The Year My Daughter Fell In Love With Basketball
Like Father Like Daughter: From Reggie to Tyrese, How The Indiana Pacers Have Created Another Super Fan.
8.9 seconds.
That’s how long it took me to fall in love with the game of basketball.
When Reggie Miller hit back-to-back threes, followed by two free throws in less than 9 seconds, leading the Indiana Pacers to a win Game 1 of the 1995 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals over the New York Knicks, I was hooked. Basketball was my sport. The Pacers were my team.
Since I was 8, I’ve been cheering for the Indiana Pacers. Not just cheering but making my fandom a significant part of who I am. For better or worse, my wardrobe is filled with Pacers hoodies, hats, and jerseys.
Through the glory days of the 90's to the Malice in the Palace, GQ articles to the Vic Show, I’ve seen it all.
Well, maybe not “all,” since I haven’t seen a Championship, but the decision I made in 1995 to become a Pacers fan, and then confirmed in 2005 after Reggie Miller retired, has served me well.
Outside of Indianapolis, there aren’t many of us, and even fewer without ties to the Hoosier state. But the game of basketball has given me joy and countless memories, both on and off the court. The game is a part of me, so when I became a dad, I was curious if it would become a part of my kids.
As I approached fatherhood, there were things I wanted to be and things I wanted to avoid. On top of the list of things I wanted to avoid was making my kids like what I liked.
I stress making because we can make suggestions, right? The idea of a dad who would only show interest in their daughter's activities if they aligned with theirs seemed irresponsible. I don’t know the first thing about Star Trek, but if my daughter becomes a Trekkie, you can catch me in Lt. Commander La Forge cosplay at your local Star Trek convention.
Though naturally, as our due date approached, my buddy custom-ordered a vintage Pacers jersey for my daughter, complete with our last name on the back. Though my mind was open to whom she’d become, he knew what she was walking into.
The Pacer's first game in the Raegan era was an exciting overtime win, but the season was anything but. Finishing with a 42–40 record, the Pacers were swept out of the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers, ending in a Paul George trade request and a team in disarray.
My goodness, is this the world my daughter is walking into?
That summer, Paul George was traded to Oklahoma City for two players that would drastically change our team—the 2nd year player, Domantas Sabonis, and the soon-to-be fan favorite, Victor Oladipo.
One-year-old Rae watched her dad go crazy as the Pacers would stack wins during an improbable season that wildly outlived my expectations. Finishing with a 45–37 record, the team was a tough call away from beating the Cavaliers in the first round of the Playoffs.
Rae cheered with me and celebrated as best as a one-year-old could. She didn’t know much about what she was cheering for, but she knew that if she heard me yell, “VICTOR OLADIPO,” then daddy was about to pick her up and take her on an impromptu rollercoaster ride throughout the house.
Rae was a fan. She wanted a Victor Oladipo jersey and even asked for a stuffed doll (miraculously, one existed). When Oldipo ruptured his quad in January 2019, she drew him pictures and constantly asked if he would be okay. When he returned a year later, Rae was with me as he hit a game-winning three against Chicago, celebrating as she knew a bit more about the game now. And in February 2020, as our family of four flew to Indianapolis for a set of games, Rae tried so hard to get Victor’s attention, wanting to hand him a handmade picture she drew him the day before we flew out.
I tried to make it happen, but I failed to catch Victor’s attention, though both Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis couldn’t have been better at showing my daughters’ love.
Our family in Indiana for our weekend of Pacers games.
Rae with her favorite mascot, Boomer, in Indianapolis!
Rae loved the Pacers, but when I asked if she wanted to play basketball, she responded, “eh, maybe.”
Covid greatly impacted our ability to try any new activities. We tried outdoor soccer — she didn’t love it. We tried indoor soccer — she didn’t love it.
She liked space and reading, so we heavily leaned into these areas, purchasing a telescope and books and spending most of our free time reading and exploring our galaxy. This brought me joy as I could see her gears turning, learning about the moon and dwarf planets, while books would take our minds to locations outside of ours. I also loved her fascination with space because I was learning something new every night!
She still liked basketball, but a Victor Oladipo trade changed the team. While we still had our all-star, the amazing Domantas Sabonis, I was curious if she would begin to lose interest now that her favorite player was no longer a Pacer. If so, that would be more than okay.
By now, she was old enough to know what she liked and what she didn’t, and we were now at the stage where she could notice my level of interest in her choices. I needed her to know that I would gladly trade courtside tickets to the Pacers game for courtside tickets to my daughter’s science fair.
But then, in February 2022, the Pacers traded for Tyrese Haliburton. As fans of the podcast The Old Man and The Three, where Tyrese had made plenty of appearances, my wife, Allie, and I were already fans!
Explaining trades to a five-year-old has to be up there among the most confusing things to explain. Though it was clear during his first game with the Pacers, Tyrese brought a level of excitement to the franchise that hadn’t been felt in a long time.
That summer, the team drafted Montreal's own Bennedict Mathurin, a 6'6" Guard with grit and tenacity, and while our hopes for a winning season weren’t high, Pacers fans saw a future. You could feel the energy.
As the 2022–2023 season kicked off, the Pacers had a new look. Fresh with players with fun-sounding names like Tyrese Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin, Aaron Nesmith, Andrew Nembhard, and Buddy Hield, both Rae and my youngest, Sienna, asked questions about the game they hadn’t before. Questions like:
“Why’d they blow the whistle?”
“Where’s Myles Turner?”
“What does James Johnson do?”
“Why is Buddy taking a private shot?”
A “private shot” is what Rae calls a technical free throw, and it might be my favorite basketball phrase ever.
Among my favorites is less of a question and more of an observation, “Look! There’s Coach Jenny!” Rae and Sienna love seeing a woman on the sideline, helping our team grow and develop, and proving that excellence shows up no matter how we’re created.
But one Sunday morning, out of the blue, Rae woke up and asked, “Are there basketball classes? I want to play basketball.”
Stay cool, Ryan. Stay cool.
“There are! Do you want us to sign you up for one?”
“Yes, please!”
Rae caught the basketball bug. “Do the Pacers play tonight?” was the first question of each day, and if the answer was yes, then all plans had to be arranged around it (not me, even I don’t cancel plans for Pacers games… unless they’re in the playoffs then it’s fair game).
Rae would take off on a marathon for every game, thinking she was running the 100-meter dash. “Aw, come on!” she’d yell as the Pacers were down 5 points three minutes into the forty-eight-minute game.
And we witnessed some exciting games!
Towards the top of the list was Tyrese’s game-winning shot over Victor Oladipo’s new team, the Miami Heat, ending in a post-game celebration that the girls still talk about.
“Grandma! Last night Tyrese Haliburton got water dumped all over his head!”
If the Pacers weren’t playing, we’d find another team to watch. Dawn Staley’s South Carolina NCAA team became our favorite, mainly because of their overall game and because “(Aliyah Boston’s) hair is so pretty!” I’ve also found myself searching for Sue Bird and Candace Parker highlights, as Rae loves their CarMax commercials.
NBA league pass got a lot of use in our house. We’d watch the Comets (Orlando Magic), the Deer (Milwaukee Bucks), the Horsies (Dallas Mavericks), the Dinosaurs (Tortono Raptors), and the Sabonis team (Sacramento Kings). We’d also catch our fair share of Lakers games. The girls insist they should play in a floating arena on an actual lake, specifically Lake George.
Rae eventually started her 4-week basketball skills camp. This was an easy, less time-intensive introduction to the game of basketball for kids. After a bit of adversity on day one, Rae finished her class and came to the sideline.
“What did you think, Rae?”
“I loved it!”
With that, we signed her up for the Spring basketball league. And after a request from the city for coaches, I volunteered. I now have the privilege of being my daughter’s first basketball coach, continuing to enjoy the best seats in the house both on and off the court.
I fell in love with the game of basketball as a kid. My mom loved the sport and signed me up for leagues pretty early. I spent many summer days playing pickup games at the Glens Falls YMCA gym, or attending basketball camps throughout the region, learning how to improve my game.
On my first AAU team, I picked jersey number 31 in honor of my favorite player, Reggie Miller.
Whether it was on my own or inspired by a gentle nudge from my mom, I was hooked. Funny enough, I was sold when Reggie threw that choke sign toward Spike Lee.
Now the same team who helped me fall in love with the game is helping the next generation do the same. While the players may differ, there’s something about that Hoosier hope that knows how to reel us in.
Whether it’s a phase or more, I’m here for it. There’s joy in both teaching what you know and learning something completely new. No matter her route, I’m happily along for the ride.
As I type this, the Pacers are 32–38, following the best win of the year against the Milwaukee Bucks and a Myles Turner dunk that almost sent me to the hospital. You may look at the record and think, “That’s not great. Why are you so happy, Ryan?”
Because this is the season I watched my daughter fall in love with the game, and I had courtside seats to it all.
