Justin Tinsley is a writer based in Richmond, Virginia, USA. His work has been featured in SLAM Magazine, LA Weekly, The Score and more. You can follow him on Twitter @JustinTinsley
For the past 72 hours, during an incredibly exciting first round of the 2014 NBA play-offs, all anyone wants to discuss are Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling’s racial remarks and the impending verdict. The words were callous. The audience, unbeknownst to him at the time, was well-directed. The result was very much impactful – 12 Clippers’ sponsors have all either cut or suspended ties with the organisation – despite the element of surprise being extinct given Sterling’s peppered past in race relations.
Life's game of irony is weird, though. Where many in basketball now pray for a permanent environment without Sterling, many of the same prayers become fortresses of solitude attempting to cope with the passing of Dr Jack Ramsay.
The basketball icon passed away Monday in Naples, Florida, at the age of 89 following complications with cancer. For generations of basketball fans who fell in love with the game after his 21-year coaching career ended in 1989, Jack was simply seen as a “basketball grandfather.” A man whose knowledge of the game nurtured itself in every broadcast his second career afforded in the ‘90s and 2000s with ESPN, the Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat.
Basketball isn’t a complicated sport. It never has been. Sure, backdoor cuts, defensive assignments and things of the sort can become overwhelming. The game, itself, has never changed: score more points than the other team. Ramsay’s teachings revealed basketball’s countless dimensions. His on-air lessons covered a lot because that’s exactly what he saw.
Born and raised in Philadelphia provided him the city’s passion and grit. Traveling the world from his days in the Navy in World War II, an unyielding quest for academic knowledge and the requirements of working in professional basketball spawned a worldly view on life and how its lessons paralleled into basketball and vice versa.
Ramsay’s 864 career wins, unique wardrobe, helping Wilt Chamberlain hoist his first title in 1967 as the Philadelphia 76ers general manager or a decade later as head coach of the Trail Blazers are the old man’s surface level calling cards. They explained a part of who he was. Dedication and passion helped envelope much of the rest.
Precise breakdowns via his broadcasting days represented vivid glimpses into what made Dr Jack an icon in a sport benefitting from its fair share. We watched Jack Ramsay-called games not only because we’d hear the game deciphered in an entertaining and informative aura. We listened because the old man’s DNA was embedded in basketball as much as the superhuman talents on the court who came to revere his wisdom. He was cool as a fan doing it, too.
"Try to find someone who has a bad word to say about Jack Ramsay," said broadcasting legend in his own right, Hubie Brown. "You can't find him."
Google Dr Jack Ramsay's name. What Hubie said holds weight. The only slight attached to legacy is not drafting Michael Jordan in 1984.
Living to the ripe age of 89 and spending the great majority of it in a sport headlined by conflicting egos, it’s almost impossible not to develop an enemy along the way. This isn’t saying Dr Jack was the exception to the rule. Having luminaries like Pat Riley, Bill Walton, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, Gregg Popovich, Micky Arison, Adam Silver and more, however, confess the level of pride and honour it was to call Ramsay a friend is validation. It’s actually well beyond such.
So while the rest of the basketball world awaits Donald Sterling’s fate, realise the loss of Dr Jack Ramsay is a punch to the gut all the same. The man was by all accounts a breathtaking friend, devoted husband and father. To the rest of us, he was a “basketball grandfather.” Just a guy who helped us love the game a tad bit more.
The beauty in life lies in the spirits of those who embody its essence. Jack Ramsay was one those spirits. Heaven landed a great one this week.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
