NBA - Main

He still would have graduated without the ceremony....

And its a big deal to most because it's the point in their life when they're about about get into the real world and do something with the degree they just earned.

None of that applies to him.

I’m sure if he asked they would have let him attend a ceremony on a future date.

No, I've had to make that choice; many people do. I was fortunate to get work in my field of study and would not have jeopardized that for vanity. I made the adult choice and compromised. Rescheduled where I could.

Unlike Vince, I was not in a position of leadership, nor was I getting paid tens of millions, nor did the livelihoods of my peers depend on me, neither were the hopes of a country hung on my shoulders. It shouldn't have been a hard choice.

He was given a private jet to attend his ceremony for a whole 20 minutes. The NBA, even then, had a lot of data about short haul flights increasing injury risk and impeding performance and it was reflected in their scheduling. There's a reason why athletes don't fly the same day they play. Playing an early game is bad enough on it's own - adding two flights on top of that is a significant handicap - and it showed during the game.