Dream come true for Northwood School pupil
The Harlem Globetrotters inspire local school pupil to chase his dreams and never give up.
FOR Nkanyiso Ntombela, playing professional basketball for the Golden State Warriors in the NBA has always been a dream. His love and passion for the game began in Grade 2 and he has always sought advice on how to achieve his dream.
On Thursday last week he got that opportunity, spending some time with the world famous Harlem Globetrotters. Anthony ‘Buckets’ Blakes and Chris ‘Handles’ Franklin told the 17-year-old matric pupil to never give up on his dreams, listen to his parents and teachers, study hard and be the best he could be.
“This was a dream come true and a day I’ll never forget. I first found out about the Globetrotters in 2010 after watching a video of them on YouTube. I was blown away by their skills and control of the ball. They were amazing. This was just a surreal experience,” he said. Ntombela captains the school’s basketball team and plays point guard,
‘Buckets’ Blakes, a member of the Globetrotters squad, said he was honoured to be in South Africa and Durban in particular and was looking forward to the event at the ICC on the 3 and 5 of July.
“I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona with nine brothers and sisters. I’ve been to 79 countries before this and I’m on my third passport. But I’m very excited about being here in South Africa. They call me Buckets I’m one of the most accurate shooters around,” he said.
The US-based exhibition basketball squad is one of the world’s most loved sports teams, bringing a unique blend of athleticism and theatre to the centre court. Their passion for the sport is matched only by their hearts as they continue to be goodwill ambassadors worldwide.
Ntombela said meeting the players and chatting to them has inspired him to chase his dream.
“I remember starting basketball in Grade 2. I saw a ball that I had never seen before and began kicking it. There was a Grade 7 pupil, Nolwazi Ngcobo who walked up to me and said, you don’t kick the ball, it’s called basketball you throw it into a net. She basically started my love for the game and today it has grown even more thanks to Mr Buckets and Mr Handles,” he said.
