They all went their separate ways in the parking lot. Heading off to get a change of clothes and maybe some food. Ziva headed straight home, changed into a pair of her gym clothes, and grabbed an apple from a bowl on her counter. She was actually excited to be doing this. Not only did Tony seem to absolutely love it, but she also wanted to learn how to play. After all, it was a very big American sport.
She left her apartment and made her way to the gym. When she pulled up and parked her car, she saw one person on the outdoor court. He looked to be shooting shots and banking them through the net. He was really good. She got out of her car and made her way over to the court. When she got closer, she could tell that this person was in fact, Tony.
She didn't realize how good he actually was at the game. Almost as if he could sense her presence, he turned around and gave her one of his biggest smiles. She couldn't help the smile that blossomed on her face. She also couldn't help but look at his form. He was shirtless, and his stomach was riddled with muscles. She couldn't help but not look.
He could see that she was staring at him. Hitting the gym had some perks, especially if she looked at him like that.
"Are you ready?" She snapped out of her reverie and dropped her bag on the bench.
"Yes." He moved them over to the goal and shot. The ball went through the net without any hesitation. He was really good at this.
"So, what your gonna have to do first is have your feet spaced out. Make sure that the tips of your feet are aligned with one another. One hand should be placed in the middle of the ball and the other should be placed on the side. When you flick your wrist and produce enough power…" He shot the ball, and again it went in the hoop.
"You get that." She nodded. Seemed simple enough. Right? He handed her the ball and she took the stance that she told her to do and positioned the ball above her head. He adjusted her stance to where it could be formed properly and backed away from her, letting her do the rest.
She launched the ball out of her hands and it flew up and into the bucket. She threw her hands up, surprised that it actually went in.
"Nice shot, Zeevah. Just keep doing that. You'll be fine. We'll wait until everyone gets here to work on defense and drills." She nodded her head and practiced shooting the ball a few more times. The ball went in every time.
'Looks like we have a natural.' Tony thought. It didn't surprise him that she was good at the sport, or at least this part of it. She was good at practically everything.
Around 20 minutes later, McGee and Abby pulled up to the basketball court. They got out and Abby was dressed in all black, of course, but in leggings and a tank top. Tim was dressed in shorts and an MIT sweatshirt.
"Hey, Guys! We finally made it!" They laughed at Tim's obvious eye roll.
"When do you think the bossman will get here?" They all shrugged their shoulders. They knew how unpredictable their boss was. They didn't even know if he would really show up.
"Okay. Let's get started." Tony went through the same motions with both Abby and McGee to get them to where they could actually shoot the ball. Abby learned fairly quickly and started making them in no time. Tim, however, kept hitting the backboard or missing completely.
"Come on, Tim. It's not that hard. Just position your hands right, use your strength, and release the ball." McGee did as he was told but still couldn't make the basket in the hoop. Tony walked over and placed his hand on his shoulder.
They had been going at this for the last two hours.
"How about you just pass the ball to one of us?" Tim adamantly nodded. That was fine by him.
They had been practicing a number of drills and plays that they could use for the upcoming game. They saw an old beat-up truck pull into the parking spot next to Tim's car. One Leroy Jethro Gibbs stepped out in sweatpants and a NIS sweatshirt. Seems he went home for a change of clothes and a bite to eat as well.
"Hey, Boss." Gibbs walked over to them and set his coffee down on the bench alongside everyone's things.
Gibbs held up his hands, signaling for Tony to pass him the ball. He did, and Gibbs caught it with ease. He moved closer to the goal and took a short. The first one in many years. It went through the hoop and Tony looked at him with wide eyes.
"Nice shot, boss." Gibbs let out a slight smirk.
"You play?" Gibbs nodded.
"Yeah. High School." Tony smiled at that.
"I've known you for how many years and still didn't know that? We could've talked about basketball all these years." Tony whined. Everyone couldn't help but smirk at his tone.
"We have, DiNozzo." Tony thought back to the instances of when they had ever done that, and could only point out a few.
"Okay...we could've talked more then." Gibbs shut the conversation down by pointing to the other members of the team.
"What all have you worked on?" Tony moved over to where Ziva was standing.
"Just shooting, some drills, and a couple of plays." Gibbs nodded.
"Think we got a chance?" Tony surprisingly nodded.
"Yeah. I think we might. We just can't pass the ball to Mr. Gemcity over here." McGee gave him a glare but was relieved that he wouldn't have to shoot the ball.
"What about these two?" Pointing at Ziva and Abby.
"They've got their shooting down, it's just the defense that needs some work." Gibbs nodded again and pointed to Ziva, telling her to go to a specific spot. She did and watched as Abby did the same but on the other side.
"When I tell you to move, run out to the 3 point line." They both nodded and got into position. Gibbs started up the court and yelled the signal. Ziva and Abby moved to where Gibbs said and he passed the ball to Ziva. He told her to shoot from the line. The ball went up into the air and down into the basket. Gibbs smirked. Seems like she was a natural. Tony high fived Ziva with a smile on his face. She returned it.
"Alright Abs, your turn." They got back into their positions and when Gibbs yelled go, they both ran out, but this time Gibbs passed the ball to Abby. Abby shot like she was taught but the ball bounced off the rim. Her shoulders slumped.
"It takes practice, Abs. You'll get the hang of it. Until then, I think we should establish who's playing what position." He looked over at Gibbs, silently asking permission to assign roles. When he saw Gibbs' slight nod, he went into "coach" mode.
"Alright, seeing as I've only played point guard, I'll take that position. Ziva, seeing as you're a good shooter and could get around people, you'll be the shooting guard." Seeing her nod, he moved on.
"McGee, you'll be the power forward. Abby, the small forward. Gibbs, seeing as you're the last available player, you'll be the center. Your height will also work out in this position." They all nodded, ready to begin learning what they needed to in order to play the game correctly and efficiently. They wanted to kick the FBI's ass.
"I like the drill that Gibbs was running. We should run that again, but this time have defense defending the goal." Gibbs nodded, taking the ball back. They all moved into position. Ziva and Abby on either side of the free-throw line, and Tony and McGee standing next to them. Tony to Ziva and McGee to Abby.
Gibbs started the play and made his way towards them. Ziva being as sneaky as she was, managed to get away from Tony, but not for long. Tony was very good at this sport, as well as analyzing his partner. When she turned thinking that she was on the clear, Tony was standing right there, hands up in a defensive position. She was surprised to see him. She couldn't stop the shiver that went down her spine as she felt him so close, and shirtless. She thought she got out smoothly. McGee was trying and failing, to defend Abby. She got around him easily and received the pass from Gibbs, taking the shot, and making it.
Gibbs smirked at her and nodded, silently telling her 'good job'. Tony went over and high-fived Abby, and gave Tim a head slap.
"Come on, McGamer. Get your head in the game." Tim rubbed his head and glared at him. He looked around at everyone.
"Alright. This time I'm going to take Gibbs' place. Gibbs, you'll block Ziva and I'll bring the ball down." They nodded and ran the play. Tony decided to call out the play to make sure they understood where to go next in the game. They decided to call it "Sig".
After hours of playing through multiple different plays, they called it a night. Tony walked over to his gym bag, put his shirt back on, and took out his keys. He was one of the last to leave. Ziva was right beside him. He sighed. What if something went wrong with his knee again? He'd be more disappointed in losing this game than he did in college. He'd disappoint his family. He'd disappoint Ziva. He never wanted to do that. He had to make sure his knee would be in peak condition for the game. Ziva could sense that he was lost in thought and heard the sigh that he produced.
"What is wrong, Tony?"
"Last time I played, it was the championship game at Ohio State. It was 62 - 61, us in the lead. I was going for the dunk when my knee gave out on me. Couldn't get up in time to stop the turnover. They scored and won the game. My teammates never looked at me the same again. Every time I saw them they sent looks of hatred and disappointment. I don't want that to be the same case here." He reached into his bag and pulled out a picture. It was him, in college, with a jersey and a basketball under his arm. She smiled at the picture of him. He didn't look too different other than he was younger and his hair was a little longer.
"My dad loved that I played. When it all fell apart and he found out I wanted to be a cop, that's when things went sideways." Ziva placed her hand on her shoulder.
"We would never do that to you, Tony. We are a family." He looked up at her and gave her a small smile.
"Yeah. I know." He gathered the rest of the things and made his way over to his car. She was following behind him.
"See you at work tomorrow."
"Good night, Tony." He watched as she drove into the night. He wasn't going to let them down.