
Dear Basketball,
It’s been almost 28 years since the first day we met. 28 years since
I saw you in the back of our garage. 28 years since my parents
introduced us.
If someone would have told me then, what would become of us, I’m not
sure I would have believed them. I barely remembered your name.
Then I started seeing you around the neighborhood and watching you
on television. I used to see you with guys down at the playground. But
when my older brother started paying more attention to you, I started
to wonder. Maybe you were different.
We hung out a few times. The more I got to know you, the more I
liked you. And as life would have it, when I finally got really
interested in you, when I was finally ready to get serious, you left me
off the varsity. You told me I wasn’t good enough.
I was crushed. I was hurt. I think I even cried.
Then I wanted you more than ever. So I practiced. I hustled. I
worked on my game. Passing. Dribbling. Shooting. Thinking. I ran. I did
sit-ups. I did push-ups. I did pull-ups. I lifted weights. I studied
you. I began to fall in love and you noticed. At least that’s what
Coach Smith said.
At the time, I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on. But now I
know. Coach Smith was teaching me how to love you, how to listen to
you, how to understand you, how to respect you and how to appreciate
you. Then it happened. That night, at the Louisiana Superdome in the
final seconds of the championship game against Georgetown, you found me
in the corner and we danced.
Since then, you’ve become much more than just a ball to me. You’ve
become more than just a court. More than just a hoop. More than just a
pair of sneakers. More than just a game.
In some respects, you’ve become my life. My passion. My motivation. My inspiration.
You’ve my biggest fan and my harshest critic. You’re my dearest
friend and my strongest ally. You’re my most challenging teacher and my
most endearing student. You’re my ultimate teammate and my toughest
competitor. You’re my passport around the world and my visa into the
hearts of millions.
So much has changed since the first day we met, and to a large
degree, I have you to thank. So if you haven’t heard me say it before,
let me say it now for the world to hear. Thank you. Thank you,
Basketball. Thank you for everything.
Thank you for all the players who came before me. Thank you for all
the players who went into battle with me. Thank you for the
championships and the rings. Thank you for the All-Star Games and the
Playoffs. Thank you for the last shots, the buzzer-beaters, the hard
fouls, the victories and the defeats. Thank you for making me earn my
keep. Thank you for #23. Thank you for North Carolina and Chicago.
Thank you for the air and the nickname. Thank you for the moves and the
hang time. Thank you for the Slam-Dunk Contest. Thank you for the will
and the determination, the heart and the soul, the pride and the
courage. Thank you for the competitive spirits and the competition to
challenge it. Thank you for the failures and the setbacks, the
blessings and the applause. Thank you for the triangle. Thank you for
baseball and the Barons. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for the
assistant coaches, the trainers, and the physical therapists. Thank you
for the announcers, the refs, the writers, the reporters, the
broadcasters and the radio stations. Thank you for the Pistons and the
Lakers, the Cavs and the Knicks, the Sixers and the Celtics. Thank you
for Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and Utah. Thank you for the Wizards.
Thank you for the believers and the doubters. Thank you for Coach
Smith, Coach Loughery, Coach Albeck, Coach Collins and Coach Jackson.
Thank you for the education and the experience. Thank you for teaching
me the game behind, beneath, within, above and around the game꿻he game
game. Thank you for every fan who has ever called my name, put their
hands together for me and my teammates, slapped me five or patted me on
the back. Thank you for everything you’ve given my family. Thank you
for the moon and the stars, and last but not least, thank you for Bugs
and Mars.
I know I’m not the only one who loves you. I know you have loved
many before me and will love many after me. But, I also know what we
had was unique. It was special. So as our relationship changes yet
again, as all relationships do, one thing is for sure.
I love you, Basketball. I love everything about you and I always
will. My playing days in the NBA are definitely over, but our
relationship will never end.
Much Love and Respect,

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