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A giant of the game: 4ft 5in 'Michael Jordan of dwarf basketball' who has won a legion of fans for his prowess on the court taking on players twice his size
- Jahmani Swanson, 29, is a 4ft 5in professional basketball player
- The Manhattanite plays pro-league with a team of dwarfs
- He counts Lamar Odom and David Beckham among his celebrity fans
The 29-year-old from New York, has not let his short stature stand in his way of fulfilling his dream of playing professional basketball.
Jahmani Swanson, who was born with a form of dwarfism, plays pro-league with a team of dwarfs, but has not problem taking on players almost twice his size.
Big player: Jahmani Swanson, who is just 4ft5in, takes on one of his friends on the court in New York
'People underestimate me all the time and that's what motivates me more,' the Manhattan-born player says.
'People think if they're bigger than me they can post me up, but just because I'm small it doesn't mean I'm weak.
'I love it. It's been something I've been facing since I was one or two years old.
'I face it when I'm on the street and I face it when I'm on the court but it's a stage and I love showing what I can do.'
The 29-year-old has amassed a huge fanbase on Instagram, including sports stars such as Lamar Odom and David Beckham, and videos of him playing basketball has spread online
High score: Jahmani plays for the New York Towers, a team comprised entirely of players with short stature
'The Michael Jordan of dwarf basketball': Jahmani posing with friends in the gym in Brooklyn
Celebrity fans: The 29-year-old baller posing with David Beckham, one of his many celebrity fans
Jahmani can also count celebrities like David Beckham amongst his many supporters, and has played alongside the likes of actor Jamie Foxx and musician R Kelly.
He said: 'I meet a lot of celebrities at games and charity events because I always get invited because I am well known for my videos.
'It's funny because quite often the celebs want to have pictures with me as much as I do with them. I had my photograph snapped with David Beckham who told me he was a fan.
'Lamar Odom and Khloe Kardashian both loved my videos and loved my game so they wanted to hang out with me. He was really good player and she was really fun - and of course beautiful.
When he isn't inspiring on the court, Jahmani tours around US schools encouraging children to follow their dreams - no matter what their 'limitations'.
He said: 'I tell kids what I have overcome and say to them that they can achieve it too.
'It's the kid who may have one hand who is told he can't play and then he sees me and knows he can do it.'
Jahmani's hero as a child was Michael Jordan, and when he was just a toddler he became obsessed with basketball.'
Then and now: Jahmani Swanson aged nine, left, and now, 20 years later on the court
Family first: Jahmani, centre, with his mother, Sabrina Swanson, and brother, Justin Tompkins, in Manhattan
The tall and the small: Jahmani Swanson posing with Los Angeles Lakers' basketball player Jeremy Lin
He said: 'I was sleeping with a basketball instead of a teddy bear when I was a kid.
'All I wanted to do was play. I was a huge fan of Michael Jordan and if he was playing then I was playing.
'My mother had to tell me many a time to stop playing ball at 12 o'clock in the middle of the night because they got tired of hearing the ball bounce and things breaking.
'Basketball is something I really love - it's in my DNA.'
Jahmani is confident that if he was five or six inches taller that he would be playing for NBA, but says that he wouldn't change anything about his life.
He said: 'I know God has blessed me with my talent. Basketball has got me to where I am in life and it's going to keep giving me more.
'If I was five foot one I'd be the best in the world and a lot of my fans say I am the best player in the world anyway.
'But I wouldn't trade this. I've never in my life said I hate being short.
'I'm doing everything I would do if I was tall and now when I walk outside I feel like I'm six foot, eight foot, nine foot, whatever. I still get seen and I still do what I'm doing.
'The world is a stage and I'm here to perform.
Read more: A giant of the game: 4ft 5in 'Michael Jordan of dwarf basketball' who has won a legion of fans for his prowess on the court taking on players twice his size
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