The Inaugural Basketball Feelings Feelings Draft

These last few weeks have been tough. For everyone. And even though all the mirrored ennui can be helpful in a kind of new warped way of being communal, I think it can also make you feel bad about taking anything personally. Feeling too sad, feeling too scared, feeling too anxious, you check yourself right away in knowing it could be worse, is worse, for a lot of people.

Basketball Feelings has never orbited all that tightly to basketball, obviously. But basketball was always the gravitational tether here. Even if I got knocked way off from its stricter parameters there was still the faint pull of it, tugging me back.

Even in the offseason, there’s plenty to work with. Getting really ruminative on long days, Lake water and Kyle Lowry, virtually tailing NBA players on their summer vacations and the anticipatory rhythm of a new season about to start. Right now, while there’s still basketball news, players getting up to stuff, with the season suspended the rhythm is gone.

In an effort to hone in on something, to make a new rhythm in the meantime, I got the idea to do a Feelings Draft. Thirty feelings (out of a lot more, believe me) that run through basketball, drafted onto a lovingly photoshopped big board. And because 30 feelings is a lot for even me, but more to find a way other than collective anxiety to keep it communal, I’ve asked some of my favourite basketball people to draft with me.

The Inaugural Basketball Feelings Feelings Draft

Rules:

1. Each person will draft one feeling from the Draftable Feelings list to represent them on the big Feelings Draft board and explain why that was their pick. Supporting examples are encouraged but not necessary and can include: game highlights, specific players past and present, off court and on court behaviour, an item of clothing worn once, the way a guy jumped, shot, ran, fell down, a memorable smirk, literally anything else.

2. Order of guest contributors will be randomized but I will include my own name in the remaining spots X however many spots are left. So, the order might look like: Guest 1, Katie, Katie, Guest 2, Guest 3, Katie, Guest 4, etc. until 30. That way we ensure it’s not fifteen breaths of fresh air and then fifteen in a row of me writing 500+ words on why Jimmy Butler blowing a kiss to T.J. Warren is the epitome of tenderness — plus I did that already.

3. Trades - Because managing feelings trades without everyone being in touch is the kind of technology that I want but has not been invented yet, there won’t be any trading of feelings. Like life, sometimes you just get stuck with the feeling you have for a while.

4. Each pick will be published with no particular speed or set days. I have a hard enough time being my own lockdown taskmaster, I’m not going to do that for people I like.

Draftable Feelings:

• Joy

• Anger

• Love

• Fear

• Confidence

• Vulnerable

• Yearning

• Jealousy

• Bliss

• Shame

• Relief

• Pride

• Tenderness

• Calm

• Fulfilment

• Obsession

• Dread

• Contempt

• Rattled

• Restless

• Defiant

• Lonely

• Surprise

• Stubborn

• Annoyance

• Confusion

• Mischievous

• Patience

• Exhilaration

• Heartbreak

So please, follow along, tell your friends because I’m sure this will make sense to everyone, and call your preferred sports betting outlet and tell them someone’s going to risk it all on heartbreak.