EXCUSE OR STORY
(The Audacity To Dream Again…)
Isaiah Austin was not like any other kid, at the age of 12, he was already 6foot tall and was the star player of his school basketball team.
While playing one day, he fell after dunking the ball and immediately, he started seeing… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He thought it was nothing and continued playing, hoping it would clear on its own.
His team won and they went home, seeing he was still unable to see with the right eye, he told his parents who immediately rushed him to the hospital.
At the hospital, it was discovered his… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Austin’s family thought it was because of an incident that happened when Austin was 11 and was hit on the right eye whilst playing baseball and didn’t think much about it.
The family thought it would just be one surgery and after a while Austin would be back playing basket ball… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He was devastated, how can he play basketball with one eye, how could he make shots with just one eye, he thought of quitting the game as he believed everyone would understand but his mum said something to him that changed his mind.
She said, "you can make this your excuse, or… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He returned to the basketball court by High School, playing with a special prosthetic eye and wearing thick googles to hide the blind right eye.
He didn’t want to make his eye condition public, so he told only his coaches and a few friends who kept it hidden.
But it wasn’t… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He would stay back after practice each day to keep training with his condition, and he got better with time.
By his senior year in 2023, Austin was ranked as the NUMBER 3 BEST PLAYER in the country as he led Grace Preparatory Academy to back-to-back state titles and McDonald’s… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He had so many offers from Universities but he decided to accept the offer from Baylor as they were near his home.
He became the highest ranked basketball player the university had ever signed. Austin told his coach about his condition but it didn’t matter because Austin was… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He also went public with his eye condition and it made him more popular as scouts were circling around him.
His dream of playing in the NBA was close to coming to pass as the 2014 draft day was close and many tipped him to be selected in the first round.
Now before you’re… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The first doctor noticed, Austin’s hands and legs were unequally long, he also noticed that his breastbone was curved outward and his joints seemed loose and flexible.
The doctor asked him, “Have you heard of Marfan Syndrome before?”, to which he answered no, not knowing he was… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
On June 12th, 2014, 5 days to the official draft pick, Austin came home to see cars belonging to his coach, agent, and his parents parked outside his house, he felt they came to celebrate with him.
He walked in and there was no music playing, no one was talking, he saw their… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
•MARFAN SYNDROME.
- It’s an inherited disorder that affects the “CONNECTIVE TISSUES”
- Connective Tissues are fibers that supports, binds, CONNECTS or even divides tissues and organs in the body.
• SYMPTOMS
- Tall and slender build
- Unequal long arms, legs and fingers
-… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The NBA still invited him to come to the official NBA draft that they had something planned for him.
He picked his best suit he was supposed to wear when he would be drafted and flew to New York for the draft.
The NBA commissioner Adam Silver, announced that the NBA would be… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He still believed he could still play basket ball as he said during an interview after the NBA draft, “It’s not the end, it’s just the beginning.”
He battled depression for a year, later went back to join Baylor as a member of the coaching staff but it didn’t fill the void… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Dr. David Lang, a specialist in Marfan Syndrome who examined him by checking his aorta (largest artery in the body that carries blood from the heart), he noticed it was just mildly enlarged.
After some time, with more tests and assessments, he was cleared to play basketball by… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
He didn’t give up, he got an offer from Serbia, FMP who had to sign a waiver that should anything happen to him whilst he’s playing, they won’t be held liable.
He had to live alone for the first time in Serbia, even though the money wasn’t as good as what the NBA offered, Austin… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
After playing for 4years abroad, he retired, he retired in 2021 aged 28 and got a job at the NBA front office.
You can imagine the hurdles he had to overcome in his 20’s just to be able to live his dream from being blind in one eyes to Marfan Syndrome.
It’s never over until you… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
I don’t know what you’re going through at the moment but I want you to know, it’s not yet over, don’t throw in the towel yet.
Start this new month as motivated as ever to achieve all you’ve set out to do irrespective of the hurdles that come your way.
HAPPY NEW MONTH GUYS!!!
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