I got pretty far before I realized I was destined to be a scrub.
I played college ball so I thought I was on something. Knew I couldn't shoot - but I'd yet to meet anyone really faster than me and I knew that I was one of the most fukkless people going to the rim in my whole state. I ate off that. I still had the lazy mentality of "I'll work on my handles next year." "I don't need to be able to outside of 18 ft when I got a first step that can give people diarrhea" "I just dropped a triple double with 6 points scored, fukk wit me" etc...
When people were trying out for the Bobcats and other affiliates when they were first starting out, I figured I'd show up (I worked as an intern for the Bob Johnson years) and see where I was at among the washouts.
It was good comp. But somehow or another I was matched up in front of Will Bynum... I followed his career, so I kinda thought I knew what was coming. Dude was just...
Me
but better at everything and twice as strong
and at the time even he was struggling to get a look
I never feared getting crossed because I was faster than everyone I'd ever been in front of before. Even when I did get shook, I could recover quick enough to throw some shyt into the stands and act like it never happened. I'll never forget the play where he broke my will to keep playing. Dude comes down the court looking for a pick, I slip under daring him to shoot. Looked him right in the face like I was gonna put clamps to him. HE STILL RESPECTED ME AT THAT MOMENT. He passed the ball to his big, stepped back, got the ball back and sized me up in the triple.
Said to me. "You got heart, man
"
And I'm no bytch. He ain't gotta talk to me like I'm his son, so I do the right thing and get right up on him. Will jab steps left, I don't bite, but then he swings through my outstretched arms and I swear to God I've never had physical contact with someone so damned powerful in my life. It felt like he shattered my wrist with the ball. I was still thinking I was tough like that so I kept playing. I had to. I force him left, he yanks THE FUKK out of me, I do the one thing I do best and recover off my backfoot and go straight to cut him off in the air looking to board his layup and his shoulder went straight through me. Like... his shoulder hit me in my chest and I felt it in my toes and fingertips. Dude literally carried me higher
for a layup
I got ragdolled for a fukkin layup. I don't think he sweated a single drop while I was guarding him. And he was a nobody at the time.
Never in my life did I feel so powerless. I was nothing but a shaved squirrel on the court trying to guard him.
"Good D, kid
"
Shut the fukk up Will Bynum
You killed my dreams
and realized right then & there I wasn't going pro in anything. The next year I quit & stuck to track. Once I got the technique down (mainly just learning to push off the blocks), I wasn't bad but going to 4-hour track meets just to run 2 sprints that totaled about maybe 35 seconds never appealed to me
...
...
Damn bruh! I feel your pain man. I apologize, but this shyt had me rolling!
&