Michael Hakim Week 7 - The Day I Realized I Wouldn’t Make the NBA

      Every kid has a dream job. Whether it’s being an astronaut, firefighter, or in my case, an NBA player, these jobs, though mostly unrealistic, end up becoming more of a dream, and less of a reality in the end.

     The idea of being in the NBA captivated me from a young age. Every time I would turn on the TV to watch the NBA, seeing legends like Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh play inspired me. I remember fantasizing as a young kid about the possibility of hitting game-winning shots as a member of the Miami Heat while making millions of dollars and being famous, which was basically the dream life for me at the time. Everywhere I went, I told people about this dream of mine. I was set on the possibility of making the NBA. I would run around my house in my Lebron James jersey while dunking on my mini-hoop, replicating the voices of the TV commentators in my head - safe to say I was obsessed with this dream life.

     I was never amazing at basketball. To this day, I have never been bad, but I never was one of those young prodigies you see on social media. However, I didn’t realize this when I was set on making the big leagues. I thought I was the best. I mean, why wouldn’t I have? Every day at school, I would beat my friends in basketball, and everyone in my family was always telling me how good I was. I now know that this didn’t mean anything, but at the time, this meant the world to me.

     The day I realized I wouldn’t make the NBA was a bad day. It all started when I decided to try out for the lower school basketball team as a 5th grader. These tryouts didn’t go too well for me, but I really did put in my maximum effort. After the tryouts, I had to wait around 2 days to find out if we made the team or not; I remember the day I got the results very clearly.

     It was a normal day in 5th grade when at the end of the school day, the results started coming in via email. I remember walking around the middle school asking everyone else who had tried out if they had gotten their email yet, as I hadn’t yet. When most people said yes and I still hadn’t, I started to suspect that something was wrong. When I got home that day, my mom informed me of the bad news. I was devastated. I ran into my room and cried for hours. My hopes and dreams were shattered. It felt as if a part of me had disappeared when I heard that news. My mom recounts me then coming up to her and telling her how I wanted to throw away my basketballs, and about how I now realized that I’d never be an NBA player. I think it broke her heart just as much as it broke mine.

     Now, I’m not saying that I still wouldn’t want to be in the NBA. In fact, I think that would be pretty cool, and I still consider it a dream job. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be in the NBA? However, now that I’m older, I know what is realistic and what is unrealistic.

Question: What was your dream job as a young kid? Is it still the same now?



Comments

  1. AnonymousNov 3, 2021, 10:50:00 AM

    Michael, I think you could become a NBA player. I'm so sorry you had to go through this experience. Growing up, I wanted to be several things but, mostly, I wanted to be a doctor. I wanted to be a doctor, supermarket cashier, a hotel owner, an event planner and a hospital owner. Nowadays, I would like still like to do all these things but, am aware this wouldn't be possible. Today, my main dream and focus is to become a doctor.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNov 3, 2021, 3:11:00 PM

    Michael! You gotta believe! But i get what you're saying. There was a time when I wanted to become an actor, and everyone was telling me that I was so good at this and that. I too realized that this doesn't matter in the world outside of my little community, and I had to let that dream go.

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousDec 3, 2021, 11:34:00 AM

    Michael, I think you could definitely make the NBA if you try your best! I'm so sorry that you had to experience that, but never give up! If you try your best to achieve your dream than it can come true! You got this!

    ReplyDelete

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