Jimmy Chim

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Tag: Basketball

  • How Joel Embiid Became an NBA MVP

    1. The Process Joel Embiid landed in Florida in 2010, fresh from Cameroon. At the age of 16, he spoke little English and didn’t know anyone in America. Joel signed up for a summer basketball camp three months before his trip. That was his first time playing basketball. At seven feet, he dunked on another…

  • How I Came to Love Basketball

    When I was in fifth grade, I transferred to a new school. My previous school was in a densely populated neighborhood in Macau. The school playground for 1,500 students was the size of one basketball court. The school banned students from running in the playground at all times except during PE classes. When I first…

  • Balling with the Americans

    Two weeks after I arrived in America, I took a bus to Target–the one on Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino. I located the sports aisle and settled on a $24.99 Spalding indoor/outdoor basketball. The cheaper $19.99 Wilson tempted me, but five dollars seemed a reasonable premium for a ball with a better grip. I went…

  • What Kept Me In the Game

    While packing my gym bag last Saturday, I held my basketball for a second. The sense of anticipation, of possibilities, hadn’t changed since fifth grade. What I love the most about basketball is the experience of focusing on one thing. When a game is on, the rest of the world melts away. The only thing…