Training Day

"...I'm Dre, so listen to the play-by-play, day-by-day, rollin' in my 4 with 16 switches..."

Dr. Dre - Let Me Ride

Labor day is upon us and as the season comes to a close, I'd like to reflect on the summer of 1991. I'm not a big fan of the hazy, hot, and humid weather, so it is with great joy that look forward to the fall and winter months. Not to sound persnickety, its just that where I'm from...99 degrees in the shade isn't my idea of a good time. However one of the best moments of my life happened 17 years ago on a sweltering Philadelphia night. 

I started taking the game of basketball seriously in 1989, and with the notion of perfect practice, makes perfect, I exerted all of my energy to become the best I could be. There was a slight disadvantage...I was a lot shorter than my current six-foot frame, as I stood at a mere 5'7" or quite possibly a hair taller at 5'7" and a half. Nevertheless, what I lacked in height, I made up for it with my heart and will to play bigger and better than my skills would allow. 

In '91 I shot up to 5'9". Those two inches would come in handy as a point guard during the upcoming season. One evening after playing ball all day, and into the cool hours of the summer night, where the city lights, fire flies, and street lamps lit up the sky...I was on the courts playing against the older teen-aged boys. That in itself was an accomplishment! What would eventually transpire is one of those great moments in time. For some reason in Philadelphia, we play a zone defense in pick-up games. In NYC, and DC, they play man-to-man, but for some reason in Philly its zone. I have always been a guard so I was at the top, foul-line extended on the left side. One of the older and more respected guys Khari, dribbled to my side and as he crossed the ball over from his right to left...there I was waiting for him like how a spider awaits their prey. 

I'd been practicing dunking for over a year, and for those of us that lack height and the ability to palm the ball, so many elements have to work together in order to be successful. Without breaking it all down, everything clicked and I dribbled down the right side of the court with my left-hand. I had a clear path to the rim, and I rose up, and flushed my first dunk in a game, through the goal. Everyone was stunned, and I was so happy, however I couldn't celebrate because I was one of the two younger guys playing against the older kids...jubilance could have resulted into a fist-fight. 

After everyone had a moment to understand what I had accomplished, Khari rained on the parade, informing me and my team that he called foul, and the basket I just scored didn't count. 

I learned a lot about myself that day, and while the dunk didn't count, it meant the world to me. 

Speaking of dunks that didn't count, in looking at the pictures above, it shames me to comprehend that this acrobatic move of basketball prowess not only lost to Nate Robinson (who had 10,000 chances to make his last dunk) but it also goes unappreciated, instead of going down in NBA lore as one of the best dunks in history. 

What Allen Iverson, and Andre Iguodala did on the court at the Toyota Center should have won Iguodala the 2006 Sprite Rising Stars SLAM DUNK championship, which could have resulted in a windfall of endorsements, and commercials. He was however recently awarded a new contract with the Philadelphia 76ers for a very nice sum...so sometimes when you lose, you can still be a winner, as we learn something new everyday. 

Win, lose, or draw, experience is the teacher and we are merely the student.