Kule veki, oyena mdlali udumileyo we-NBA osaza kudlala kwi-NBA ekugqibeleni wathatha inkundla. URoyce White, umgadli we-Houston Rockets, olungele iqela labo le-D-League, i-Rio Grande Valley Vipers ehlonitshwayo. Kwimizuzu elishumi elinesibhozo, wayenamanqaku asixhenxe, ii-rebounds ezisibhozo kunye nabancedisi abane.
Kodwa ibali elikhulu lelokuba uMhlophe wayedlala kwaphela. Kwaqengqeleka iinyanga, umntu oneminyaka engama-21 ubudala ehleli ixesha loqhanqalazo: umvukeli onesizathu. UMhlophe ebesilwa neeRockets malunga nendlela abaza kujongana ngayo nemiba ejikeleze impilo yakhe yengqondo. Umjikelo wokuqala oyidrafti-pick unengxaki yokuxhalaba echaphazela indlela aphatha ngayo yonke into ukusuka ekubhabha ukuya kwizenzo. Uye wakwenza kwacaca phakathi kwe-avalanche yokugxekwa ukuba impilo yakhe yengqondo ibaluleke kakhulu kunekhontrakthi yakhe okanye umsebenzi wakhe. Ngalo lonke eli xesha lokuwa kunzima, uMhlophe uye waba ngumkhohlisi wotshintsho, ebiza kungekuphela nje i-NBA yokungakhathaleli ukugula ngengqondo kunye nokumphatha "njengempahla yokuthengisa" kodwa kunye nabalandeli abamthumele "amakhulu" obundlobongela kwaye ngokukodwa izisongelo zokuthandana kwabantu abathandanayo. Umhlophe awukho gay, kodwa ngokucacileyo, kwabanye, ukukhathalela impilo yakho yengqondo kuyafana.
Kude kube ludliwanondlebe lwakutsha nje, bekungacacanga ukuba sinembaleki ecinga ngezopolitiko, enzulu kangakanani kwaye enenguquko kangakanani eRoyce White. KuMhlophe, oku akukhona nje malunga nomzabalazo wakhe okanye ukutshintsha indlela amaqela e-NBA aphatha ngayo ukugula ngengqondo. Imalunga nento enkulu ngakumbi. Kudliwanondlebe lwakhe kwiisiza se-ESPN spin-off Grantland kunye nentatheli uChuck Klosterman, uWhite wathi umbuzo esisoyika ukuwubuza eUnited States uthi, โBangaphi abantu musa unesifo sengqondo?โ UKlosterman waphendula wathi, โKutheni singafuni ukuthetha ngaloo nto nje?โ
Impendulo ivela ku- White:
Kuba oko kuthetha ukuba uninzi aluphili ngengqondo, kwaye kufuneka siseke yonke imigaqo-nkqubo yethu malunga nombono wokuxhasa abagula ngengqondo kuba bebaninzi abantu. Kodwa ukuba sihlala sicinga ngabo njengeqaqobana, sinokuthi, โHlala phaya uze ujongane neengxaki zakho phayaโ.โฆ [T] ingxaki yakhe iyakhula, kwaye iyakhula ngenxa yokuba kukho imfazwe echuliweyoโeMelika, nakwihlabathiโphakathi koshishino nempilo. Akuyomfihlo ukuba isi-2 ekhulwini sabantu silawula bonke ubutyebi nobuncwane, yaye abanye abangama-98 ekhulwini batsala nzima ubomi babo bonke bezama ukubufumana. Kunene? Kwaye into ephela yenzeka kukuba i-2 pesenti ishiya i-98 yepesenti ukuba isebenze kwaye izame kwaye izame, kwaye ekugqibeleni iyakha olu xinzelelo kunye neemeko.
Ngokungathi oku akwanelanga kudliwanondlebe olunye, uMhlophe ukwathe ufuna ukusebenzisa ibhola yomnyazi njengeqonga lokulwela ukhuseleko lwempilo yengqondo kwiikliniki kulo lonke uluntu. Wathi ukulungele โukufela oku.โ
Xa umdlali esebenzisa isikhundla sakhe esiphakamileyo sokulwela into enkulu kunabo, ngokuqonda okanye hayi, ukubeka ibango kwisithethe esinamandla. Sisithethe esiphawulwe ngabantu abafana noBillie Jean King, uBill Russell kwaye, ewe, uMuhammad Ali. Ekumameleni uMhlophe, ndakhunjuzwa ngento awayekhe wayithetha u-Ali: โKonke ukudlala kwam amanqindi, konke ukujikeleza kwam, konke ukwazisa kwam, yayisisiqalo nje sobomi bam. Ngoku ubomi bam buyaqalisaโukulwa okungekho sikweni, ukulwa nobuhlanga, ukulwa nolwaphulo-mthetho, ukulwa nokuziphatha okubi, ukulwa nobuhlwempu. Ukusebenzisa obu buso ihlabathi elibaziyo ngodumo nokuphuma nokumela inyaniso.โ
Umhlophe ngokunjalo naloo mntu unqabileyo ofuna ukusebenzisa udumo lwakhe ukumela inyaniso. Ngokuqinisekileyo kukho ulwandle olumahluko phakathi kukaRoyce White noMuhammad Ali malunga nokuphumelela kwezemidlalo kunye nenkunzi yenkcubeko. Kodwa kukho umahluko ongeyonyani. UAli kwincopho yakhe yezopolitiko wayeyinxalenye yeliza elikhulu lokulwa imfazwe. Nangona iziko lamanqindi kunye namajelo eendaba ayemdelela, wayenomkhosi wabalandeli bakhe. Thelekisa oko nanamhlanje. Akukho maza abantu abamela amalungelo abantu abagula ngengqondo. Akukho mntu kwezopolitiko eziqhelekileyo othetha ngengxaki yempilo yengqondo ephantsi kobomi bemihla ngemihla kweli lizwe. Akukho mntu eCapitol Hill obonisa into ebonakalayo yonke imihla.
Cinga ngayo yonke ingqalelo enkulu esiyihlawulayo kubundlobongela bemipu kunye nokungabikho kwengqalelo kwinto eyenza abantu baqhekeke kwaye babenobundlobongela kwasekuqaleni. Cinga ngokudubula okubuhlungu eChicago kunye nokungabikho kwengxoxo malunga nentlupheko kunye nobuhlanga obuchaza iindawo zeso sixeko apho ukubulawa kwenzeka khona. Cinga ngoxinezeleko lwengqondo olwandulela ubundlobongela obuninzi kuluntu lwelizwe lonke. Le ngxoxo uRoyce White afuna ukuba sibe nayo, kwaye i-21-ubudala ibonakala ngathi ngumntu kuphela kubomi boluntu ofuna ukuba nayo. Ngamanye amazwi, ukuba u-Ali, ngokungafaniyo nomnye umntu, wakhwela ngokukhawuleza kwisantya sexesha lesiphithiphithi, uRoyce White uzama into eyoyikisayo ngakumbi. Uzama ukutshintsha icala lomlambo wonke.