22 - Basketball
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If it wasn’t abundantly clear before this past season, it was confirmed a few months ago: The NBA is the best professional sports league in the country, and one of the best leagues in the world.
This past summer, with the world falling apart around us due to coronavirus, marches for racial justice and police reform taking place in all corners of the country, and the most important election of our lifetimes fast approaching - the NBA stepped up and set the blueprint for how to balance all three crises, all the while putting an entertaining product on the court.
They created a bubble for players, coaches, and personnel to work in that saw approximately 0 cases in the 100 days it lasted.
They allowed players to protest playoff games in the name of racial justice, and allowed them to put social justice messages at large on their jerseys, letting them use their platform for something real and necessary.
Where they could, they converted their arenas to polling stations and got thousands of new voters registered.
Oh yeah, and Laker legend and larger-than-life ambassador for the game Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna “Gigi” Bryant, and 7 other people, died in a horrific helicopter crash at the start of the year, so the league had to address that as well.
And even with all of that going on, the NBA still did the job we ask them to do yearly - create an entertaining escape from our everyday lives - only this time, they came through at a moment when America needed it most. The league itself playing the role of Kobe, heaving up a circus shot as time expires, coming through in the clutch and sending his team to victory.
But all of these wonderful, commendable things the NBA has done, only deal with basketball as a league, and don’t begin to shine a light on the actual sport itself, which is a work of art in and of itself.
Basketball is unique in its standing among other sports in that it’s a blend of athleticism, individuality, flash and pizzaz, fashion, and urban culture.
How the players dress as they walk in and out of the arena is a point of interest. The sneakers they wear on the floor are a point of interest. The cheerleaders are more racially diverse than cheerleaders in other sports. The fans are more racially diverse than in other sports. A who’s who of stars are often court side, namely from the hip-hop and R&B community. All of these elements taking effect before players actually hit the floor.
But once they do, that’s when the real show begins.
Ferocious dunks, ankle-breaking cross-ups, demoralizing blocks, long range shots that shouldn’t go in but do, and the players’ reactions that follow. Momentum swings that feed off the energy of the crowd. Trash talking, styling, and the overall personalities of players revealing themselves on the floor.
Because there’s only five starters, and no one is wearing a helmet or a mask, it’s easy to identify players. The NBA features the most recognizable stars in sports and it’s not even close. My parents don’t watch basketball, but they know who LeBron James and Steph Curry are. Everyone knows who LeBron James and Steph Curry are. As well as Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Giannis Antetokounmpo (just call him Giannis).
That level of visibility allows players to rise above team play and shine as individuals. Yes, all sports are team sports, but because basketball has a smaller number of players than most sports, one individual’s play can turn a cellar dweller into a legitimate contender, and it’s a thrill to see a pissed off star put the team on his back and takeover a game every now and then.
A sport that celebrates diversity, highlights individuality, and takes a vocal stand against racial injustice in these highly polarized times, while providing an endless highlight reel of sheer spectacle? Yes, please.