Basketball never stops
Article by SG Basketball Coach PK Ong
Empty seats in basketball arenas all over the world.
Basketball never stops.
This slogan is the mantra of many, many basketball lovers around the world all their lives. Be it the most casual player or basketball fan, or the most dedicated professional athletes in the NBA, basketball is a sport that brings them joy and purpose in life.
The viral threat of COVID-19 is very real and it hit the world hard. Even sport wasn’t spared. Basketball aka the NBA, was one of the earliest to announce the news of a player getting the virus, and its commissioner, Adam Silver was quick to respond, suspending the league for 30 days. The league that basketball fans around the world grew up with, the league with the players we all adore and learn our moves from, the place where our passion for the game grows… it all came to a halt in an instant. Other major sports followed as more got infected. Even the Tokyo Olympics was postponed.
In Singapore, the latest effort by the government saw the suspension of all children and youth sporting activity nationwide, from 27 March till 30 April 2020. Basketball included, of course. Following our government’s directive, SG Basketball will suspend our children and youth academy training till 30 April to do our part to help flatten the curve.
With all doors closed nationwide, it means that our next generation of ballers are not only deprived of watching basketball (in the current NBA season), they are also deprived of training or playing basketball. Their school CCAs paused, their external trainings and matches at a standstill.
Is this the end of basketball?
No.
When basketball started with only a leather ball and a peach basket.
Basketball has evolved from its starting days of 13 rules to a highly complex yet fun game enjoyed by all around the world. Yes, all 50 articles and 96 pages of it. From the poorest villages to the richest cities, people love the game of basketball. And it won’t change, this passion that we all share as a common language. Even if physically we are not allowed to play today, for many of us, our minds are all thinking about the game.
We foresee that when basketball comes back to us, there will be resurgence, a renaissance of sorts where we will perhaps see the most unprecedented sight in the history of the game, with all eyes focused on which NBA team will win the first post-viral Finals. We will see the NBA stars all rested and focused, all ready to enjoy playing basketball like never before, because they were never forced to take such a long break from the game they love in their entire lives. We saw how excited Steph Curry was in his first game back from a season-long injury. And how excited the world was to have him back.
Photo Credit: Bay Area News Group
Now, we have more to look forward to. Imagine ALL your favorite stars and teams back, all your games and tournaments back. The entire world of basketball will come back to us eventually. Basketball Never Stops. Ever. #basketballneverstops
In the meantime, do stay tuned on our IG @singaporebasketball and @sgbasketball.media where we will bring you daily updates on the NBA and global hoops.
Yours in the name of the game,
SG Basketball