THE RED LINE is the most personal story I’ve ever told on Round Ball Rants — a look back at how basketball found me long before I ever understood myself.

From the Cub Cave in 1998…

to my lifelong friend Marty Barnett always being in my corner…

to Scottie Pippen joining the Blazers…

to NBA 2K on Dreamcast teaching me how the game works…

to Lucas Park streetball and the And1 era…

to the voices that raised me — Dan Le Batard, Bill Simmons, and Inside the NBA…

This is the story of how a game I was never “meant” to play became the red line running through every stage of my life.

A story about identity, heart, and finding belonging in unexpected places.

⏱️ Runtime: 13:52

Chapters:

0:00 — Intro: The Cub Cave

2:32 — Segment 1: The Informed Fan Era

7:32 — Transition

8:29 — Segment 2: The Game That Wasn’t Built for Me

11:59 — The Bounce: Lessons from the Red Line

13:52 — End

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