Anybody who's known me for longer than 20 minutes knows what this is all about. When I was 9 years old, I remember hearing about this basketball player for the Chicago Bulls. Rumor had it, he could practically fly. This was at an age where, while I didn't completely understand the finer points of basketball, I certainly enjoyed playing it. Watching Bulls games and seeing the way Micheal Jordan played, changed basketball (and life) for me. I became a basketball (and Jordan) nut. I was always playing, trying to emulate the moves that I'd seen hundreds of times while wearing out my MJ videos.
My friends and I started playing ball together, entering a few 3-on-3 tourneys now and again. Somehow, even though most of us lacked any formal training, we managed to spectacularly lose every tournament we entered. At least we got t-shirts out of it. Despite this horrendous record, I still enjoy playing basketball, and try not to look too much like a thirty year old sweathog on the court.
So imagine my surprise/delight when Jen told me what she and Peanut had been up to today.
Yep, she's playing the sport of kings. No, wait, that's horse racing or hockey or something. Anyway, she's playing basketball. Like most kids her age, Peanut "travels" a lot. But that's okay. At thirty, I still have a hard time with the coordination it takes to walk and dribble ( a ball) at the same time.
Also, she doesn't have much of a jumpshot yet, so right now, we're thinking strong/power forward or center.
But really, who needs a good jump shot when you can wear out the rim like this?
Maybe she won't want to pursue basketball in the future, but I'm looking forward to showing her how to play, and telling her about one of the best players ever. And how basketball used to be (and should be) played for the love of the game.
