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Equal access. Immigration. Connection. Public spaces. These themes are at the centre of the latest episode of Joe’s Basketball Diaries, hosted by Joseph Wong, the University of Toronto’s vice-president, international. 

In a wide-ranging conversation in the Hart House gym, athletes, authors, journalists and coaches join Wong to explore the intersection of sport and community, the challenges the city faces around infrastructure and society’s responsibility when it comes to access and resources. They also discuss the Toronto Raptors’ arrival in the NBA in 1995 and the lasting impact of Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute, the public high school and basketball player pipeline that closed in 2015 and is where many of Wong’s guests developed their love of the game.

“It’s Eastern for life, it’s a community and it goes far beyond basketball,” says Sami Hill, a Team Canada athlete. “It made me who I am a basketball player today, but also as a person.” 

 This episode features: 

• Kareem Griffin, executive director, Canletes Basketball 
• Sami Hill, Team Canada athlete and former Eastern Commerce Saints player  
• Perry King, journalist and author  
• Fitriya Mohamed, co-founder of the Muslim Women’s Summer Basketball League 
• Alex Wong, author, podcast producer and co-host of The Raptors Show with Will Lou