NBA - Main

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.