Greetings! Here is this weeks special motivating story that we just completed for a group of professional athletes that I help mentor. Enjoy the meaning within OK! Cheers always! Jim -------------------------------------------------------------- “Well, first of all, when we sign here in the NBA, we sign on everything, man. At the end of the day, no matter what happened last night after the game or I get hurt badly, I signed for this. I signed for this. The military, when they go out there to fight, when they sign, they sign for everything. No matter what happened last night, I signed for this. That’s what I get paid for” – stated by Serge Ibaka of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who made a dramatic return from a possible season-ending injury this week to spark his teammates to two straight playoff victories against San Antonio If you’re following the current NBA Playoffs, one of the headline stories has been the miraculous recovery by Serge Ibaka from a Grade 2 Calf Strain that some basketball experts felt would keep most players out of the lineup for several weeks. Ibaka, a franchise cornerstone for the Thunder, was first ruled out for the rest of the playoffs by team management just days before the start of the current Western Conference series final against San Antonio. His injury was painful. During his time out of the lineup, the team’s medical staff pushed Ibaka with an aggressive day-to-day rehab schedule. They were not thinking in the short term; rather taking care of his pain management first and looking out for his long-term safety too. Ibaka, who survived a childhood in his war-torn country of the Republic of Congo - and is the first NBA player from Central Africa - is a deeply religious man. While his teammates were boarding a plane for San Antonio, Ibaka made his way to the Peoples Church that he attends in Oklahoma City. His pastor, Herbert Cooper prayed over him with holy water. In the next few days, Ibaka noticed that the swelling in his calf, where the blood had pooled, started to subside, allowing him to be able to move around. Every day, a little bit more than the next. I believe in God, and I believe in miracles, and I believe that everything is possible, Ibaka said. When I did the MRI (on the calf), and the MRI showed me that I was really bleeding a lot, I said, I just want to keep believing, man. I was thinking, I cannot let my teammates down. I want to try to do the best I can. It showed me that God loves me. He really heard my prayer, because normally this kind of injury to get back to play you need to wait like maybe four weeks. This took me 10 days. Its a miracle, man believe me. Watching his teammates get shredded by the Spurs in the first two games served as additional motivation for Ibaka. It’s not surprising the Thunder got a much needed injection of confidence from Ibaka’s return. Most say he has as much heart as any player in the NBA today. Ibaka didn’t waste time to make his presence felt. He quickly scored the game’s first basket to ignite the Thunder’s home crowd into a frenzy! He ultimately contributed 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots in 30 minutes in Playoff Game 3 last Sunday. He continued to be effective in Game 4 on Tuesday, putting up nine points while collecting eight rebounds and blocking three shots to help inspire his team to victory and tie up the playoff series at two wins apiece. “When you talk about a teammate, thats everything you want in a teammate, Thunder forward Kevin Durant said about Ibaka. I gained so much more respect for Serge for sacrificing himself for the team. Regardless of what happened tonight, that’s something you want beside you. Even though the Thunder trail the series 3-games-2, Ibaka’s return and presence changed the trajectory of the series and gave his struggling teammates the confidence that they can still win this round. It’s the same confidence that the people back in the Republic of Congo have for Ibaka, their hometown hero! What amazes me most about this individual is that he’s still so very young? Ibaka has experienced more in his 24-years of life than most in the world population. He’s also experienced a life of hardship and turmoil. When he found his love for basketball back home, he was lucky enough to have a pair of sneakers on his feet. Many kids in his neighboring area played the game in self-made shoes. Some in plastic made footwear. They would toss the basketball up against a wood frame into a bent-up rim. Ibaka comes from a family of 18 siblings. His mother died when he was seven; shortly after that the country descended into civil war driven in part by turf battles over vast oil reserves. Ibaka went with his family from the capital city of Brazzaville to the rural north to escape the worst of the conflict, living in homes that did not always have plumbing or electricity. When they returned to Brazzaville four years later, his father was imprisoned for 12 months because he crossed the Congo River into the Democratic Republic of Congo to gain work. By the time Ibaka turned 17, he left for France, briefly, before going to Spain, not knowing anyone or speaking the language. His companion was a Bible, which he still reads before each Thunder game for peace and relaxation of his mind. There he had to learn life’s basics like how to shop for groceries. Communicate with a world that could not understand him? Live in a modern home that we take for granted and one equipped with internet and technology so unfamiliar to him. Even an opponent like San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili, who found his way to the NBA from Argentina, can appreciate Ibaka’s journey. “It’s incredible when you hear stories like his and the adversity he lived through. Adversity is not being 0-2 in a playoff series. You appreciate a player more, and he appreciates what he has even more, too. He’s not one of the kids that at 18, knew he was going to be a superstar in sports who was going to be a millionaire.” Despite his newfound wealth that he’s gained from his everyday job in the NBA, Ibaka is investing a good portion of his income back into his homeland. He recently teamed up with UNICEF to help with the renovation and expansion of two orphanages in Brazzaville, Congo. He pledged $315,000 of his player salary to the project. In addition, he pledged a $500 donation for every blocked shot he records during the 2014 NBA Playoff season. Ibaka chose UNICEF, which stands for the United Nations Children’s Fund, which is a world-wide organization that works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and improve children’s lives, providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. “It was my dream when I was young to help those orphanages,” said Ibaka. “My mom died when I was so young and I know how hard it is for those kids in the street, how they live, what they need, so that is why I want to work with UNICEF to do the best I can to help them. “My country and all the African continent are my roots and they form my identity, that is why it’s a priority for me to try to help the sports and social development. It is my duty to contribute and help other kids from my continent so they have the same will to improve every day, become role models, responsible persons and proud of their origins,” added Ibaka. Fellas – appreciate the opportunity you have been presented to someday take your talents to the Big Leagues and more importantly, the gift you have within to help make a difference in this world. Be a Community Champion one day! Cheering for you always! Jim Loria ----------------------------------------------------------- “Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow” – stated by Ronald E. Osborn, distinguished teacher, writer and the first moderator of the Christian Church ------------------------------------------------------- FELLAS - NEVER FORGET --- “Our greatest battles are that with our own minds” – stated by Jameson Frank, a British Artist ------------------------------------------------------------ “Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict” – stated by William E. Channing, Unitarian Preacher in the USA back in the early 19th century ------------------------------------------------------- “To be successful you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can’t just accept the ones you like” – stated by Mike Gafka, Author ------------------------------------------------------------ “A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done” – stated by Vince Lombardi, Hall of Fame Coach for the NFL Green Bay Packers ###
Posted on: Sat, 31 May 2014 03:49:51 +0000
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