The Champ: A Story of Disconnection After the NBA Championship

"I don’t feel like I belong here."

(Scene: Locker Room. Your team just won the NBA Championship.)

Teammate D: We did it! Can you believe this?

You: Yeah… it’s incredible.

Teammate D: I can’t wait to celebrate tonight!

You: (quietly) I think I’ll pass.

Teammate D: Come on, T! You’re part of this team!

You: I didn’t play in the Finals… I don’t feel like I belong here.

Teammate D: What did you say?

You: It just feels like... this is their championship, not mine.

(D, in a flash of anger, punches you in the nose.)

Teammate D: I can’t believe you’d say that!

(You stumble back, clutching your nose. The pain lingers, but it’s nothing compared to the guilt washing over you for speaking your truth. You stand there, feeling both physically hurt and emotionally distant.)

(Posted on Threads on 18.10.2024)

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