The mid-summer heat in the D.C. area can be unbearable. So by the time I walked into the gym with Emory one July evening, I was already hot, sweaty, and tired. Because even at 6:30, it was still sweltering as if it was the middle of the day.
Nonetheless, there’s something about a hot gym that feels welcoming when you’re coming to hoop. The steam, the sweat, sound of the balls bouncing, and the sneakers squeaking on the hardwood. On this particular evening, a sense of nostalgia took over me. Truth be told, I hadn’t been in a basketball gym in years. It’s shocking to even write that. From the time I was around 8-9 years old, all the way until my early 30s, I played on a somewhat regular basis. But life happened, and the game I loved just didn’t fit into my routine anymore.
Thankfully, having your kids get involved in extracurricular activities can sometimes reignite the flames of interests and hobbies that have long been extinguished. When I signed Emory up for his first basketball skills program, I had no idea that would happen for me. As with anything new, he struggled at first, and my aspirations of him being a lottery pick seemed like a pipe dream at best. But as the weeks passed, he started to pick up on the basics. And along the way, while he was learning, I found myself wanting to play too.
So I did.
I made my way back to Dick’s Sporting Goods, the same place where I’d just bought a junior basketball for Emory a few weeks earlier, and bought my own ball. Since then, I go to the basketball court in my neighborhood (pictured above) twice a week and get some shots up for about 20-30 minutes. My shooting percentage is probably in the 20s, but it’s been calming, therapeutic, and rewarding. Rewarding in the sense that, through a learning experience I was trying to provide for my son, I received the benefit of reviving a love that had been sitting on the shelf for too long.
Whether Emory ends up taking a liking to basketball in the years to come is yet to be seen. At least now I know I won’t be rusty.
Always love Lakers🏀⛹🏽♂️#MagicJohnson no-look pass & skyhook!!https://www.facebook.com/nbatv/videos/magic-johnson-hit-a-beautiful-skyhook-in-the-nba-finals/311607093954046/