Excruciating, sudden, unexpected, burning pain are amongst the variety of adjectives which have been used to describe the onset of gout. It primarily affects men between the ages of 40 and 50 and in the U.S., and it affects African Americans twice as much as Caucasians. The disease, which is a form of arthritis, can usually affect the big toe causing unparalleled swelling.

Maurice Cheeks, coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, knows all to well just how debilitating the disease can be. "The pain is indescribable though, there is no way I would adequately be able to describe it."

A typical sufferer of gout is obese and has a higher risk of diabetes, hypertension and heart disease... pretty much the trifecta of killer diseases. Gout has famously been known as the "disease of kings" as it is more common in affluent societies with more access to diets rich in proteins, fat, and alcohol.

Black Voices' Denver Louis got a chance to sit down with coach Cheeks as he strives to bring awareness to this painful disease.

So when where you first diagnosed with gout?

I was diagnosed probably in 2001 and I had my first bout in Portland around that time.

What was the first thing that came to your mind when the doctor told you that you had gout?

Nothing really because I had never heard of it and I had no prior knowledge of it. No one really offered a longer explanation of it, so it wasn't like I got concerned about it. I didn't know, and it was my fault that I didn't get enough information on it, I should have had more information on it but I didn't, so I just wasn't that concerned about it.

Did you find out about it only after it became an issue?

Yeah, I just... diet is a big issue. I'm not a big eater, but I eat steaks and hamburgers a lot, it's pretty much all I eat. So come to find out, that it had a lot to do with it. So once it got to that point, I cut back on those things. I didn't stop them, but I cut back on them. That was one of the things that the doctor's talked about. That I need to cut down on my diet, that I need to get my cholesterol down, I gotta cut down my red meat and red wine. Come to find out that red wine was not one of them, but red meat is, so I've cut down on my diet considerably.

Was there a moment in the playoffs where gout became an issue?

No. Beforehand it was, like late May or early April and I had a bout with it and I was trying to deal with it then while trying to win some games as well.

So how long did the bout last?

That particular one probably lasted about two weeks. Its two weeks of continuous pain everyday. Each day it gets a little worse and then it starts subsiding as the days go by.



Do you think there would have came a point where you wouldn't be able to coach the team, had your got gotten to a severe level?

Well it was severe, but at that time we were trying to make the playoffs and I don't know if I would have allowed myself to do that. Although it was very severe, I don't think I would have been able to do that.

How does being restricted to the bench affect your coaching style?

During one of our games in Atlanta, I sat down most of the time when it started. That's why I first took my shoe off on the bench. I stayed down most of the time except for sometimes when I would jump up because you forget. I remember jumping up and then immediately coming right back down. It affects you with your players, because if you are just sitting on the bench, they tend to think you're not really into the game, especially if you're losing. If you win, it's a different story, but if we're losing and I had a bout of it and I just sat there, they would think I wasn't in the game and their energy would go down and it would affect the way they play. They depend on you to be in the game as well.

Had you had gout during your playing days, how much of an issue do you think it would have been?

That's a good question because I don't think I mentioned that before. I don't think you can play with it, there's no way. Your foot or knee is swollen to the point where, yeah...There is no way you can play.

Have you experienced anything as painful as gout?

Never. Never... never



Is there anything you can employ on the sideline to help with the pain?

There's nothing you can employ. I tried to wear a boot, one of those, when someone sprains their ankle. I tried to wear one and I just couldn't do it.

No one has come up with a solution for it?

I think the adrenaline of the game, takes some of that away. Like a player with the adrenaline rush, you tend to forget. After the game of course, it comes rushing back. The pain is indescribable though, you just cannot describe the pain.

Which was more painful, the gout, or losing to Detroit?

The gout (laughing). Detroit was a much more seasoned, experienced basketball team. They've been to the finals and won the championship and all that so we're just trying to get to where they're at.

How excited are you guys about next season?

We're very excited. From the way we started to the way we finished off the season, we got very excited. We gotta get a couple more pieces that would allow us to become a better basketball team, but we're very excited none-the-less.

For more information on gout, check out: www.gouteducation.org/

For more on coach Cheeks, check out this classic clip of him in his heydey: