The End of an Era: Parker and Ogwumike

I was introduced to basketball around 2009–2010, I remember this because 2010 was the year that Kobe Bryant and the Lakers beat the Boston Celtics in a seven-game series, and I remember watching that game seven. I remember that time because I accidentally stumbled across the Lakers vs Utah Jazz game. I say accidentally because I was not supposed to be awake at that time as it was a Friday night and like was the norm during that period my parents went out and left my sister and I at home with a babysitter. My sister and I had a plan, we knew if we wanted to stay up, we would give her the television in the living room for twenty minutes to watch African Magic, if you know you know, she will fall asleep and we could do what we wanted after that. The plan was simple.

Due to that plan, most Friday nights I would either watch some late-night movie or basketball, but I never truly loved basketball until the 2012 Olympics in London. If you are a basketball fan, you’ll remember the USA men’s team that included Kobe, Lebron, Durant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and so many others but for me it was the women’s team that I actually enjoyed watching. That team had our heroine Maya Moore, Simone Augustus, Sylvia Fowles, Tamika Catchings, who my dad still talks about because of her name, Sue Bird and the GOAT Diana Taurasi. But it also had my personal favourite player, Candace Parker. I do not know whether young Nadim had a crush but all I know is I woke up one morning and I looked forward to watching Candace Parker play basketball, so I became a Los Angeles…