“Man, basketball helps me to preserve my sanity. The game is just so pure, all you need is a ball. That’s it, you don’t even need a hoop or other people, you can just practice your game on the street. I’m in Rome now for 3 years, I found a job at a restaurant where they didn’t mind that I had no papers. I used to crack jokes with the customers and the tip was so great that I started to send money over to my family in Africa. I was happy, than the pandemic hit and everything changed. From one day to another all restaurants closed down and I lost my job like that.
BAM. Sometimes life punches you in the mouth you know. It took me a while to punch back.
I was devasted, I had nobody to turn to, the government wouldn’t take care of illegal immigrants, so I had to take the last 40 euros I had and buy a tent. The worst thing about living in those tent cities is that you can’t relax anymore, all that separates you from criminals and drug addicts is a tiny little fabric.
What helped me through that time was that I had my basketball with me in my tent. I even named that fucker, his name is billy the ball haha
It sounds ridiculous, but that ball helped me to overcome that period of my life. The value of some things can only be discovered when everything else is taken away from you.
The restaurants are open again and I have my old life back.
I’ve learned some things about myself while I was living in that tent, one of those things was that I am stronger than I thought. People offered me shady ways to make money but I did not betray my god or my family. Not even for a day.”