NBA all star Brandon Roy intervenes in heated high school basketball brawl to restrain daughter.
Former NBA All-Star Brandon Roy turned out at a Seattle high school basketball game for an unexpected reason: not as a coach or onlooker, but rather to be a concerned father. It all went down in a heated incident where West Seattle High School and Garfield High School, any other school in the city of Seattle is seven miles away from each other.
Rivalry Boils Over
In the final seconds of the game, Garfield was taking a 11 point lead and looking to just run out the clock. In a failed attempt to scoop up an errant Garfield player, a West Seattle player aggressively shoved a Garfield guard. The ball was then thrown by the Garfield player at his opponent, setting off a full blown brawl.
What followed was chaos: Players from both sides punched and referees struggled to get the melee under control, rolling believing punches on and rolling believing punches off the court. It escalated quickly and coaches and parents who saw the scene come to blows intervened.
Brandon Roy Steps In
Three time NBA All Star Brandon Roy, at the helm of Garfield High School’s boys’ basketball team, were among those rushing to restore order. The video footage showed Mariah wearing No. 3 and Roy entered the fray to keep his daughter from getting physical. The altercation picked up when Mariah appeared to throw a punch.
As Roy, famous for his chilly demeanour when playing, held his daughter back, he kept his cool and prevented the situation from escalating overnight.
The Aftermath
No formal statements or disciplinary actions have been announced by the schools or by the district at the time of writing. The footage of the incident has attracted public interest, and both the programs now could be suspended or penalized.
Brandon Roy’s Legacy
For his NBA career alone, Roy has put himself under a spotlight. The Pick in the 2006 NBA Draft that Roy was taken was sixth over all and in his four seasons with the Portland Trail Blazers he earned All Star plays in four in a row from 2008 to 2010. Not yet, he wasn’t retired from the game prematurely – almost two years ago (during the 2012–2013 — game — due to persistent injuries to his knees — he remains a major figure in the basketball world.
Since leaving the NBA, Roy has become a coach, becoming the Garfield High School’s boys’ basketball head coach in 2017. He’s a pillar of the Seattle basketball community and his leadership on and off the court.
A Teachable Moment
It is story bad that happened, but it’s a story which reflects the harsh emotions that can occur when you’re involved in competitive sports. But for Roy, it was a reminder that even though he is a coach, father and mentor, there is really a balance in-between, between all the three roles.
This brawl could give a little blemish to an otherwise normal high school rivalry, but it’s a chance that all involved players, coaches, parents have to want to take advantage of to improve and move on. Future matchups of these programs will hopefully be remembered as athletic and sportsmanlike, not chaos on the court.
