"Hey Khalid! I used to watch you play for Minneapolis North!"
That kicked off my post-game conversation with the former Polar and subsequent UConn Husky and current Mariupol Azovmash player.
Yep, Khalid El-Amin. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khalid_El-Amin
Amidst the swirling crowd of small, Ukrainian speaking children, my words found his ears and he turned to face me. He was wearing a Twins baseball cap. He looked surprised and asked "Where you from?"
I told him. He said his agent got him the spot in Southeastern Ukraine. He's there pointguard and plays weekly.
We joked about the fact that Minnesota winters are tougher than Ukrainian ones.
He signed the programs of my two ukrainian pals and then shook my hand.
It was a weird event.
It must also be weird for him to be a basketball player in a country where "fans" shout slurs like Monkey and "Snow White" at black players. They also use a certain word like it was currency when referring to said players. Of course, they shout these words in Ukrainian/Russian, so maybe it's easier to let the slurs bounce off unheard.
Maybe.
It's a small world.
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2 comments:
el amin.....i am so jealous...i definatly watched him play ball for many years in minn and at uconn. sounds like things are going well as usual. take it easy casey
Wow. I remember when he actually had a future in the NBA ahead of him. Amazing.
T-minus not too much time 'til you're in MN. GLORIOUS!
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