It was late and she was tired, but she was also listening as her mother and I discussed the Florida-UCLA game. Saturday had already turned into Sunday and Kelsey had already had a full day.
Her big, weary eyes looked up at me when we began talking about the futures of Florida’s basketball players.
“Daddy, what do you mean Joakim’s leaving?” she said.
“Well, honey, Monday night is probably the last time you’ll see him play,” I said.
“What about Corey? Lee Humphrey? Al Horford?”
“Same thing, sweetheart.”
And her eyes began to well with tears and turned red. The innocence of 5 year olds is that they don’t understand the NBA lottery or eligibility. They think this will last forever.
Kelsey sobbed herself to sleep, thinking about her Gator boys leaving her.
I have a feeling there are a lot of people in the Gator Nation who feel the same way.
