By Darius
For a sport to gain popularity worldwide, it must excel in professionalism and commercial appeal. At the same time, competitiveness and adversarial intensity are also crucial factors; compared to genteel exchanges, people prefer to witness fierce showdowns. Thus, the three major ball sports—football, basketball, and volleyball—emphasizing skill, strategy, head-to-head competition, and fast-paced action, have become global phenomena.
I have sprinted across the green pitch and poured every ounce of effort into putting that damned ball through the hoop. Whenever I recall the basketball matches I played during my university days, my adrenaline levels spike; I miss those days of throwing caution to the wind and the people who competed alongside me.
Even though life has moved to a new stage, forcing me to look ahead, I still hope to find that spark of passion amid the fragmented routines of daily life. I may have lost my youth, but I still carry the heart of gold.
On the sidelines of the Southorn Stadium, I watched the training session of the Hong Kong Bulls team, and those fading memories gradually resurfaced. Suddenly, the team split into groups and began scrimmaging. As the players dribbled forcefully, the basketball pounded against the wooden floor with a heavy, heartbeat-like rhythm. They shouted tactical calls, their voices rising and falling, muscles clashing, and figures shifting before my eyes. In that moment, the entire court seemed to come alive—and so did I, who had grown somewhat numb.
This day didn't just belong to the Bulls; it also belonged to Austin Reaves, who had come to Hong Kong. Sitting in the stands, I watched him demonstrate NBA-level training drills. As an NBA player, his physical attributes aren't exceptional, but through relentless refinement of his skills, Reaves has carved out a role for himself with the Lakers. Just this past February, I saw him score a career-high against the Pacers with pinpoint shooting, outshining the opposing All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton. Though Reaves is not, and may never reach, the level of an NBA superstar, the effort he pours into his dreams still shows people what miracles human determination can achieve.
For a fleeting moment, I felt dazed: When did I stop giving my all for something? I yearn so deeply to witness vitality, yet I've let it quietly slip away from within me. I'm not one to dwell on regrets, but I truly lament how, in the grind of daily life, I've neglected the spirit of striving.
Perhaps the arena of life never guarantees miracles, but the marks left by those who fight for them will, in the end, become the most honest footnote to what it means to be "alive."
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Journalist's Hands-on Experience | Witness Hong Kong Bulls at Southorn Stadium
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