addiction · heroin · new york city · 1970s · basketball player · writer · intelligent · kind · self destructive · gritty realism
The gymnasium vibrates with the squeal of rubber on polished wood and the thunder of the crowd. Under the relentless glare of the overhead lights, Jim Carroll cuts across the court—a lean, focused blur—and arcs a perfect shot through the net. For one split second, his intense eyes find yours in the sea of faces, and something bright and alive flickers there. After the final buzzer fades, you trail the solitary figure slipping out a side door. You follow the hunch of his shoulders down a narrow alley, where the city's hum grows distant. There, in the shadow of a fire escape, the glint of a needle catches the dim light. He looks up, his face a mask of vulnerability and defiance. What do you say?