"The Shot That Saved Lives" By: Thomas Lake

“The Shot That Saved Lives”, by Thomas Lake, is an article I stumbled upon in Sports Illustrated about how an intricate web of events lead to an Alabama basketball player named Mykal Riley saving thousands of lives with a single shot. Riley’s miraculous buzzer-beating shot forced an overtime against Mississippi State, which kept fans and players safe inside the Georgia Dome, away from a powerful tornado that only minutes later tore through downtown Atlanta. For this to happen, a number of things had to play out perfectly.

“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God…”
Deuteronomy 29: 29

The story begins on Christmas in 1962, when Freddie Riley, a 13-year-old boy, gets a self-amplifying electric guitar. He teaches himself to play, with the help of God, promising that if God teach him to play, he would play only gospel songs and hymns. Soon he gets good at playing and begins traveling the U.S. with gospel bands such has the Harmony Kings and the Chariots. One morning in 1979, Freddie meets Betty Beard, a guitar player and singer for the Beard Family Singers. Freddie hears Betty sing and falls in love with her instantly, and the two are married. On July 14, 1985, Freddie and Betty have a son Mykal. Pine Bluff, where Mykal grows up is a dangerous place, full of drug dealers, robbers, and gunfire. This gunfire leads to the death of Ernestine Beard, Betty’s older sister. Dottie, Mykal’s grandmother builds a basketball court in her back yard with the money from the life insurance she had on Ernestine. Mykal spends nearly every waking moment of his youth on that basketball court, and nearly perfects his game. In 2000, at age 15, Mykal is the “team manager” (more commonly known as water boy) for the Pine Bluff High basketball team. Mykal continues to improve his game and steps in during practices when an extra player is needed. By the 11th grade, Mykal makes the junior varsity team, and plays on the varsity team his senior year. Pine Bluff High wins the Arkansas 5A state tournament, but Mykal plays barely plays five minutes. After high school, Mykal goes to Ouachita Baptist University to play basketball, but he drops out. He then enrolls at Southeast Arkansas and again drops out. But Mykal keeps playing basketball, and in 2004 is offered a full scholarship to play basketball at Panola. After playing at Panola for two seasons, Mykal becomes noticed by Division 1 schools. Alabama coach Mark Gottfried visits Mykal and asks him to play basketball at the University of Alabama. Mykal agrees to play at Alabama, and has a good first season. The next season, playing as a senior, is even better for Mykal, and he averages 14.9 points per game. In Alabama’s first SEC tournament game, Mykal scores 26 points and helps Alabama upset Florida. Alabama advances to the second round to face Mississippi State. Shortly after the start of the Alabama versus Mississippi State game, a heavy storm warning is issued for the metro area. At halftime, Alabama leads 36–29, with Mykal contributing over a dozen points. Forty miles away in Taylorsville there are signs of a hook echo (the comma shape that usually precedes a tornado). Then in the second half Mykal, and the rest of the Alabama team go cold. With 2:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, Mississippi State is up 54–52. Hailstorms are reported in Cobb County, about 15 miles away. Alabama calls a timeout with 20.8 seconds left. Alabama is losing 58–56. They pass the ball inbounds, but it goes off a Mississippi defenders foot. They get the ball with 13.1 seconds remaining but miss a game winning layup and are forced to foul to stop the clock. The storm is six miles away and traveling at 35 miles per hour. Mississippi State’s Barry Stewart makes the first free throw but misses the second, and Alabama recovers the ball and passes it down court, but the ball is knocked out of bounds by Stewart. With two seconds left, Alabama calls a timeout, and a play is drawn up so that Mykal will come off of a screen, catch the ball, and fire up a three pointer to force overtime. Mykal catches the ball, turns, shoots, one second remaining, the ball hits off the backboard and goes in. Later, with 2:11 left in overtime a loud rumbling sound is heard just outside of the Georgia Dome.


Mykal Riley’s shot inadvertently saved thousands of lives by preventing fans and players from leaving the game. Most would be just in their cars or even walking down the street that the tornado tore through. One person, a homeless man, is killed by the tornado, but no other injuries were reported, thanks to Mykal Riley’s shot.


I enjoyed reading “The Shot That Saved Lives” because it shows how the present is dependent on previous actions and how even the smallest occurrence can change how one’s life plays out.