Weekends are precious to me as I do not need to work and also because I get to play basketball with my homies.
I was never the most athletic boy back in my school days. I could hardly complete my 2.4km much less anything else.
Who knew how my life would take an unexpected turn when I was selected by the Green Lantern and was given the power to watch over the galaxy. As a superhero you really do not get much rest and definitely, no playtime. The upside is that you become really fit and you start to enjoy sports.
Besides going to the gym at least twice a week I will try to meet up with my homies and play basketball. But things get harder as time goes by as everyone has their own commitments and we do not get the chance to play and practice on a daily basis.
In fact it is one of my biggest regrets in life that I did not put in much effort when I was younger to make full use of my healthier body to play better basketball.
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| How do they even play in such conditions?! |
This is the kind of basketball courts that some other kids have to play at some other places around the world. They do not have proper attire, balls or shoes. In fact they do not even have a proper basketball court and rim. Some of these courts are sand pitches, dangerous and very dirty.
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| Unlike what I have here. Can sit around and act cool summore. |
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| Wahhh… we really have to be thankful for our clean and safe environment here in Singapore… |
This is the kind of courts we get in Singapore: clean, well-maintained, with bins allocated. I’m fortunate to have such clean and well-maintained sports facilities, yet I took them for granted and did not fully make use of my youth to fulfill my love for basketball. I guess I wasn’t that into it when I was younger as compared to my brother.
I guess the passion really kicked in when I got healthier and stronger after receiving my superpower. But like my friend, Parker’s late uncle said, with “great power comes great responsibility”. I get really agitated when some players dirty the basketball court. They simply leave empty bottles or snack wrappers all over the ground when rubbish bins are just a few feet away. I mean, does anyone really want to arrive at the court and spend their time picking up trash before they start their game???
Despite the fact that we have cleaners I think everyone should still be responsible and do their part to clear up after themselves! After all, if we enjoy using nice clean facilities, we should be considerate to fellow basketballers and leave behind a nice, clean court for them to enjoy their game in too. C’mon, it’s really not difficult to clear your own trash after your game.
I might be a bit older, a little slower and have a body that has more injuries but my passion for basketball will never die. I will always love this game.
Like how basketball legend Michael Jordan put it:
Even when I'm old and grey, won't be able to play it but I'll still love the game. Love how the game is played, love the feeling of the bouncing ball on my hands, love the team plays, the competition, the adrenaline and love the air up there. (okay, not that high since I can’t dunk or jump)
Basketball never stops!