Finding perspective abroad

As part of The Chronicle’s coverage of the Warriors’ trip to China, beat writer Connor Letourneau is posting regular first-person accounts of what he obser ves.

SHANGHAI — Far too often, I catch myself complaining about the grind of an NBA beat writer: the 6 a.m. flights, the weekends crammed with work, the seemingly endless deluge of stories to write.

It doesn’t take long, however, for me to find some perspective. I get paid to travel the country — and, in this case, the world — to write about basketball. My 12-year-old self would be ecstatic to know I’m doing what I daydreamed about in middle school.

One of the best parts about this job is that, every now and then, something happens that reinforces just how lucky I am to do what I do. My visit to San Quentin State Prison last month to report on Warriors staffers’ annual game against inmates was one such experience. Another came Thursday, when I pulled aside several Chinese fans to chat before Golden State’s preseason loss to Minnesota in Shenzhen.

Ken Wang, the 16-year-old from Guangzhou I made the focus of my game story, trembled as he described what it meant to finally see his favorite team (Golden State) and his favorite player (Nick Young) in person. It was a reminder of the Warriors’ far-reaching influence, and by extension, of the responsibility I have to share their story.

Only hours after filing my game recap, I found myself bemoaning the grind of covering the NBA again. The Warriors’ flight was pushed back several hours. After finally touching down in Shanghai, we boarded the buses and pulled up to the team hotel around 1 a.m.

Then, I saw dozens of fans waiting behind barricades for the chance to see Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of the Warriors for a moment or two.

There it was again: some perspective.