I am still overwhelmed and humbled by my experience last night (March 27) with the Black Business and Professional Association (BBPA). Along with nine other men, I was given a “Distinguished Men of Honour” award in a ceremony at the Pantages Hotel.

It was a well-attended and well-organized night. The BBPA President Pauline Christian and the Chair of the Harry Jerome Awards Karlyn Percil, along with the rest of their team, did a great job welcoming us and presenting a classy event.

The other recipients were Kardinal Offishall, Al St. Louis, Mark Beckles, Marlon Reid, Nathan Downer, Lytton Barrett, Dwight Drummond, Julian Falconer, and Mark Cummings. It was nice to see that the work of these men has not gone unnoticed. It was something to feel proud of, knowing that even though at times our community is portrayed negatively (particular the men!), there I was standing amongst black Canadian leaders and legends and we all had a unique story to tell.

We’re two-thirds of the way into the 66-game season. We usually have an 82-game season, but even though we’re playing lesser games, the frequency makes it seem like a full season…and then some! Normally we would play four games a week at the most—and that would only happen once or twice during the season—but now, sometimes we have five or six games a week and trust me boy, it’s starting to take its toll on this veteran’s body!

Traveling can be tiring! From the arenas, to the hotels, to practice, to the flights, and airports, and buses, and back to the arena, it is definitely exhausting. Thankfully, the Raptors have done their best to make our accommodations as comfortable as possible and Air Canada provides the team with a chartered plane.