He had worked his whole life for this opportunity.
WHEN A MIGRAINE FORCED MIAMI HEAT FORWARD JAMES JONES TO MISS THE MOST IMPORTANT GAME OF THE YEAR, SPORTS FANS TOOK NOTICE OF THE CONDITION.
BY JACKIE WALKER GIBSON
He grew up playing basketball in Miami and was drafted out of the University of Miami in 2003 to play for the Indiana Pacers in the National Basketball Association( NBA). He was traded two more times before returning to his hometown. Nine years later as his team, the Miami Heat, entered the 2012 NBA Finals, 6’ 8 forward James Jones began to feel the onset of a migraine just hours before Game 1. He returned to his hotel room, took some medication and tried to sleep it off— but it wasn’ t enough. The 32-yearold Heat star had to miss the biggest game of the year.
Jones returned to play in the following four games, and the Heat won the championship in a five-game series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Yet it is the migraine that sidelined him that will remain in many fans’ memories.
Jones is not alone with his condition. Miami Heat teammate Dwyane Wade, who led the NBA in scoring during the 2008-09 season, also experiences migraines and sometimes wears rose-colored sunglasses during games to avoid light triggers. Their coach, Erik Spoelstra, has said that Wade and Jones have made the team more aware of the complexities of migraine. Head Wise recently spoke with Jones to discuss his experences with migraine and why it is important for male migraineur-athletes to speak out about the condition.
Head Wise( HW): Why do you love the game of basketball? JONES: In most sports( football, baseball, soccer) you need a partner, somebody to pitch to you or a receiver to catch. In basketball, your partner is the basketball itself and that allows you to grow and develop even if you don’ t have a coach, friend, parent or someone else around.
HW: When did your migraines start? JONES: [ They got worse ] four years ago in the NBA, when I came back home to Miami. Prior to that, I had migraines sporadically but I never really paid close attention to them. In the last five years, I started to talk to physicians and trainers and they would ask me about my headaches.
I had a conversation with my mom and said,“ They’ re doing all these tests and everything looks good. I just don’ t know where these headaches
www. headaches. org | National Headache Foundation 37