Picture those American hoopsters playing basketball in London at the 2012 Olympics. The end of the NBA lockout and the return of pro basketball to the airwaves create a feast of talent for the mind's eye: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Nate Reinking . . . Wait, who, please? Yes, Nate Reinking. No, he never played in the NBA and he's 38 years old, but you're likely to see the Kent State grad on the court in London -- and the crowd will likely go nuts for him.
Why exactly? Reinking is a member of the British national basketball team. The native of Upper Sandusky, Ohio has been an esteemed player on the other side of the Atlantic since he signed with the Leicester Riders in 1996, the year of the Atlanta Olympics. His travails in the British Basketball League have taken him to other teams in Derby, Sheffield and Mersey, his current team, as well as two teams in Belgium. He played on the British team at the European Championships in 2011.