This isn’t a tale about loss, but about gain. The last thing Mike Breen wants is pity. Coming home to a pile of ashes is painful but the fire that ruined his home also refined his perspective. ThompsonScribe on how he found spirit through devastation ⤵️
He’s nearing his 100th NBA Finals game called, which is far and away the most of any broadcaster. He’s finely compensated for his talent, too, with perks that include a front-row seat to hoop history, a connection with some all-time greats and respect among his peers.
The gripping reminder of the value of life, underscored by his family being spared. His wife was by his side, his youngest child and dog safely elsewhere. Four days after the fire, Breen attended an ESPN preseason seminar. He wanted to go despite his trauma because the season neared. The selflessness bequeathed to him by his parents would not allow him to make himself the center of attention. He was going to suffer in silence. But the story broke in a local Long Island newspaper while he was at the seminar. His phone started buzzing.
“He fought me over it for a week,” Breen said of his son. “He’s like, ‘Dad, I don’t want to go out there. It’s too long to commute to work. I’ve got all my stuff here. I’ll keep her off the floor.’ So we argue about it for a week.” It was a visceral display of how much Breen means to people. It troubled him to be the source of such anguish. But the love he heard wasn’t lost on him. He and his family have been shrouded in it ever since.
Imagine the memorabilia he’s collected over the years. One of his favorite pieces was a Kobe Bryant jersey. Remember in 2014 when the NBA allowed nicknames on jerseys? ESPN made one for Breen that read “The Gray Mamba” on the back. He rarely asks for autographs but this prompted an exception.Periodically, since the fire, they’d get reminders of something else lost. They’d discover some simple treasure was no longer there. Each time, a modicum of the pain from their loss returns.
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