Since November, the Gjonbalaj family of Brooklyn has had at least a dozen reunions. Nearly all of them have taken place in New York City basketball gyms.
Two Gjonbalaj brothers — Egzon and Pajtim — play for the Brooklyn College basketball team. A third, Edon, played for the Bulldogs until he graduated this winter.
But the Gjonbalaj (pronounced JON-ba-lie) presence extends well into the stands. The brothers’ father, Bajram, is among the team’s most engaged fans, slapping hands with players and berating referees, sometimes in his native Albanian. A fourth son, Idriz, an officer for the New York Police Department, attends most games as well, as does the youngest member of the family, a 15-year-old sister named Idriana.