Have you ever wondered how basketball works and how it is to play? Well, I can tell you right now, it is a fun sport to do, but takes a lot of dedication and time to practice. Basketball is played throughout the world and there are basketball leagues like NBA (National Basketball Association) and WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). These two basketball leagues are played in the USA. Both for men and women. Basketball can be a fun and fascinating sport because it requires a variety skills and different tpes of shots. It also requires teamwork.

I have family and friends I interviewed about this sport. One question was “What inspired you to do basketball?” I got good detailed feedback from the interview subjects. The people I interviewed were Crownpoint High School students Janaya Tom, Taye Harvey, Miley McMillan, Courtney Craig, and Matias Sagney. These students helped me gather information on basketball for this story. They have seen the struggle and been through it as athletes, and they are doing good for themselves. Some of them are still in high school, while others are in college. All student athletes need to maintain good grades in order to play.

Basketball takes a lot of effort and time to play because you must practice shooting, dribbling, running, and teamwork. Without attention to all these aspects, you can’t have a good team because everyone will be lost and confused on the court. If you do practice hard, and work on all of the necessary skills, you can have build good team. For example, you can use NBA teams because they practice with their shooting and ball handling and focus on what needs to be worked on. NBA teams still have practice because they need to work on aspects of the game in order to get to acheive their goals as a team. Even the best NBA players still need to practice and have areas to improve in.

My sister Janaya had to practice and stay dedicated to basketball because it was something she wanted to do for her life, and it was something that sparked her, and she loved basketball ever since. She has played since elementary school and even in summer tournaments, and she worked so hard to the point she made it to NABI in phoenix AZ for the last 2 or 3 years of her high school career. She had my family’s support to help her through, and she still has our support no matter what because she still is learning in college, and she plays basketball with her college friends for fun. She is still working on it and still loves the sport and the person who inspired her to play was Kobe Bryant–he was her role model. My parents have spent over $1000 on basketball shoes for my sister over the years. She has Kobes, KDs, PGs, and many more. She is someone I look up to because she is setting an example for me and others who have seen her play.

Another person I look up to is my cousin brother Taye Harvey, he played basketball during the same time my sister played for Crownpoint High School, and they have learned a lot over the years they played. He is a person I look up to as well. He has siblings that are following in his footsteps as well. He has learned skills from going camp to camp or playing in a variety of tournaments. He is setting examples for others, but he also has the ability to make a college team if he sets his mind to it.

Both Taye and my sister had similar answers to my questions. One question was “What made you guys interested in this sport?” Their answers were, “I was interested by family doing it and see it on tv and how interesting it is overall in the game of ball.” They found a spark to do it and they have put the time and effort into it, and they simply love the sport of basketball. The others I interviewed said they think of basketball as a lifestyle, or just a fun sport to play. They know what it feels like because they ran for hours or days to get better. If the team effort work ethic aren’t there, it can really mess up the game for the team especially on defense, because playing strong defense requires a lot of team preparation. If there is not consistency with practice, this can really impact the team performance.

My siblings and friends are still playing to this day. They found the game of basketball fun because they are living in a rural area with hardly any other activities in the community. Basketball and football really draw the community’s attention. They found these sports fun to watch and see what and how we are developing the skills in the sport. There are many basketball players on the reservation with excellent skills who play for Chinle, Crownpoint, Window Rock, Holbrook, Gallup, Tohatchi, Miyamura, Shiprock, and many more schools.

Overall, basketball can be fun if you know the game, but it can be more fun if you’re willing to learn and set your mind to it and have consistent dedication. Basketball also comes with a lot of running and self-discipline. Learning the fundamentals basketball and practicing these fundamentals allows for growth. Basketball can be played fun, but it is even more fun when you learn to play it well. If you want to play this sport, remember to put your mind to it and put forth the effort and dedication to improve. Always remember if you are playing for a school basketball team to always be on top of your work ethic. You must do your best and acheive the grades that allow you to play. If you are focused and dedicated, this will not only benefit you in sports, but in your life as a whole.