who lost loved ones, but I will never forget the smells, the smoke, but mostly, the attitudes of everyone in lower Manhattan – we were zombies. We didn’t know how to feel, how to react or what to do.

Not knowing any alternatives, I laced up and dribbled north on 2nd avenue to the Augustus St. Gaudens playgrounds to get some shots up. And you know what?? There was a run out there. Ballplayers, just like me, who in moments of crisis, fear, or uncertainty, have always gathered – as groups or individuals, at basketball courts around the world. 

So here we are, facing a global pandemic and what do I plan on doing? I’m gonna hoop. The circumstances have changed – no games, no 21 and if I guard someone, it will be like checking Ben Simmons from behind the three-point line. But whether it’s a driveway with family, a playground with an open hoop, or just working on handles in the street, I’ll have a ball in my hand.

And I urge you to do the same. It doesn’t matter who else is or is not playing. If you love the game, the court is a haven where nothing else matters – where you can shut out the world and focus on your true love. The game never stops.

See you on the court.