this post was submitted on 10 May 2026
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I was scrawny, well below 6-foot, and not particularly athletic, but in college I just decided that... Dammit, I was gonna teach myself how to play basketball! And for whatever reasons, I did so not by any teaching or 'intramurals,' but just going by out on local courts and screwing around.
And this cannot be understated-- at the court near my university, it was mainly youngish black guys who played, and for whatever crazy reason, they took a liking to me, and imparted to me a sense of... 'it's OKAY to be trying this, even though you don't have the faintest clue how to play this game.'
I REALLY owe those awesome brothers, way back when, as I later became someone who was pretty much the best street-baller out of our extended friend-group. Somehow I got quicker and quicker, my dribble ever tighter, and my ability to get to the hoop, ever more filled with feints, tricks and critical hops. Haha, at the same time, I could barely shoot to save my life. (cue "White Men Can't Jump" moment, where it's the reverse)
I think I wound up playing for ~18yrs (age 21 to 39), and I still miss the game in so many ways. It was like the last sports game in the world that I learned (outside of table tennis), and it was such a fun trip, and great, regular cardiovascular workout for me. ❤️