The Real Madison Square Garden Values at Stake in This Election
Dear Friends,
On Sunday, after Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden, I found myself reflecting on that sacred space. I thought about what it means to me and to New York. As someone who played there for ten years, winning two NBA championships, I know the Garden as a place built on teamwork, respect, and the fundamental values of the game. Values like courage, discipline, and selflessness — the same values that have shaped me and millions of other Americans who grow up playing sports. Values that Trump never understood.
I've written a piece for the Daily News on what his appearance tells us about the choice we face in this election. The Garden taught me that you can't buy your place at center court — you have to earn it through hard work and respect for others.
Those lessons matter more than ever. Read my full thoughts here.
And please get all your friends and family out to vote!
Bill
I once had the great luck to sit next to Bill Bradley on a flight to NY from London. As an ignorant Brit, I noticed he had a sheaf of papers and many people coming to greet him. So I asked him if he was ‘in politics’. He replied, ‘Yes, I was until I ran for president’. Felt like an idiot. But the rest of the flight he was as gracious and eloquent as this piece by him. Humanity and scale.
Thank you, Bill Bradley, for this from-the-heart message. I couldn't agree more! I find myself grateful that my children are now grown so they were never exposed to such toxicity when they were young. Or that my parents are no longer living to worry, as I do, before this election day. I know I am not alone, but there is a certain loneliness that I feel that has it's roots in a deep sadness for our country. How do we recover from this ugliness, after the votes are cast - regardless of outcome? The behavior and the speech are ugly, they are destructive, and they undermine the grain of what we both believe it is to be an American.