Joe Greene had an injury but is now playing basketball again. Jeremy Hogan | INstride

MORE: Where to play: Bloomington area pick-up games

For every NBA star playing for millions, millions are playing for nothing, nothing but the pure love of the game.

So you could say that Joe Greene is one in a million.

At age 57, he should have retired his sneakers years ago, but something inside won’t let him give it up. He has probably pulled every muscle in his wiry body, suffered what was supposed to be a career-ending injury, and yet there he is, still suiting up a couple days a week.

For Bloomington’s Greene, every month is March Madness.

On Monday, you will find Greene at the Boys and Girls Club, home of one of the longest-running local pick-up games. On Wednesday evenings, you will find Greene at Harmony school, home of another timeless game.

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The Boys and Girls Club game goes back to the 1970s.

“In those days there were games five days a week because there was no YMCA,” Greene said.

The format has remained constant—the first team to five baskets wins. Since the line-up can change from game to game, players are encouraged to bring two shirts—one red, one white—so you can identify your ever-changing teammates. Why red and white? Could it be that the college team that calls Bloomington home wears those colors?

It is no accident—and when IU basketball was at its peak, so was the community pick-up scene.

However, as IU slowly declined in the late 1990s, so did the frequency of the games.

“It went to about three days a week, and then about 10 years ago we almost lost it,” Greene said. “On some days we were getting just two or three guys. We were really close to shutting it down, but now we are back to about 10-15 guys on Mondays.”

The games have attracted enough newcomers that there also is now a Thursday game at the club. The games are open to all, but regulars are expected to make periodic donations to the club, either in money or by volunteering their time.

The Harmony game Greene participates in follows a slightly different format. Since the court is short, teams are limited to squads of four. Just like the Boys Club, you call your own fouls, but games are usually played to 10. And “donations” are also welcomed. Players are asked to contribute $3 per night.

It was there at Harmony where Greene’s basketball days appeared to have come to an end. He can even recall the exact date, May 9, 2007.

“I went up for a rebound with nobody around me, and the next thing I knew I was on the floor,” he said. “I tried to get up but my foot felt spongy. One of the guys who had experienced the injury, Jim Biddle, knew exactly what it was, a ruptured Achilles. He drove me to the hospital.”

A week later Greene went under the knife, and following the surgery he was restricted to a recliner, 10 days of absolutely no movement. Rehabilitation was a long and winding road, a year in all.

“I thought I was a pretty good patient until my wife, JoAnne, suggested I might want to check myself into a nursing home if it ever happens again,” he said.

Greene had resigned himself that his basketball career was probably over.

“I spoke with some players who had recovered from it, but they were much younger when it happened,” he said.

However, as the foot started responding to treatment, Greene pondered playing again. He consulted his doctor, expecting an emphatic “no!” The answer surprised him.

“The doctor said, ‘Go live your life. You could hurt the other one just by stepping off a curb.’”

That was all Greene needed to hear. On May 6, 2008—three days shy of the anniversary of the injury—Greene returned to the Boys and Girls’ Club game.

“I was like a kid in a candy store, couldn’t stop smiling,” he said.

Greene felt as if he were coming out of hibernation. He realized the games are more than just basketball and exercise. They are also about social interaction.

“My life is pretty much work and go home,” said Greene, who owns his own business. “I’m pretty much a home body, so the basketball is my only real ‘guy time.’ Where else can you go for an hour, get good exercise and meet people? I’ve thought about retiring. There are days I really don’t feel like it. I can be hurting or sick and then 11 o’clock comes around and I have this miraculous recovery. It’s a running joke at home, but I’m just so grateful I can still play.”

Matt Seiffers drives between Dominick Chase, left, and Adam Long. Jeremy Hogan | INstride