A Basketball Story

“To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don't isolate.” Michael Jordan’s famous quote, I want to be just like him when i grow up. But anyway, Hi i’m Jimmy Jack Jeckles, I used to live in Kansas with my mom but she got into a terrible accident and me and my 8 brothers and sisters got split up into different foster homes and mine is in you would never believe this its in Brooklyn, Yeah Brooklyn Michael Jordans Birthplace. I have never seen New York before and I am hoping its just like Kansas or just a little different, I have been doing some research and New York as so much more people than Kansas and Brooklyn has itself about 2.5 million people wow thats a lot. In my home town we had about 1500 people in my town so this is going to be a big change I just can’t wait to get my plane ticket and go off to Michael Jordans homeland.

So im finally leaving Kansas today at 10:30 so im going to go for one last run around the block and then go off to the airport and go to Brooklyn. When I was going for my fun this morning right around 8ish in Moline it looked strange then were usually people in the streets but there was no one it was weird anyway its now 10 and its time for me to leave. Its the first time I have been on a plane and I done some research and there have been some intense crashes and i’m not gonna lie i’m pretty scared, but my momma told me that she has been on planes thousands of times and everything will be okay. The guy from DHS told me that I will be riding first class I have no idea what that means but i’m certain its a good thing. Im now going into the airport and its so BIG I had no idea where to go. But there was this kind lady there and guided me on the plane and seated me at my seat she was very nice. They said that it would take 3 hours so I pluged in some headphones and started listening to ESPN till I got to New York.

Wow New York is so BIG! I never thought it would be so big. After I got off the plane I didn’t know where to go I was really lost, until I saw this person and he was holding up a big card that had my name on it and, he was saying “is there a Jimmy Jack Jeckles”, so I went over there and said that “yes thats me”. He shook my hand and said that his name was Andrea Johnston and he is the owner at Graham Windham Foster Home and he said that he already had some people that wanted to see me. So we are on are way to the foster home and I have never been to one so I was scared and he said that there are only three rules “1. bedtime 9:30 2. everyone is here at every single dinner 3. NO FIGHTING’. He said he hates fighting and if he catches fighting we will be moved to another foster home. But he also told me that if I ever need to talk to him he’s there he said that he knows what its like losing someone you love he lost his mother when he was 12. I told him that I love basketball and he said that “we have a court outside so you can play anytime”. I was really happy with that cause he loved basketball too and he also said that the school that will be going to has an okay basketball program. But im ready to play some bball when I get to my new home.

Wow when I got into the foster home it was so big inside there was like 15 bedrooms and in all of the bedrooms there was 2 bunk beds then there was a big dining room with 35 chairs and it was one huge table. But when I was walking down the halls everyone was looking at me funny like did I have something on my face or what I had no idea what they were staring at. When I got to my room I was bunked with three other kids they all were my age 16. One person in my room asked me if I was really from Kansas I told him that I was and he look so amazed and then he said “I never met anyone from Kansas before”. Then he told me his name, his name is Tyrone Williams, I told him mine and the two other kids told me their names the kid on the top bunk name is Andrew Chapman and the kid on the bottom was Jason Salmon. I bunked with Tyrone he was like my guide he told me stories about everyone here in the foster home and how he has been here since he was 8 his mom and dad died in shoot out in the bronxs he said I had no idea what that meant so I just nodded. He told me that Andrew has been here the longest out of everyone and keeps to himself he’s been here since he was 8 months old, and Jason has been here for a couple of months so hes still new and he LOVES football thats all he talks about. I could tell when all of his stuff was about football and had a bunch of posters on his wall. The kid to watch out for Tyrone told me was Axle, Andreas dad. I find out why I would have to watch out for him.
Its been a week since I first got here and a day hasn’t gone bye when I don’t think of my mom. I pray every night hoping this was all a dream but its not I still cant believe youre gone. But anyway After breakfast I finally got to go outside cause its been raining all week and they won’t let you outside in the rain and there was like 30 kids trying to play ball on this little court with only 1 hoop so they played 3 on 3 and I have been ready to play for an hour now and its finally my turn it was me, Tyrone and This kid named Cris and we were versing the team that has never gotten beat cause its winner stays on the team was Axel, Jason, and Mike. I guarded Axel I can’t lie hes pretty good but I know I am better and they gave us the ball first and they let me be point I got the ball I faked like I was going right then went left well there goes axel I said then went a spin then off the backboard slam to Cris. It was 9 to 8 us and I went to drive then Axel pushed me I said foul. I can admit I was a little pissed off and then he just punched me in the face out of no where and next thing I know I was in the hospital with this person looking at me.
When I woke up it was him the one and only Michael Jordan looking at me asking if I was okay I jumped out of the bed and said yeah im fine he wanted to tell me that he saw me playing ball back there and told me that I was really good and then asked me my name I said Jimmy but then I asked him what he was doing at a foster home he said that he was doing what he does once a year go to every foster home in Brooklyn and he saw me play and he wants me to play for the Charlotte Bobcats I asked him really and he said yes but not right now of course you need to finish school and theres one more thing. What I said. I am going to adopt you as well. Really I said can I as why? He said that he wants a son that he can relate to and can play ball with. Thats good enough for me I said. And I went home with him the next day.
I finally done it mom my dream can true to meet MJ you said I would some day. I still really wish you were here and I could hug you but I think i’m in a safe place and I know you are in a safe place now I love you and miss you and I hope that everything is going well for you. Its my first night at MJs house and wow its huge I couldn't ask for a better place to live it even has a indoor basketball court I cant wait for my first practice with the greatest basketball player.