The New York Times reports that New Orleans' fabled pickup basketball scene has found a temporary home in the parking lot of the Houston Astrodome. Fifteen hoops have been set up. Previously, kids were shooting into trash cans.
Here is where you tell of the strangest, best or worst places that you've played.
2 comments:
The best place I ever played was at a court in Honolulu, when I was 18. The court was in a beautiful park, surrounded by palm trees. All these Phillipino guys played there. The run was fine, but here's what made the court: while we played, the players' girlfriends sat all along the sidelines and SANG. They sang these beautiful lilting songs (from the Phillipines?) and it just made the place feel like heaven. After playing, I would stroll five blocks and walk into the ocean to cool off.
Now here's the part you're not gonna believe. One afternoon we're playing. The girls are singing. The trees are swaying. I'm literally in the middle of shooting when I hear a player scream, "holy sh*t, she's naked!" Everyone stops playing. We turn around and indeed, there is a gorgeous naked woman running around in the middle of the park. A guy is with her and he's taking photos. At 18, it was totally mindboggling. The whole thing lasted about five minutes, but it was the most satisfying sexual experience I had had at that point in my life.
Here's another wierd place. Same summer. Now I'm in Taipei, Taiwan. My uncle and cousin take me to Taipei University to play. There are about 30 hoops set up and just about all of them have 3-on-3 games going. We get into a game, and I ask what we're playing up to. My uncle says, "six." I'm like, "Six? What kinda pansy sh*t is this?" I soon found out. It's about 98 degrees and 100% humidity in Taiwan during the summer. By 2-2, I was about to pass out. By the time one team got to 6, I was in a coma. I declined an invitation to play full court.
Unfortunately, the Taiwanese players were all used to the heat and made fun of me for being such a lightweight. I couldn't tell what they were saying, as I don't actually speak Chinese, but they were definitely mocking me. The only English that was spoken was when one of the players would do something good. Then that player would say, "Chaz Bahkly" or "Ahnfunee Hahdaway." (It was 1992.)
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