The Bar Mitzvah Halftime Report
A non-Twitter thread version of the story about my dad & Ernie Johnson...plus an appearance on top sports Substack The House of Strauss
Imagine expecting a voicemail from Ernie Johnson and then getting this in the mail
For those of you who are healthy enough to not be on Twitter, or those of you who missed it, a thread of mine made the rounds recently. For the purpose of safekeeping, plus the ability to share the video in its entirety (thank you, Substack, for not limiting the length of videos as much as X), I’m sharing a slightly modified version here as well.
Before I do, a bit of background. I always knew that, if I could find the footage, the tape of my Bar Mitzvah video would be of interest to NBA fans. A few months ago, I found the original tape in a box at my mom’s house. So I started typing out a rough draft of a potential Twitter thread to introduce and share the video, along with some context around how it came to be.
I didn’t initially plan on delving into the more personal second half of the story (this is kind of evident if you look at the first tweet of the thread, which states that the whole ordeal “ends” with me being called a ballhog and drug addict, when in fact it actually culminates a few decades after that). But as I paced around my house typing away on my phone’s Notes app, the story expanded into the final product that I sent out two weeks ago.
For weeks after I originally drafted the thread, the words just sat on my Notes app. I kept making excuses, delaying the posting. As someone who tends to despise sharing personal stuff on social media, airing out one of the more meaningful series of events in my life just felt icky. I might write about this more at length in the future, but this is one of several dozen instances where working on a big project with a partner becomes incredibly advantageous, especially if you’re, like me, a little gun shy. My co-author, Danny, knew I planned on sharing the video. Even though he didn’t know I’d be writing a whole story to go along with it, the very fact that he was aware of my plans was enough of a nudge to send it out into the world.
Anyway, here’s the story, de-threadified:
With the news that TNT might lose the NBA, it’s time to share the story about Ernie Johnson and the TNT Halftime Show he made for my Bar Mitzvah. It began with my dad and ended with me being called a criminal, drug addict, and ballhog (fair, to be honest) in front of family and friends.
To set the scene, it’s late May in the year 2000. My closest 100 friends and family have gathered in the rec room in a suburban Chicago temple to celebrate my Bar Mitzvah. After a particularly enthusiastic electric slide, members of the dance crew wheeled out a big projection screen, which would only mean one thing - time for an embarrassing montage of photos from my first 13 years.
The screen turned on and, instead of seeing my own baby pictures, I saw the unmistakable TNT Inside the NBA studio, with Ernie, George Karl, Kenny Smith, and Peter Vecsey at the desk (sadly, this was the pre-Chuck era). My first thought was, “Oh no, did I somehow tape over my Bar Mitzvah montage with a recent playoff game?!?”
Except wait! They’re talking about me! Thirteen-year-old Ben Kaplan skipping junior high and high school and going straight to the NBA. How? The answer - my dad. He knew I loved the NBA more than anything, so he cold-called TNT to see if Ernie would leave a message of congrats.
To my dad’s shock, Ernie called back personally. The playoffs had just started, so the crew was working most nights. According to my dad, Ernie said, “We’re just sitting around the studio during games. We’ll whip something up.” A week or so later, the tape arrived at my dad’s office. He sped home and popped it in the VCR.
The Halftime Report started off innocently enough, with Karl and Smith lauding my basketball talent and potential. It was cutesy and a neat thing for a teenager.
Then they turn to Vecsey, and that’s where the magic happens. I still to this day have no idea how Vecsey did this with a straight face. He knows he’s talking about a 13-year-old kid on the biggest day of that kid’s life, with all of his friends and family watching! Incredible performance.
The NBA didn’t pan out - scouts were alarmed that my 7th grade team lost it’s first game 49-5
Fast forward a few decades. I have kids of my own and a mortgage. In other words, now I’m actually a man (no offense to Jewish tradition, but a 13-year-old “man” is as outrageous as a 13-year-old playing in the NBA). My dad, now a grandfather of five, has been fighting cancer for about ten months.
For the holidays, I had gotten him some books, not realizing that, between the discomfort and the chemo fog, there was no way he could read them. I felt awful. I was determined to get him a really special gift. I started thinking…what’s the best gift he got me?
The halftime report! I searched the internet and found a publicist for Ernie Johnson’s book. I emailed him to explain my history with Ernie and share my request. A week or so later, I got an email back, directly from Ernie. He asked a few questions about my dad and said he’d be back in touch. Then he sent a personalized video that was so kind, inspiring, and emotional.
I showed it to my dad on his 72nd birthday. His wife, kids, and grandkids huddled around the laptop as well. Everyone cried. My dad told me it was the best gift he ever received, not just because of Ernie’s message of inspiration and hope, but because of the larger meaning and history behind it.
All the stories about Ernie Johnson being a special person are true. His generous acts, twenty-plus years apart, came to represent my relationship with my dad. Ernie even shared his number with my dad, and they texted here and there, usually while my dad was receiving treatments.
One final twist - a few months after that, I got a message from a childhood friend, Meredith Shiner. She was working on a podcast about Jews in sports and wanted to do an episode on sports-themed Bar Mitzvahs. After 20 years, she still remembered my Halftime Report.
Meredith had gotten in touch with Ernie and asked about Bar Mitzvah Halftime Reports. Apparently mine wasn’t unique; they filmed videos like that pretty regularly. But when she said it was her friend Ben, Ernie, who had just done the video for my dad, said, “Wait. Ben Kaplan?”
So Meredith had both Ernie and I on her podcast to discuss the full circle moment together. We talked about faith, and fathers, and sports, and how those three things weaved together in our lives. It turned out wonderfully. Here’s the link:
The episode dropped while my dad was in the hospital dealing with yet another complication from his illness. We thought it was just another pothole on what was a very bumpy road. My mom listened to the podcast in the middle of the night, curled up on a hospital chair. She played it for my dad the next day.
Two days later, my dad died. Turns out it wasn’t just a bump, but in fact the end of his journey. He fought so hard and was so full of hope, even at the very end. That same morning, he asked a hospice representative for dumbbells so he could get his arm strength back.
I think about him every day, especially when I’m with my own young boys, and ESPECIALLY especially when we’re watching hoops together.
Every time I see Ernie on that TNT desk, or hear his booming voice from the TV as I’m washing dishes in the other room, I think of his generosity, about how he allowed me to repay the best gift I ever received.
Basketball and my dad will always be intertwined, so it was meaningful to be able to dedicate my first book to him. (A book about basketball, of course).
I need to end this by once again praising Peter Vecsey, and Kenny’s reaction to Peter. His comment at the end - “You’re sick, man” - became a family favorite.
“Random drug testing.” C’mon man!
Fin
****
Also in the last couple weeks…
My co-author Danny and I joined Ethan Strauss of The House of Strauss, one of the top sports Substacks, to discuss our book on his podcast.
AND, at the risk of overdoing it with shameless self-promotion, an interview I recorded about a month ago with Hoopsville dropped. Really great conversation with Dave McHugh, who does so much to promote D3 basketball. Interview starts at around the 10 min mark.
Keep watching this space - we’ll have some behind-the-scenes stuff and deleted chapters from the book in the coming weeks and months. And please share with others who you think might enjoy!