OFF DUTY * SPORT
Meet Henry Fields,
the American
basketball star
who taught the
French how to play
and love the sport.
jl
whistle shrieks.
Feet stop
shuffling.
And the man on the
end of the bench unfolds his
long legs, stands and shouts
"Ce n est pas...
More
OFF DUTY * SPORT
Meet Henry Fields,
the American
basketball star
who taught the
French how to play
and love the sport.
jl
whistle shrieks.
Feet stop
shuffling.
And the man on the
end of the bench unfolds his
long legs, stands and shouts
"Ce n est pas vrei.
Ref, ya
gotta be kidding.
" The short, bald
French referee glares up at the big,
black basketball coach and says,
"Henry, calme-toi.
Sit down.
" But as
soon as the next bad call is made, Henry
is on his feel again, throwing his arms
up and yelling, "Ref, be serious.
He
didn t touch the guy.
" As soon as the
game is over, win or lose, Henry s grimace fades to a grin, his gold front
tooth sparkles and his soft brown eyes
twinkle when he says, "C rnon ref, I ll
buy ya a drink.
" Henry is friends with
everybody, even the bad referees.
Henry Fields, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound, I
49-year-old center-with hands big
enough to palm a ball, feet wide enough
to cut off a baseline, and a heart warm
enough to win over a country-has
become the
Less
