THE DUNK

There were basketball courts outside our locker room
We would play before practice and games
I always thought it was crazy and we were wasting our energy

one day, we were playing 3 on 3
About three-quarters speed

We had played a lot over the summer

It was just an average day
Another practice or game

I don’t know what the score was
And I don’t even know who exactly was on what team

Joe McBride passed Dan Reineke the ball
At the free-throw line

Dan was in motion already
He took the pass
And dribbled the ball once
Streaking to the hoop

He took a final step
And leapt

Everyone else one the court seemed still

He held the ball with two hands
Brought it from behind his head
And slammed it
Hard down through the hoop

The air in the gym felt vacuumed out for a moment
I walked off the court
The game was over

I don’t think anyone was more surprised then Dan
We had played hundreds of games
None of us had ever slam dunked the ball

Some guys on the team could dunk
But they would just throw ally-oops
This was a game

Reineke lived the dream that day
The dream every man who has ever played a sport has had
For the muscles of the leg to explode in a way sending you higher
than you have ever been before
above the rim

it happened
without announcement
on an average day before another practice or game
it turns out
we weren’t wasting our energy at all