The NBA’s Very Own January 6th Moment

I published this story this morning on my NBA Substack, which is free to read. Because it supersedes sports, I’m teasing it here.

January 6, 2021 may not go down as the worst day in American history – President John F. Kennedy’s assassination (11/22/63) or the World Trade Center destruction on September 11, 2001 may be tied for that distinction – but it was certainly the worst day in the history of the democratic style of government. On January 6th, a free and fair election, one of the most secure ever held, was protested by cult followers who couldn’t admit to themselves that their leader lost. They stormed the US Capitol in protest, killing police officers and causing millions of dollars in damage while trying to lynch the Vice President and kill any other elected officials they could get their hands on.

What’s going to happen in Dallas today, just a few blocks from the site of JFK’s assassination, is likely to rival that dreadful day in American history.

In case you don’t follow basketball and are unaware of the lead-up to this event, the Dallas Mavericks traded their franchise player to the Los Angeles Lakers last week. It was a surprising move, to be sure, but as I was writing at the time of the trade, it was also one the Mavericks absolutely had to make. This summer Luka Doncic would have been eligible for a “supermax” contract worth $345 million over five seasons. He’s an absolutely phenomenal player worth every penny of that amount (in the context that vastly overpaying guys who play a game for a living is a global priority) when he’s healthy…but therein lies the rub.

To read the rest of my article, please check out my NBA Substack: Not Another Sports Article (NASA) for FREE at this link: https://notanothersportsarticle.substack.com/

Thanks!

-B