I had the opportunity to live a dream I will cherish for the rest of my days.
I can still remember waking up early in the morning during my childhood, greeting the blacktop at the back of my apartment building. The basketball court became a platform for me to feel like a superhero, at least in my own way. My imagination and work ethic tapped into feats of strength from an athletic perspective I never knew I had in me. It made me feel special.
In youth, basketball became a lifestyle that engulfed my days and nights, allowing me to dance to the rhythms of balls bouncing and the emotions of winning and losing games. What’s more, my home court was beside Amtrak railroad tracks. With trains passing by every now and then, I would sit on my ball, watching and wondering what the rest of the world was like.
Little by little, my bubble expanded to include gyms and parks in New York City. I learned to appreciate the language that came with exchanging jump shots and sweat. The older I got, the more I looked into trying out for semi-pro traveling teams for exposure. But I also suffered from confidence issues that held me back. So, this love story with basketball isn’t as traditional as it might be for other hoopers.
I met someone one day at a recreation center around the west side of Manhattan. Unknown to me then, it was a fortuitous meeting because he became a teammate and a brother to this day; he was also the best man at my wedding. He saw my talent back then, offering me a spot on the traveling team he had organized and played for, the New York City Black Eagles. It was an opportunity that allowed me to travel across the country, expanding my horizons and accelerating personal growth.
Along the way, we were invited to play exhibition games in Mexico, including participating in clinics. Playing in Mexico was my first time leaving the country, and I found Mexico to be rich in culture, a place where the locals knew how to make the most of their resources. I saw poverty on a scale that made many of America’s poor seem rich.
We were honored guests, too, and for the first time in my basketball life, I felt like an all-star. One of my fondest memories includes our experiences in Guadalajara. Following a game, we signed autographs and posed for photos with fans. My confidence issues vanished; for the first time, I could live in the image of a star. I felt loved and respected, and the experience is something I will never forget.
I also remember what it was like playing with and against peers from Mexico, with whom I communicated—not in English or Spanish—but in “court language.” Slam dunks, clinics, food, music, and other cultural arts were everywhere. When the trip ended, and we returned to NYC, I remember looking out the airplane window and feeling as high as the clouds we were flying through. The jersey I kept wearing enhanced my joy; it represented a memorable experience enabled through sport. The very next day, I took my ball to the same basketball courts near the railroad (the place where everything started) and wondered about my next adventure.
Today, I know that basketball helped me grow as a human being, including leading to the pursuit of creating writing. Now, as a husband and a God-willing one-day father, I am a published author on multiple platforms with books on the way.
My basketball journey did not progress further than playing on that semi-pro traveling team. I never signed an overseas contract or had an NBA workout, but that’s okay. Something just as valuable (and in many ways more valuable) was passed down to me. I had the opportunity to live a dream I will cherish for the rest of my days.
