LOS ANGELES — Basketball was Allyson Felix’s game. The court was where the shy minister’s daughter could express herself better than she ever could through words. She cherished her Kobe Bryant jersey and her hoop dreams.
She was 5 foot 6 and slender but she could jump and could she ever run, skills she showed off for L.A. Baptist’s freshman basketball team. When her father Paul and brother Wes urged her to try track and field in the spring of 2000 she agreed, reluctantly. She showed up for the tryouts in long basketball shorts and her favorite Gary Payton Glove sneakers.
“I didn’t know anything about running shoes,” she said.
