In life we all have dreams, Nasir’s mother always dreamed of being a journalist, and his uncle always dreamed of being a pilot. Both never got too live out there dreams as war in the country of Eritrea forced them to flee the country as teenagers. Fast forward and there you have Nasir.

Since a kid Nasir has dreamed big, growing up with a single mother put an extra battery in his back. He was determined to chase after his passions, and basketball is what he fell in love with. Since the early days of Kobe and Shaq, the swag he saw Allen iverson walk with he knew he wanted too be an nba player. Nasir went so far as making a promise to god he won’t stop until he’s in the NBA.

As said before Nasir mom and uncle both fought in a war at 15 and 17 years old, escaped as refugees with nothing, and was able to get on there feet in a new continent with basically pennies. Money wasn’t amazing but they had enough to get by. What Nasir realized quickly even though he wasn’t brought up in the same situation as his family, he was still too broke too chase a dream as crazy as the nba.Nasirs mother and uncle immediately chastized him, reminding him of his height, the percentage of people who don’t make it, and worst of all just bluntly to his face told him they don’t think he can do it.That they would rather he chase something practical.

I feel compelled to say Nasirs family is from Africa where tough love is the only love you will receive. While devastated it opened up a new hunger in Nasir as not only did he want to prove doubters wrong, but now he had a desire to prove his family wrong. In hindsight it’s important to note Nasirs mother was in poverty, and her 4’11 son saying he doesn’t care for school and only wants to make the nba can make any mother very worried. But Nasir was devastated, and it can be argued that the lack of support from his own family caused Nasir to struggle with his confidence. As no matter how hard he worked he was always coming up short, and while he didn’t deal with nearly the same upbringing as the generation before him. Nasir was in extreme poverty himself under the roof of a single mother. A falling out with his uncle left him at pivotal moments of his development without a man to guide him, and thus Nasir started to fall within the cracks. As he felt the pressure mounting and the clock ticking Nasir began to get more frustrated, more angry at the world. You have this kid who works his hardest, stays out of trouble, and shows respect to everybody get the short end of the stick. The lack of confidence affected Nasirs in game performances, taking the bus to and from the gym everyday was starting to weigh on him, and the trouble he was experiencing at home was starting to emotionally drain him.

As a teenager Nasir felt confused as too why at such a young age all this pressure had too be on him, why he had too struggle with confidence, or deal with instability in his household. Nasir just wanted to lay low, play basketball and support his family. It seemed though life had other plans for him, and he was really starting to wonder if basketball is something he should be pursuing. Over the years it turned too a safe haven for him, a escape from the harsh realities he faced on a daily basis, from what started as a hobby is now a full time passion. What started as a kids dream is now Nasirs first love, but as the years went on and life got harder, the ending felt very near.

Miraculously Nasir walks on to a junior college in Santa Barbara and for once he feels the blood, sweat, and tears he put in this game will finally pay off. That he just passed a stepping stone into brighter pastures. What Nasir experienced that year from having to pay his own rent, work 2 jobs, go to school and practice had him question how much he really wanted this. Nasir’s uncle just got diagnosed with cancer the year prior, and his mom had a tumor in her breast.What a lot of people don’t know is his mother had a stroke a month before he went to school. So for Nasir his mind was constantly moving a thousand miles a minute, that dream of basketball not only seemed farther and farther away, but for the first time he questioned if this is actually what he wants for himself. After years of sacrifice Nasir was starting to wonder if this orange round ball will ever love him the way he loves them. If maybe his family was right, and this isn’t for him. Nasir’s year from hell in junior college cannot be understated, as he was now resorting to crime to put money in his pocket. Something Nasir in a million years never pictured himself doing. Nasir learned quickly that rock bottom will distill your decision making, and with that decided he would transfer Junior colleges to live with his estranged father. To this day the biggest move he made in his life, as he didn’t know what too expect or even who his father was, nonetheless was excited to form a relationship with his half siblings.

As Nasir got comfortable in Arizona he started seeing for the first time a life without basketball, a life with no pressure, no expectations, just a regular life. After Nasir tried out for a few schools,(making one) he ultimately decided to leave the game of basketball and chase a new passion in life. The game that gave his life meaning , hope,best friends, and an escape from the harsh life he was given he dropped like it was a bad habit. Trust and believe it is never easy to let go of what you love rather it be a person, object, or passion , and Nasir went through a severe identity crisis figuring out who he was outside of a children’s game. That identity crisis spiraled into a depression that in present day Nasir would tell you benefited his life. Being forced to find yourself as a person can do a lot for you and your character, we should never put ourselves in a box. So even though Nasir had to let go of the game he loved dearly, the game that in his mind gave his life meaning, the lessons that journey taught him will always be invaluable to his life going forward.