Image by Carola Dittrich from Pixabay
When Thomas Stepforth Sr. was just teenage Tom Stepforth, a neighbor noticed how he got a bird's nest back into a tall tree and then put all the chicks back in it – four leaps up in a row, and three chicks safely at home.
“You should try out for the high school basketball team, son – I know you're kinda small, but you've got careful hands, and a body made for the air.”
It turned out that Tom Stepforth had a vertical leap of 38 inches, and from a good head start could jump six feet in height and far more than that in length. That got him on the high school team, where he played solid offense became an absolute terror on defense. At one game, he rejected a basket so firmly that the scout from Virginia Tech who had heard about him actually had to catch the ball to keep from getting hit in the head with it.
And that was how Tom Stepforth made it into college, on a basketball scholarship to Virginia Tech, where he played spectacular D1 basketball while finally getting the education and connections that would later lead to his becoming a billionaire as a businessman, not an athlete. He was indeed too small for the NBA, but in Virginia, “The Airstepper” was a legend so great he nearly got in trouble with an athlete eight years younger who had heard that he had learned his moves from Tom.
“Sir, I never said any of that,” Mr. Stepforth said, putting both hands up in surrender as the world-famous basketball player playfully brought it up. “You don't need to mop the court with me to make the point, although it would be an honor for me if you felt it needed to be done!”
The two men became good friends, often discussing matters around being wealthy Black men in America working through love, loss, divorce, the loss of a father and mentors, friends, and other things. Occasionally they played one-on-one. The younger athlete always won those games, but he appreciated the older businessman's ferocious competitiveness, and his respect: “I train and stay in shape for the honor of not boring you as you win.”
This, of course, led to a phone call the next time the retired athlete billionaire saw the businessman billionaire in the news for the extraordinary feat of aged athleticism that had saved his and his daughter's life.
“You know, Tom,” he said, “you are never boring. I've posterized a lot of great players, and even some space aliens, but I don't think I've ever posterized a car accident!”
Mr. Stepforth's laughter brightened the entire emergency room at Lofton Dynast Hospital.
“Your Airness,” said Mr. Stepforth, “I so appreciate your call, and that you noticed!”
“Look, man, I learned I had to watch you in our first game when you rejected one of my shots into the next county – as tiny as you are, and eight years older! But this here? You deserve a promotion, man – henceforth be Lord Airstepper!”
“Your Airness, I am honored, and accept the title with grateful humility, knowing you're going to mop the court with me when I get out of here to keep me from getting a big head.”
“Oh, you know that!”
Meet Mr. Stepforth's good friend, His Airness ...
What a relief I was praying he would not die on the way to the hospital. Lord Airstepper, is kinda catchy.
I figured we needed a little relief today ... and yes, Lord Airstepper and His Airness will live and enjoy their friendship into the future!
Thank you,.... from me smiling.
I do not follow basketball, but I have heard of Michael Jordan is he the Your Airness?
Yep... Your Airness is Michael Jordan -- "His Airness" was one of his nicknames! He also is a Black billionaire, one of a few that I borrowed from in order to create Thomas Stepforth as a character. Mathematically, they would be about 8.5 years apart in age, and, Mr. Jordan has a habit of showing up on basketball players who think they are better than him, so, it would be conceivable that if there were another high-flying basketball player that people were comparing him to in the same decade, he just might go introduce himself.
However, there is no real comparison. Mr. Jordan is six feet six with a recorded 38-inch vertical leap. Mr. Stepforth is "tiny," just five feet nine with the same vertical leap but only about three-fifths of the weight. You notice that Mr. Stepforth says IMMEDIATELY that he knows he doesn't class anywhere near Mr. Jordan -- the idea is a joke and is handled as such. But that comes out well, because Mr. Stepforth wasn't given the height and weight for the NBA. He was given the body he needed at 65 to be able to do one last "airstep" above a car bearing down on his daughter...
thank you once again, this story really touches my heart. I am happy that I started reading it. I have heard of Air Jordan, I just did not connect the dots. Even though I do not follow basketball I do know of great players like His Airness, Shaquille O'Neil, and "RIP" Mr. Koby Bryant also I think there is a very tall Asian guy who is good but I can not remember his name. I do not know of any good white basketball players so I guess it is true, white men can't jump. LOL
Jeremy Lin of "Linsanity" was REALLY good ... he matched up with Shaq in his prime and was one of the few people Shaq could not just have his way with.
EXCELLENT White basketball players: Larry Byrd, John Stockton, Steve Kerr ... Jordan respected all of them, and especially Larry Byrd, who is one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball. I saw Mr. Byrd at the end of his career, John Stockton for all of it, and Steve Kerr at the beginning -- but THEN, he became my team's coach, and coached them to three championships -- he's the coach of the Golden State Warriors now!
wow you know basketball, I never got into watching it or any other sports on tv. When my kids were young and in sports I went to all of their games, football, baseball, softball, LaCrosse, and cheering. I guess I did not have any kids tall enough or good enough for basketball.
None of my family but my grandmother was tall enough to play basketball, but we watched the Bulls RELIGIOUSLY while Jordan played, and a lot of the kids I grew up with played basketball.
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