Brandon Boyd

Contributor to The Bengal

Growing up, basketball was my life. I loved this game more than anything. I was the kid in elementary school who always had a basketball in my hands. Walking to and from school every day, I would always bring my ball from home so I could practice my ball handling. Before, during and after school, with or without friends, from the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep, all I wanted to do was play basketball.

I remember when I got my first hoop in my backyard. I was out there every day for hours and hours, just shooting. As a young kid I would always imitate my idol, Allen Iverson. I’d be in my yard imitating every single move he made, every gesture he did, how we walked, talked, and acted on the court. There was a phase when I was about seven where I’d only hoop in my baggy AI jersey while wearing a headband and armbands so I could look exactly like him. I wanted to be exactly like my idol and how could you blame me? He was the definition of greatness in my eyes.

To me, basketball is a very simple game. Like my current favorite NBA player, Kyrie Irving, has always said, “The game of basketball has and will always be about getting buckets.” That statement means more to me than anything because that is another reason why I love this game. There’s nothing better than hearing the crowd roar after you make a defender look silly and then embarrass them by draining a shot in their face. Or silencing an opposing crowd by dunking on their featured superstar center, which is significantly taller than you.

Or in my case, hitting a game-winning shot against a rival school, a game that many believed we weren’t supposed to win. But to me, basketball has a deeper meaning to me.

Of course the camaraderie and friendships you make with the game of basketball are everlasting. I have been blessed to have made lifelong friends with coaches, teammates and other players all over the world so far in my career. The connections and network you make from basketball is truly amazing and I wouldn’t change that for the world.

But what basketball is for me, is an escape. From stress, disappointment, bad grades, yelling parents, emotional girlfriends, fake friends, death. Basketball has always been there for me. It doesn’t judge you. It doesn’t test you. It doesn’t give you a false sense of reality. It doesn’t feel sorry for you. It just waits for you. Always available. Always open. Always ready for you to come in and release whatever feelings you have. This is why I love basketball.

I feel at peace when I am in a gym. There is nothing better than being in an empty gym by yourself with just you and a basketball. I love the sight of walking into the brightly lit gym. The beautiful hardwood floors. The rims hanging or standing at an exact 10 feet. The sound of the ball bouncing against the floor. The rhythms you can make from dribbling the ball. The sounds of a terrible shot or a beautiful shot. The discomfort of hearing that “clank” sound when you brick a shot, or the satisfaction/joy you get from hearing that “swish” sound after you make a shot. The squeaking noises the soles of your shoes make from making cuts on the court. I love the feel of the basketball. The different grips and textures every basketball has. I love how the rims feel when you hang from them. I love the feeling of slapping the backboard after making a creative layup. I just love everything there is about the game of basketball.

Many people have different ways of dealing with things. Some cry, some scream, some fight, some drink, some smoke, some eat, some hunt, some take hikes, some need others to help them get through things. I play basketball. It’s my passion. It’s my outlet. It’s my escape. It’s my love and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I’m 22 years old and I plan to play basketball until I am 120 years old. I will teach my children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces and whoever else comes across my life the game of basketball. I will watch and support them, play with or against them. Just know, whatever comes and goes in my life, there will always be one constant theme, and that theme is basketball. I love basketball. This is what basketball means to me.