Happy Thanksgiving, Black Folks.


This past weekend was the NBA’s 60th annual All-Star weekend. In a CNN article, NBA reporter David Aldridge referred to the weekend as Black Thanksgiving. Forget all the profound reasons to dispute the claim and be honest. For the basketball crazed among us, NBA All-Star weekend is something like a holiday.
The close association between the NBA and Black culture is not a secret. And since the weekend is a celebration of the best players in the NBA, it stands to reason that it is, somewhat, a celebration of Black culture.

More than any other sport, basketball, and more specifically the NBA has captured the hearts of many members of our community. We revere its players, we make financial offerings to its teams, its sponsors. I was initially taken aback by the term but as I thought deeper, it’s more of a misspeak than it is an indictment of our society or a statement about race-relations. The piece itself is a beautifully worded examination of the place ASW holds in our hearts. It is the most amazing display of talent that any of the Big Four Leagues could give us.

We are intrigued mostly because it’s the one chance we get to see the players let their hair down and pull off those feats that we can only dream of attempting. (Blake Griffin jumped over a car. JaVale McGee dunked 3 damned balls).

Yes, Aldridge could have thought of a better way to express his feelings but NBA All-Star Weekend is THAT big. Don’t try to deny it.