ERNIE AND BERNIE

I was always intrigued by Bernard King.

And not just because of his other-worldly (see intergalactic) hardwood abilities.

And not because of his brother Albert, eminent in his own right.

But partly because of his college chum and basketball sidekick, Ernie Grunfeld.

Remember “The Ernie and Bernie Show,” presented by the University of Tennessee Volunteers, circa 1974-’77?

I do.

Grunfeld’s story had a harrowing beginning which continues to resonate deeply, and will forever.

He is the only player in NBA history whose parents survived the Holocaust.

His mother lost seven immediate family members; his father lost everyone.

All of a sudden, your family is no longer here.

It’s a hard history, and an enormous amount to unpack, bear and carry.

Rocky Top helped Grunfeld heal a bit.

Every game was a sellout.

He became an All-American (with King) and that helped his parents heal a little too.

All parents revel in their children’s successes.

Who better than Grunfeld’s parents?

And why not?

Ernie Grunfeld is a gifted over-achiever, and always was…

A nine-year-old boy immigrating from Romania to America after losing most of his family in the Holocaust…

Communist Romania to New York City.

The die was cast.

He’d never touched a basketball, and spoke no English.

After arriving in New York City, the Grunfeld family suffered yet another blow when Ernie’s brother died of cancer.

“He started playing basketball and what he saw his parents go through, that struggle…he applied that on the basketball court,” his son Dan remarked.

“Our family background influenced everything about the way he played the game.”

When asked if Rocky Top was a place of healing, Dan said this:

“So much happened at Tennessee for him, for our family, it helped move away from a lot of this pain, not only for my dad, for my grandparents.

To watch my dad come to Tennessee and become an All-American and a star with Bernard, it’s one of the most meaningful things for my family.”

In “By The Grace of the Game,” Dan Grunfeld reflects on the pride his grandparents felt watching his dad rise to the top at Tennessee.

“After each road game the Vols played, the Tennessee road manager had a crucial job to complete.

He’d run up the arena’s stairs when the horn sounded, entering the opposing team’s concourse in his bright orange blazer and locating the nearest pay phone.

As Kentucky Wildcat fans cursed him in Rupp Arena or Florida Gator faithful taunted him in Alligator Alley, he made a collect call to a number he could repeat in his sleep: 212–268–4480.

When Apu answered in the apartment after one ring, the manager told him how the team had done and how many points my dad had scored.

My grandparents couldn’t go to sleep until they knew how he’d played.

Luckily, the news from the manager was almost always good.”

Ernie Grunfeld was able to parlay a painful family history into a prosperous multi-decade basketball career, as both a player and an executive.

Bernard King dealt with his own peck of troubles.

King’s #30, worn by Julius Randle today (who is a budding star in his own right) should have been retired and raised to the Madison Square Garden rafters long ago.

The Brooklyn native was that good.

Seriously.

He was great.

He played 14 seasons in the NBA with the New Jersey Nets, Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Washington Bullets.

King was a 4x NBA All-Star and a 2x All-NBA First Team selection who led the league in scoring in 1984-’85 with a 32.9 ppg average.

Blessed with long arms and a lightning-quick release, the 6’7” small forward was at times unstoppable.

Both on the court and off.

Off the court, there were things.

Cocaine.

Terry Furlow.

Drinking.

Excessive drinking.

As in, “have another drink, Bernard.”

Sexual assault allegations.

Rape.

On January 1, 1980, he was charged with multiple counts of forced sodomy and later convicted of “Attempted Forcible Sexual Assault.”

King took six different lie detector tests, claiming that he was so drunk that night, he had no memory of what had happened.

He passed each test.

And he thankfully outgrew this spate of very bad behavior.

Ernie Grunfeld presumably has moved a bit beyond all the horrors of his childhood and his frightening familial travails.

Birds of a feather, although different human beings, to be sure.

They achieved great success together, and separately.

Betcha they’re still pals.

[Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Mr. Kaplan in January 2022.]