Ex-Husky Brandon Roy Goes for 36, Years Not Points, and Resumes Aging Gracefully
In a perfect world, Brandon Roy would be like Grant Hill, trying to extend his NBA career as long as he could. He'd be in Florida, considered one of the NBA's elder statesmen.
Instead, as he celebrates his 36th birthday today, it's been seven years since a hobbled Roy pulled on a Minnesota Timberwolves uniform for a handful of games before his knees said no more.
The disconnect between Roy and his basketball playing career didn't come easy. It took a far greater adjustment period than he could have envisioned, one forcing him to drop from public view for a year to get things right.
Yet as he stares at middle age, Roy is in a good place.
He's still close to the game he loves, as someone dominating others once more even though he never leaves the bench.
As a high school coach, Roy has won three state championships in as many seasons at Nathan Hale High School and his alma mater Garfield. In the video from February, he speaks about his leadership role with teenaged basketball talent.
Still, 36 doesn't seem possible.
It was just the other day that he was 15, playing with the No. 1-ranked team at the Tacoma Dome in the state semifinals against Foss. He was forced to deal with one of his most challenging moments on a basketball floor when missed a free throw with 1.9 seconds that prevented Garfield from advancing to the title game.
It wasn't that long ago, when he was 21, that Roy became a consensus All-American and Pac-12 Player of the Year for the University of Washington. He and his teammates just missed out on beating Connecticut in overtime in the NCAA tournament and moving to the Elite Eight.
It felt like yesterday that Roy was 23 and going off on the Phoenix Suns for 52 points and turning himself into a three-time All-Star for the Portland Trail Blazers, thinking he might have a real good chance at being an NBA hall of famer.
Sadly, it wasn't that long ago when he was 28, trying to squeeze out another season with the Timberwolves when the cartilage in his knees all but disappeared and he had to walk away. At the same time, we told his life story.
The Brandon Roy Story
Dan Raley image
Life makes magic happen and then takes it all away. As Brandon has found, you can't stop the aging process. You better learn to like it.
Today, even during a pandemic, Roy should celebrate being 36. He has the potential, as a coach and a human being, to do more great things.
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