A Basketball Brotherhood Calls Timeout

“I thought I’d hit the jackpot,” Feigin said. “That was my dream of dreams when I was a kid: Oh, my God. I’ve got the keys to a gym.”

His brother and Lee were just as excited. One Saturday, they gathered with some of their other pals — including d’Amboise, who had been playing hoops with them for years — and The Run was born. None could have anticipated how it would grow over the years, or the motley crew of characters who would be drawn to it.

“I always joke that we could run a country,” d’Amboise said.

Every Wednesday, Dan Feigin, now the director of Trevor’s Upper School on the Upper East Side, sends a mass email to determine who will be playing that weekend. There are follow-up emails if his friends are slow to respond. But usually, The Run comprises a core group of 15 to 20 players who range from 16 to 58 years old.

Feigin is in charge of divvying up the five-man teams at the start of the session — and typically includes himself on the strongest squad. (There are perks to being commissioner.) The first game goes to 9 points, and every game after that goes to 7. Since 3-pointers are worth 2 points and 2-pointers are only worth 1, there is a strong premium on outside shooting. Defenders are responsible for calling fouls. There is an honor system.

“If someone kills you, they’ll give you the ball,” Dan Feigin said.

Alex Woodhouse, 34, a photographer and musician who was a three-year starter at Colgate, joined the game in his mid-20s at the urging of a friend. Woodhouse had no idea what to expect. He was unfamiliar with Lasry, then his friend filled him in.

“A billionaire? With a ‘B’?” Woodhouse recalled asking him.

But if Woodhouse had any qualms about digging in on defense against various titans of industry, he quickly learned that everyone was competitive.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/01/sports/pickup-basketball-new-york.html