Roundball

Dad and I also shared a love of basketball. I liked to play. I'm not sure how much Dad played growing up. As a kid, I spent endless hours playing basketball in our sheep pasture. I learn to shoot and make lay-ups. I wasn't great at dribbling because the pasture was too uneven to bounce the ball. I played for four years in high school, earning a Varsity letter. In grad school, I went to a local school to shoot baskets. People would challenge me to HORSE. It was usually a mistake. They had to try to duplicate my fancy lay-ups.

Through the years, Dad and I were fans of both the NBA and college hoops. In the 70's, I followed the Baltimore/Capitol/Washington Bullets (now Wizards). The team went to the NBA finals four times in the decade and won the championship in 1978. Players included Wes Unseld, Elvin Hayes, the "Big E," Phil Chenier, and Kevin Grevey. Wes Unseld recently passed away. We met him at the grocery store once. A very humble man. I don't recall if Dad was a Bullets' fan.

I hope my great nephew likes basketball.

 In the 80's, it was the Celtics vs. Lakers. Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson. Lots of other great players:   Kareem, Worthy, and McHale. An amazing rivalry. The teams met three times in the NBA finals. It was during this time that basketball started to spread internationally. Thanks to Bird and Johnson. They were the face of the NBA. I recall my first trip to China (in 2008). Basketball was just starting to catch on. Yao Ming was one of China's most famous athletes. He was on billboards all over the place. He was still playing for the Houston Rockets at the time. All the teams in the Chinese "NBA" were named after their American counterparts. 

1992 was the first year that professional basketball players played in the Olympics. The Dream Team beat its opponents by an average of 44 points on way to winning the Gold against Croatia. Players included some of the best players ever: Magic, Bird, Barkley, Robinson, Ewing, Stockton, Malone, Mullen, Drexler, and Pippen. And, of course, Michael Jordan. He was the real star of the team. Dad and I were glued to the TV during the 1992 Olympics, watching the Dream Team every chance we got. They'll never be another time like that in basketball. It was something special.

Dad and I were the most passionate about the NBA in the 90s during the Michael Jordan era. I still have my Chicago Bulls t-shirt. Dad's is probably still in his closet. With Jordan at the helm, the Chicago Bulls won six championships, two three-peats. Michael Jordan was/is the greatest player of all time.  Lay-ups, dunks, three point shooting, defense -- you name it -- he could do it. And, with style, a tongue sticking out, and a smile. I was a Scottie Pippen fan, too. I still think he is one of the most under-rated players of all time. We found Dennis Rodman's antics entertaining. He was a big part of the Bull's second championship run. So was Steve Kerr, who went on to become a winning NBA coach. It was unfortunate when the owners and general manager decided to disband the Bulls in 1998, after their 6th championship. Jordan retired. Phil Jackson declined to return. They traded Pippen and Kerr. Dennis Rodman was released.

Gradually, I/we lost interest in the NBA. Dad preferred college hoops. I found the NBA teams and players less inspiring. Too much one-on-one street ball. Michael Jordan had retired for the second time. Kobe Bryant took his place, but lacked the star power of Jordan. As the new face of the NBA, Lebron James is even less appealing to me.  While another of the all time best, he lacks the charisma of Jordan, Johnson, and Bird. In addition, Basketball and other professional sports have become too political for my tastes. Sports are meant to be fun, a release -- not a place to debate the wrongs of society.

Dad and I were lifelong Maryland Terrapin fans. One year, we went to a bunch of games. The most memorable was one in which Ernie Graham scored 44 points. It seemed like he scored every time the Terps had the ball. All swishes from long range. Before the 3-point line. I don't think Graham ever lived up to his potential, but that night, he put on an amazing show, probably unmatched in Terp history. Dad and I never forgot that night. We often reminisced about it.

In latter years, Dad and I went to a few Maryland basketball games, when colleagues shared tickets with me. It was usually a game that meant nothing, played against nobody.  Never ACC.  But we enjoyed it. Father-daughter time. I lost interest in Maryland basketball when the Terps moved to the Big Ten. I had always been an ACC fan. I loved the Duke games. My dad kept watching college basketball, especially March Madness, up through his final year. For a couple of years, I took him to some games at Hagerstown Community College. We even saw the women play once. It was fun.

In 2018, I went on an Alaskan cruise. I discovered a basketball court at the top of the ship. I played some 2 on 2 and participated in the ship's shooting competition. I had a blast. I lost my shooting touch a long time ago, but I still knew how to drive to the hoop. I couldn't wait to tell Dad about it.