By TERRY LYONS, Editor-in-Chief, Digital Sports Desk
Editor’s Note: This is an all-out plea for the readers of the column to stick with this one. It weaves some Lyons family history, memories of the ‘60s and early ‘70s, the golden age of airplane travel, and then goes full circle to the NBA and many a wonderful travel experience all over the world.
Saturday night readers might park this one for Sunday morning and a cup of coffee to take time to read it in full. My thanks for indulging the glorious TL reminiscing.
LOGAN AIRPORT (Boston) – The various airline advertising slogans remain clear in my mind. Maybe the most memorable was New York Knicks announcer Marv Albertproclaiming Eastern Airlines as – “The Wings of Man.” Another great one was, “Fly the Friendly Skies of United.” or you could “Fly the American Way.” or later “We’re American Airlines Doing What We Do Best.”
A good seat behind home plate at Shea Stadium gave fans a view of the “Serval Zippers” sign and about 100 yards away was a flashing Delta Airlines sign that proclaimed “FLY DELTA ATLANTA” and “FLY DELTA CHICAGO” or a few other great American cities. Of course, you might remember a catchy slogan that reminded travelers, “Delta Is Ready When You Are.”
My father worked for Pan American World Airways, as did my older brother years later. Pan American was known as the “World’s Most Experienced Airline” and later stated “Pan Am Makes the Going Great.”
There’s no doubt, the Madison Avenue ad agencies did a great job in a highly competitive industry. At that point in time, Pan Am and Trans World Airways (TWA) were the two USA-based airlines flying worldwide routes. Pan Am did not have any domestic routes until it flew to Los Angeles in the 1980s as a way of serving the South Pacific and Pacific Rim.
I can vividly remember going down to JFK to either drop my Dad off or pick him up from an international business trip (often to/from Frankfurt, Germany, a major inventory control hub for the airline, servicing aircraft in Europe.
On those trips to the Pan Am Worldport – a brand new terminal at JFK, away from the fray of the International Arrivals Building – we had our way exploring the place and covering every inch of the circular, space age, flying saucer of an airline terminal stacked with 747s as far as the eye could see.
Security was not as extensive as it is today, so a 12 year old boy could stroll through the entire terminal, gazing at all the destinations Pan Am served, and because of the flying privileges provided to immediate family of a Pan Am employee, we could grab our U.S. Passports and fly to every city across the globe. You name it: Mexico City, London, Paris, Cologne, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Sydney, Melbourne, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Tokyo, Osaka, Calcutta, Prague, Nairobi, Moscow, Beirut, Tehran or Istanbul. (I’ve been to 14 of the 20 listed).
But, wait? Did you say Istanbul?
Yes, late Sunday night I’ll be boarding Turkish Air Flight 82 from Boston to Istanbul to assist with a week’s worth of work for the NBA Basketball School – Türkiye which will coincide (and run side-by-side) with Basketball Without Borders, an incredible joint-venture with the NBA and FIBA.
The details of this specific Basketball w/o Borders can be found in the league’s official press announcement – HERE. There is a major difference between this camp and many of the others conducted as far back as 2001. Rather than staging camps continent by continent, the 2026 version will bring approximately 80 players from all around the world to one location – Basketbol Gelişim Merkezi – in Istanbul. NBA and FIBA players do one-to-one training, and the 17-year old prospects are instructed with shooting drills, movement efficiency, skill development stations, 3-on-3 competitions, life-skills seminars, and 5-on-5 game competition.
The NBA Basketball School – Türkiye – which runs 365 days a year throughout the entire country, shows campers (boys/girls – ages 6+) the NBA way of training and skill development.
Next week’s column will underline some of the highlights from the camps, which begin Wednesday, August 26.
To tie this column opener in a bow, it is very important to me to show appreciation for the privilege of traveling to countries and experiencing cultures all around the world. Those less fortunate sometimes are unable to leave their town, county or state. But, as part of a wonderful family, complete with unlimited Pan Am flight benefits, I was able to travel the world.
Then, at the NBA, came some serious traveling – and I don’t mean the kind called by recent Hall of Fame inductee Joe Crawford. Yes, that little round basketball brought us all to places we’d never even dreamt of seeing. Friendships were built, right on the hardwood, and they all seem to be everlasting.
So, indulge me for a second as I list a few things stream of consciousness style. These are all things I never dreamt of seeing and visited them because of the NBA, Basketball w/o Borders, USA Basketball, and the FIBA Worlds and Olympic Games. Here’s just a few:
- The site of the road into Jerusalem on a ride from Tel Aviv.
- Standing in Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 2004 and 2005 having experienced the very first NBA China Games and the first NBA Basketball w/o Borders – Asia with Yao Ming but thinking of what took place right there, 15 years prior in a 1989 uprising. I could visualize the never-identified protestor staring down four tanks in the middle of Chang’an Avenue.
- First glimpse of the Acropolis at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
- Anytime and every time riding through the streets of London, Paris or Rome and seeing Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, or the Colosseum.
- Prior to NBA travel, setting foot just barely across the border from West Germany to East Germany where barbed wire fences lined the perimeter of East Germany as far as the eye could see.
- That first step into Red Square and the sight of a stunning St. Basil’s Cathedral (The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed).
- Cruising Sydney Harbor with the sight of the Olympic Rings adorning Sydney Harbour Bridge, the famous Sydney Opera House right there in living color.
- The all-out beauty of Bruges in Belgium.
- And, personal favorites before my BIG favorite: Montjuïc in Barcelona, the beaches of Maui, Montauk and Chatham, Massachusetts, Wrigley Field in Chicago, the Gold Coast along the shore in Australia, not far from Brisbane, the beauty of Prague, the tremendous dinners in Milan and Bologna, catching NHL games in Toronto and Montreal, the airport approach with the city of Vancouver glistening to your side, holding theatre tickets to a show and walking to the West End of London, the beautiful blue waters of the Caribbean, the sight of freshly picked cucumbers and tomatoes in Suhumi, Russia, or Tiblisi, Republic of Georgia, or Vilnius, Lithuania, walking the entirety of the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, seeing Mount Fuji in the distance in Japan, the glaciers of Alaska upon landing on a one-stop to Asia, the views from a hotel room window staring out at Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, visting a U.S. Army base on the North Korean border, standing in Vatican City’s St. Peter’s Square and walking into St. Peter’s Basilica, the site of The Last Supper painting in Milan, standing on The Great Wall of China, a walk through Mexico City’s historic district and Zócalo Square, which leads me to my favorite, to be experienced this week …
- A boat ride up the Bosphorus River in Istanbul from Europe into Asia … last experienced with Bill and Lori Walton in the Summer of 2004 on the way to the Athens Olympics. There’s nothing like seeing the Blue Mosque, then the Bosphorus Bridge, now known as 15 July Martyrs Bridge.
I’ll be thinking about Bill, Rest in Grateful Peace.
HERE NOW, THE NOTES: After that lengthy stroll around the globe, there’s a nice surprise awaiting the readers of “The Column,” also known as “While We’re Young (Ideas).
Last weekend, there was quite a tribute to the NBA’s Leah Wilcox in this space, as Ms. Wilcox – we’ll call her Leah – was the very worthy recipient of the John Bunn Award – the Basketball Hall of Fame’s highest honor, just this side of enshrinment.
There are several other people who deserve mention and equal tribute in the column. I mentioned Joey Crawford, but how about Mike “The Czar of the Telestrator” Fratello, a dear friend and traveling companion to all parts of Russia and Lithuania.
There was one inductee who deserves special mention. He was inducted as a contributor, but he could’ve been honored for his pro playing career for Olimpia Milano or his European coaching achievements or – maybe most importantly – for changing the game of basketball forever when he coached in the NBA.
Yes, Mike D’Antoni, a very close friend along with his wife, Laurel, was honored in Springfield, and I was lucky enough to catch up with them at the Mohegan Sun (Connecticut) the night before at the Hall’s family “gala,” a much less formal event.
This columnist was all geared up to pay tribute to Mike, then along came an outstanding piece from NBA great (GM, Asst GM, PR man, USOC rep and all around wonderful guy) Tommy Sheppard, and with his permission I’m passing it along.
He wrote: “Some people win in the game. A rare few actually change the game. Mike D’Antoni did both.
Congratulations to the entire Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026:
Joey Crawford
Mark Few
Doc Rivers
Amar’e Stoudemire
Elena Delle Donne
Chamique Holdsclaw
Candace Parker
Mike D’Antoni
and the 1996 United States Women’s National Team.
Every one of them has a story worthy of Springfield.
This class is especially meaningful to me because of Mike D’Antoni and his family.
Mike and I first crossed paths when he came to work with the Denver Nuggets. More than 25 years later, I am fortunate to count him as a very close friend. Knowing Mike and his family for all these years has given me an even greater appreciation for everything he has accomplished — and for the person he is away from the court.
Long before “pace and space” became part of basketball’s everyday vocabulary, Mike saw the game differently.
And he had the courage to coach it differently.
His Phoenix Suns teams changed basketball.
“Seven Seconds or Less” was about pace, spacing, shooting and decision-making. Steve Nash pushed the ball, Amar’e Stoudemire attacked the rim, and Mike trusted his players to play fast, make reads, and share the ball.
The results speak for themselves: 253–136 (.650) in Phoenix, four straight seasons with at least 54 wins, two Western Conference Finals appearances, and NBA Coach of the Year in 2005. He won the award again with Houston in 2017.
Spanning 16 seasons as an NBA head coach, Mike won 672 regular-season games and another 54 in the playoffs.
But his basketball story is so much bigger than his NBA coaching record.
Mike played professionally in the NBA and ABA before becoming a legend with Olimpia Milano, winning five Italian championships and two European Cups during a remarkable 13-year playing career.
He also represented his country as an assistant coach with USA Basketball, helping Team USA bring home the gold at the 2008 Olympics, 2010 FIBA World Championship, and 2012 Olympics.
That is quite a basketball journey.
NBA. ABA. Italy. USA Basketball. Player. Coach. Innovator, and now: Hall of Famer.
And yet, for those of us who know Mike and his family, the wins and awards only tell part of the story.
Mike has always been generous with his time, his knowledge, and his friendship. He loves the game, loves talking about the game and has never stopped looking for a better way to play it.
That curiosity helped change basketball.
Look around the game today — pace, space, early offense, shooting, smaller lineups and giving players the freedom to make decisions — and Mike D’Antoni’s fingerprints are everywhere.
Congratulations to Mike, Laurel and the entire D’Antoni family. I could not be happier for all of you.
And congratulations to every member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
What a well-deserved honor.
TIDBITS & NUGGETS: This column and its sister-pub, “PGA Tour Brunch” follow the game of professional golf as close as anyone not traveling every stop on the Tour. That said, if you can figure out and share what the PGA TOUR office and – for that matter – the LIV Golf conglomerate – have in mind for the 2027 season, please let us all know.
There once was a promise to return to the Greater Boston area with a tournament every other year. After the Deutsche Bank Championship became the Dell Technologies Championship became The Northern Trust and moved to Liberty National in New Jersey for a year, men’s pro golf returned to TPC Boston for its last go ‘round.
Now, thankfully, the LPGA makes a stop at TPC Boston for the FM Championship – No Static at All – from August 27-30th.
But, as the Tour re-shuffled its priorities, its Playoffs, its Signature events, and a new system to get to the ever-changing FedEx Cup Playoffs, the Greater Boston area was left off the list. New England’s lone Tour event remains at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut – a stone’s throw from Hartford.
That is a wonderful event, but Boston deserves better as the Labor Day weekend tournament of yesteryear has faded away, like a Cape Cod sunset in late September.
By the way, two tournaments in the great State of Hawaii are gone, too.
It’s a cryin’ shame – a quadruple bogey.