Why do we fall in love with the game of basketball? As a kid, going to the park to play basketball was what I loved to do. In the beginning, my cousins wouldn’t let me play. So I had to sit and watch them. I used to watch some of the crazy moves they would do and how hard they competed against their friends. Afterward, they would all dap each other and head back to our neighborhood.
Eventually, I was playing every day, anywhere that I could. If that meant taking a wire hanger and then jamming it into the door jamb in the hallway of my house or nailing a milk crate to the electric pole in the alley. I would get up early to play with my friends, and most of them woke up to me banging on their door. There were a lot of parents who didn’t like me showing up that early. This led to playing before school with older kids. Many of them were better than I was, but I loved the challenge of trying to beat them every day. I started bringing my other fourth-grade friends to play against to try to beat them. We were often unsuccessful but when finally did win those guys were not happy.
The game of basketball is fun. The enjoyment that you have is unlike any other experience in the world. Playing 90-degree weather didn’t stop us, if rained we would ignore it, and if snowed outside we grabbed the shovel. All of that just to play the game I love.
The game of basketball has done so much for me. It allowed me to be a part of so many amazing experiences & people. My teammates became lifelong brothers and the world became my playground. Respect the game and show others how much you love it - it'll pay off!!