When the Game Changes

I found myself thinking the other day about the abruptness of a life change and how I’d react if I suddenly had a debilitating illness. Let’s do one better and look at a guy named Brian Grant, a former power forward known for his physical play in 12 years of NBA service. I remember watching Grant beast bigger players, snatching rebounds and bouncing off the ground like a compressed coil. He was that menacing guy with the tip-dipped dreadlocks who took it to the Lakers in the early part of the last decade. But now he’s been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

I write a lot about identity and the value of the journey, that intangible bologna that everybody says is less important than money and living the vida loca. But try illness on for size as a common denominator that reduces us all to our mortal parts. I’m thinking that sickness is the ultimate leveler of playing fields and even the huber-athlete is vulnerable. A feature piece by TNT discussed Grant’s bout with depression as he initially discovered a change in energy level and physical ability. He thought himself to be suffering from a case of the doldrums as a recently retired NBA Superstar but it was more than that akin to the transition Michael J. Fox’s life encountered when he went from beloved actor to Parkinson’s disease research ambassador.

Man, it’s as if the personified “Bigger than Me” adage stands in the shadows of elites and commoners alike pleading with us to take life more seriously, to enjoy the right things and value the causes of the weak. Every now and again, though, good guys like Brian Grant and Michael J. Fox are stricken with a thorn that reminds us that basketball and movies rock but they don’t rule.