B(LA)CK: Pickup basketball picking back up after the pandemic
Their pickup games in Santa Monica were put on hold by COVID-19. But now their games are back. And so is their fellowship.
As 10 a.m. approaches, the men saunter out onto the basketball court at Joslyn Park in Santa Monica, ready for a pickup game. Or three or four.
They stretch and don protective gear. Kirkland Lynch has a guard on his left knee and a brace on his right ankle. There are no illusions here. Not only are their high school and college teams a memory, but COVID-19 has kept them off the court for the better part of a year.
They are sluggish, taking careful jump shots as they start to warm up. But on this sunny Saturday in June, it just doesn’t matter. Basketballs thump against backboards. The rhythm grows louder and faster as the minutes pass.
At long last, they’re back at Joslyn Park. Together. And that’s as important as the game itself.
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'Summer Of Soul' Celebrates A 1969 Black Cultural Festival Eclipsed By Woodstock
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Bill Cosby, Free but Not Exonerated, Faces an Uncertain Future
Though his conviction was overturned, and his team is discussing future work, experts say it’s not likely the ruling will change the public perception of the former star.
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