“I wouldn’t say the best, but I’ll probably put Eden Hazard.
David Etim, a teenage Nigerian basketballer, received three scholarship offers from the United States after meeting Faithfulness Okom, a Calabar-born lawyer.
Okom told our correspondent on Thursday that he encountered Etim while driving in Calabar on that fateful Saturday in 2021 and was captivated by his height, so he decided to lure him into playing basketball.
According to him, Etim was not the only person he brought to a basketball academy to begin his career. He stated that he had influenced some other people to start playing basketball after witnessing their height, which he claimed was one of the qualifications for participating.
“I wouldn’t say the best, but I’ll probably put Eden Hazard.
David Etim and his coach from the NBA Academy Africa. Credit: Faithful Okom/X.
The Calabar lawyer, who is now located in Spain, stated, "I was driving randomly on a Saturday, if I recall correctly. In 2020, I began watching the NBA and developed a basketball passion. I became upset when I noticed random tall guys who didn't hoop. "I invited three young men to play ball before David."I drove them to the stadium, purchased their gear, and enrolled them in the academy. David was taller than any of the boys I had approached, so when I saw him that day, I chose to talk to him. Fortunately, he was willing to be assisted, and then he arrived to my place, and the rest is history.”
“I wouldn’t say the best, but I’ll probably put Eden Hazard.
Speaking further about the tumultuous experiences Etim had with his father in his newly chosen career, he stated that convincing the bricklayer father was a bigger problem because he had always been the one assisting him with projects he embarked on, and seeing him concentrate on other things was taking a toll on him (the father).
He stated, "Etim barely has time because his mother is missing and his father is a bricklayer, and he must assist him on his projects while also doing personal laundry for three homes on the side.
"He didn't have a phone, so I detailed where I lived and told him to come on a specific day and knock on the gate, and I'd be there.
“I wouldn’t say the best, but I’ll probably put Eden Hazard.
"He came to my house, I showed him old videos of @Giannis_An34 when he was a scruffy hustling kid, tried to motivate him, and gave him a suitcase of clothes (which his dad eventually burnt out of jealousy)."
Okom further stated that before traveling abroad, he enrolled Etim at a less popular basketball academy in Calabar managed by Frank John, but had to push the young Etim to move in with his family because his father was not allowing him to concentrate.
He expressed his excitement when Etim was recently granted a trial at the NBA African Academy in Senegal for tryouts and a scholarship to American high schools.
"Last night, David texted me these images from Senegal and informed me we just need to figure out the visa because of his performances. I am thoroughly excited for him and feel deep inner fulfillment. This is just the beginning,” he said.
When asked to provide the scholarship details, Okom said the 17-year-old got three offers.
“So he actually got three scholarship offers from Busche Academy New Hampshire, Episcopal High School Houston and Life Christian High School Virginia,” he stressed.
