This is beautiful. I got teary eyed more than a few times when reading about a person’s devotion, loyalty, and love for basketball. Seriously I’m not a sports person, yet your unmatched writing skills show sports in a new light and teach me more about how vital basketball culture is to people’s lives. I love the brilliant, emotive, and empathetic way your storytelling voice shines and reaches through to your readers. Thank you for sharing this important and beautiful piece with us readers.
This is breathtaking. Thank you so much for this generous message and thorough reading of my work. I’m honored for you to spend such intentional time with this essay and really feel it. I appreciate your support always. Much love, Jessica.
Loved this, and excited to intro the KD documentary to my ten year old, who is also obsessed with basketball (playing it, watching it, nba stats and players… particularly Damian Lillard, etc.) Excellent piece, thank you for sharing it! 🏀
Thanks so much, Lindsey! And your 10-year-old will love it. The series focuses on the U.S. men’s basketball team’s gold medal run during last year’s Olympics. I’m looking forward to watching, too!
I didn't know how passionate Jokic was about the game! It makes sense, as he's one of the three best players in the world and a genius-level player. Still, I mistook his seeming indifference as his compartmentalizing the game as just a portion of his life. Great stuff bro!
Admittedly, I didn’t fully understand his love for the game either until I read his biography. He’s really been playing basketball for the majority of his life. His NBA career helped him move to the U.S. so he could be closer to his now-wife, who he grew up with in Serbia and also had a crush on since he was a kid. It’s deeper than ball for him. It’s romance. It’s family. Thanks for making time to read, bro!
It will always blow my mind that you read my work. Not only that you read it, but you care about it. Thank you for this gift. I’m holding these words close.
I love reading about the obsession of professionals. Especially love the way you write about KD, Joker, and Kendrick. How I wish every article I read about these players and rappers humanized them like this. A reminder that our crafts aren’t just work, but in someway our escape and calling. It’s 4:30 AM. And I figured why I can’t sleep. Thank you.
I appreciate you making the time to read this one, fam. Especially so early. I love that framing of our crafts as our escape and calling. It is just the thing, and it's not. Even so, we cling to what we must to survive. Thank you for the love always. I'm grateful to be in this with you.
Interesting comments. It seems rather unfair to even compare KD and Jokiç. Different countries, different backgrounds, different ethnicities, completely different lives. I am a Warriors fan and totally loved KD when he played there. Still do even though he now plays for the Suns. Perfect body, proportions, style, so great to watch
Jokiç is completely different. Massive man, almost like a lethargic style but such ability.
KD speaks his mind without fear, which I greatly admire, especially about the fandom throughout the Olympics. And I happen to agree with what he wrote. And also about the fans and sportswriters who pretend to know more about the game than the players.
This is beautiful. I got teary eyed more than a few times when reading about a person’s devotion, loyalty, and love for basketball. Seriously I’m not a sports person, yet your unmatched writing skills show sports in a new light and teach me more about how vital basketball culture is to people’s lives. I love the brilliant, emotive, and empathetic way your storytelling voice shines and reaches through to your readers. Thank you for sharing this important and beautiful piece with us readers.
This is breathtaking. Thank you so much for this generous message and thorough reading of my work. I’m honored for you to spend such intentional time with this essay and really feel it. I appreciate your support always. Much love, Jessica.
Loved this, and excited to intro the KD documentary to my ten year old, who is also obsessed with basketball (playing it, watching it, nba stats and players… particularly Damian Lillard, etc.) Excellent piece, thank you for sharing it! 🏀
Thanks so much, Lindsey! And your 10-year-old will love it. The series focuses on the U.S. men’s basketball team’s gold medal run during last year’s Olympics. I’m looking forward to watching, too!
Started the first episode last night and we’re already hooked. Thanks for the rec!
I didn't know how passionate Jokic was about the game! It makes sense, as he's one of the three best players in the world and a genius-level player. Still, I mistook his seeming indifference as his compartmentalizing the game as just a portion of his life. Great stuff bro!
Admittedly, I didn’t fully understand his love for the game either until I read his biography. He’s really been playing basketball for the majority of his life. His NBA career helped him move to the U.S. so he could be closer to his now-wife, who he grew up with in Serbia and also had a crush on since he was a kid. It’s deeper than ball for him. It’s romance. It’s family. Thanks for making time to read, bro!
what a humanising piece. alex, you alone could make me care about the interiority of tall hoopers and tiny rappers.
It will always blow my mind that you read my work. Not only that you read it, but you care about it. Thank you for this gift. I’m holding these words close.
I love reading about the obsession of professionals. Especially love the way you write about KD, Joker, and Kendrick. How I wish every article I read about these players and rappers humanized them like this. A reminder that our crafts aren’t just work, but in someway our escape and calling. It’s 4:30 AM. And I figured why I can’t sleep. Thank you.
I appreciate you making the time to read this one, fam. Especially so early. I love that framing of our crafts as our escape and calling. It is just the thing, and it's not. Even so, we cling to what we must to survive. Thank you for the love always. I'm grateful to be in this with you.
Interesting comments. It seems rather unfair to even compare KD and Jokiç. Different countries, different backgrounds, different ethnicities, completely different lives. I am a Warriors fan and totally loved KD when he played there. Still do even though he now plays for the Suns. Perfect body, proportions, style, so great to watch
Jokiç is completely different. Massive man, almost like a lethargic style but such ability.
KD speaks his mind without fear, which I greatly admire, especially about the fandom throughout the Olympics. And I happen to agree with what he wrote. And also about the fans and sportswriters who pretend to know more about the game than the players.
Just expressing my opinion. 🏀