How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: Essays

During an interview with the young basketball player D’Andre Brown, Laymon reminds him that, despite recently winning a game, he still needs to make other plans. Basketball, after all, might not work out. Brown mocks him, asking if Laymon will next tell him to pull up his pants or take off his hoodie.

Brown and Laymon met in the gym at Vassar College in the summer of 2003. Brown was 16. He and Laymon played basketball together. Brown told Laymon that he would play in the NBA. Before entering 10th grade, Brown stole a cell phone from a cheerleader. He was arrested and his coach kicked him off the team. The following summer, Brown attended Our Savior New American School in New York City after a coach saw him play at the Stony Brook basketball camp. There, he played against players for the first time who were better than he. Still, Brown contributed significantly to his team and played well. He admits now that his attitude held him back. He assumed he was better than everyone and never allowed himself to be coached. He ended up leaving Our Savior for Christian Missionary & Industrial School in Jackson, Mississippi.

On January 2, 2004, one of Brown’s closest friends, Kevin Mormin, “a seven-foot-three junior center from Paris,” was killed in a car accident (96). If Brown had stayed at Our Savior, he noted, he would have been in that van with Mormin, traveling to a game. While at CM&I, Brown earned a B-average and made plans to play for Florida International University in Miami. His coach advised him to attend Daytona Beach Community College first, but the plan fell through. He returned to Poughkeepsie and planned to take classes at Dutchess Community College, with the hope of transferring to a Division I or II program in a year.

On December 5, 2005, Brown found his childhood best friend, Stef Singleton, dead in his SUV. He had been murdered. Singleton’s death sent Brown into a depression for four months. He didn’t play basketball for three years. Between 2010 and 2011, Brown attended Indian River State College. While there, an agent called him and said that a colleague in Mexico wanted Brown to play there. Ever since, Brown has been playing basketball around the world.

Though Laymon is skeptical of Brown’s path, Brown is sure. He’s working and doing what he loves. He knows how rare that is for people like him and Laymon. He is happy, too, to be traveling to countries that he never knew existed. Still, Laymon advises him to think about teaching or coaching full-time or creating a mentoring program. Even if he made the NBA, Laymon insists, most draft picks are out of the league after a couple of years. By 28, he could be considered a veteran. Brown insists, again, that he is working, he’s happy, and he’s getting better at what he does each day.