What in the world was Dr. James Naismith thinking when he nailed 2 peach baskets up, split his class of 18 up, and gave them a soccer ball.

His first thought was probably I better find something for these kids to do before I get fired. His YMCA boss gave him 14 days to come up with something for his rowdy class to do. Letting them loose outside was not an option.

If Dr. Naismith had not been pressured by his boss in December 1891 to come up with a game, what in the word would I be passionate about all these years.

If basketball did not exist, what would I have looked down the hill at during 3rd grade PE? The older kids would not be running back and forth on the pavement between 2 white basketball poles and backboards shooting on the orange hoops. I would not have been anticipating 4th grade because that’s when I would be able to run back and forth on the pavement between 2 white basketball poles and backboards shooting on the orange hoops.

If basketball did not exist, my step dad would not have had a reason to take out the bottom of a milk crate for me to shoot on in our apartments.

If basketball did not exist, I would not have harassed the middle school coach to allow me to try out for the basketball team. I would not have went home crying because there would not be a basketball coach to tell me “No” I can’t tryout.

If basketball did not exist, I would not have wasted my grandmother’s money taking me to the beauty shop at 8am on Saturdays. Only to sweat out my freshly washed and straighten hair as soon as I got home on the basketball court.

If basketball did not exist, what would I have saved my allowance up for while in the 8th grade? There would not have been a basketball goal for me to buy and have my dad put up in the backyard of my grandparent’s house.

If basketball did not exist, what would I be passionate about?

Maybe Art. I used to draw a lot as a kid. I was really good. I had a wooden easel. I had a book on horses. I could look at the horses and draw the horse just like it looked in the book.

What if I would have looked down the hill as a 3rd grader and saw the kids playing soccer. Would I have wanted to play soccer? Every sport we played at PE I was good at. Softball. Kickball. Long ball. Volleyball. Running. 4 Square. Would I have been passionate about any of them?

If basketball did not exist, what kind of a trainer would I be. Would I be an art trainer? Would I have gotten into the Arts. Music. Dance. Fashion.

I was a good dancer. I could do the snake. The cabbage patch. The Pee Wee Herman.

Oh well. Good thing basketball exists.