While We Were Away | Narrated by Paul George

While we were away… They closed up the courts. Pulled down the rims. The virus spread. The hospitals surged. Masks became the uniform. Zoom became the job. Essential was redefined: doctors, nurses, the grocery clerk, the delivery guy. Our All-Stars. Lives were lost. Jobs were lost. We thought we ran out of tears. There are always more. While we were away… George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery were murdered. Cause of death: another, more familiar virus, centuries old. The names and dates change. The national cycle of racial injustice and police brutality do not. Shared anger poured across city streets and country roads. There is action to take, work to do, beyond pretty statements and glossy videos. Basketball offers no vaccine, no cure. Only an example. Of teamwork. Of togetherness.