How A Hurricane Changed the NBA

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We just returned from visiting Charleston, SC. My wife and I spent a few days and took it all in. Charleston has had many puke & rally moments across its existence.

One such moment occurred in 1989 as Hurricane Hugo struck Charleston and caused over $7 billion in damages. A rally took place in the immaculate downtown battery area during the 2-year reconstruction, and the insurance dollars actually spurred growth and revitalization.

However, before hitting the mainland, it destroyed many islands across it’s path as well. The U.S. Virgin Islands was ravaged by Hurricane Hugo and those island recovery efforts took much, much longer.

One unforeseen impact was the hinge moment of Hurricane Hugo.

One particular athlete growing up on St. Croix was a competitive swimmer. However, the hurricane destroyed the island’s only olympic size swimming pool. Thus, at age 14, this athlete turned to playing basketball and his game grew along with his own size.

This basketball player eventually attended Wake Forest University and was even held scoreless in his first college game. However, despite the prep to pro model that emerged, he stayed all four years and earned his degree. By his senior year, he won the Naismith College Player of the Year.

Tim Duncan would eventually become the greatest power forward in the history of the game and changed the entire NBA.

All because of the hinge moment of a hurricane.