From the sports section, an interesting story of family and fatherhood:

Alicia Jones-Bradley hand picked the spot she wanted to celebrate her son’s biggest moment. She chose a restaurant in downtown Tacoma, Wash., the Varsity Grill, and invited a small group of family and friends.
The circle that helped raise Avery Bradley wasn’t a large one, but of the couple dozen people invited, each played a role in getting Bradley to the NBA.
“You know when they say it takes a village to raise a child?’’ Jones-Bradley said. “We had our own little village.’’
Bradley’s older sister and two older brothers were there. His AAU coach, Garry Ward, was there. His father, Avery Bradley Sr., however, was in Mississippi.
Bradley got the call from the Celtics moments before David Stern announced the guard’s name June 25 as the 19th overall selection in the 2010 draft. After all the emotion had poured out, Bradley did what he had done the past 10 years. He picked up the phone and dialed his father.
“He was already watching,’’ Bradley said. “He was just really excited to see my dream come true.’’

Even in the sadness of divorce, the importance of family and fatherhood and responsibility comes through. The piece goes on:

Bradley was barely bigger than a basketball when his parents split in 2001. Just a boy, “There’s no way that he could understand why,’’ Jones-Bradley said.
But the relationship was too important to be over. So even though there was half a country between then, they made sure to stay connected.
Birthdays, Father’s Day, any day.
“Call your dad,’’ she’d say.
At least once a month.
“Have you called your father?’’
“I would always encourage him to call his dad,’’ she said. “Even though your mom and dad can’t be together, family is still important. Family is what keeps you going. That’s what keeps you strong, that’s what keeps you encouraged. Family.’’
Even if he was too young to appreciate it then, Bradley does now.
“She obviously knew that she couldn’t take that role in my life, both dad and mom, so she would always encourage me to always have a relationship with my dad,’’ he said. “She basically instilled that in my head, so once we started getting older it was a habit for us.’’
When Bradley Sr. and Jones-Bradley were together, Bradley Sr. always tried to be the best father he could be. He put his son in Tee-ball leagues, and played soccer and football with him.
He remembers walking through a park in Washington with his son when Bradley Jr. was just 7 years old. Bradley Jr. said what young boys say at that age. “I want to play basketball. I want to be in the NBA.’’
Bradley Sr. said what fathers tell their sons.
“You can do anything in the world you want to.’’

There’s more. I think it’s worth reading. In the brokenness, a real appreciation, still, for some fundamentals. In an odd way, the story shows an appreciation for marriage you often don’t see on the sports pages.