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Throwback: 5 Lessons from The Last Dance, for the Last Month of the Year
Hard work, Self-care, Growth, Empathy, Action
Authour note: The NBA pre-season starts tomorrow. Some have likened the quick re-start to a distraction from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the continued fight for racial justice. But for me, and many other young Black men, the distraction is welcome. Basketball is a sport that provides solace in a society determined to strip us of our lives. It is particularly important in a year strife with Black pain and loss. In 2020, we lost heroes, felt the pain of injustice, and continue to deal with a virus that disproportionally impacts the health and livelihoods of our communities. We need this.
The last time we were this eager for reprieve was in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when the 2019–2020 NBA season was brought to an abrupt halt, and followed by a relentless streak of police violence against unarmed Black people. Back then, ESPN and Netflix gave us our first welcome distraction in the form of the The Last Dance — a docuseries about Michael Jordan’s final seasons with the Chicago Bulls .
This piece is a tribute to my joy in June 1998 — the month I learned that greatness was achievable for people who looked like me; reprieve from my pain in May 2020 — the…
