How Street Boy Bagged Three US College Scholarships Playing Basketball – Sports Lawyer

Fifteen-year-old basketballer, David Etim, bagged three United States scholarship offers after encountering a Nigerian lawyer, Faithfulness Okom. The lawyer, now based in Spain, tells GODFREY GEORGE how he feels about Etim’s successes and his passion for basketball.

What kind of upbringing did you have?

My name is Faithfulness Okom. I am from Calabar, Cross River State. I’m 26 years old. I am a lawyer and co-founder at a fintech startup. I graduated from the University of Calabar in 2018. As an undergraduate student at UNICAL, I was a 13-time debating champion. I was said to be the most decorated debater in Africa and also represented the university at the Harvard IV 2016 in Boston, United States of America.

My dad is Prof Michael Okom, a former Dean of the Faculty of Law and Deputy Vice-Chancellor of UNICAL. He is also a bishop. My mum is an evangelist who runs an interdenominational fellowship.

I feel that this can tell the complete story of my childhood. My parents were loving, but in an unprecedented way, because I grew up around several people who lived in our house. These were people we were helping who were not related to us by blood. There have been times when the total number of people in our house was over 20.

I am talking about people living and being fed by my parents. My dad also had a non-governmental organisation called Life Resources Network to help youths and widows. So, my childhood was defined by God and spirituality first, and then, by education. This is because my dad never joked about education, being a professor himself.  He made us read lots of books and learn five new words every day. Most importantly, I’d say my childhood was defined by kindness and immense love.

Did you play basketball as a child? When did you realise you had a love for basketball?

I played football as a child and was a captain from primary school to high school. I only started watching basketball really intensely in 2020, and that was one of the reasons I became interested in helping young guys with physical attributes find their purpose within the game.

Have you always wanted to be a lawyer?

My dad dedicated a Law book to me when I was just a year old. I would say I was destined to become a lawyer but my dad also orchestrated my destiny. My nickname in high school was ‘Attorney’. So, you can tell it was always a no-brainer for me.

How did you meet David Etim?

I was driving along Marian in Calabar one afternoon and I saw a ridiculously tall boy and knew I had to approach him to make sure he was playing Basketball and not ‘wasting’ his physical attributes.

What drew you to him apart from his lankiness?

It was his height at first. But, when I spoke to him, I was also drawn by his story. When he described his situation and challenges, I knew I could help and had to help him reach his full potential.

Before Etim, have you always been a basketball scout?

No, I wasn’t a scout.

Were there failed attempts with different boys before David?

I would not call them failed attempts; but, earlier that year, I was scrolling through Facebook and I saw a kid who formerly worshipped in my church posting weird suicidal posts on Facebook.

I invited him to my house to help him figure things out and realised he had a growth spurt since the last time I saw him, and there and then I raised money, bought him basketball gear, and enrolled him in a training programme. Things haven’t worked out so well basketball-wise but I’m happy he renewed his enthusiasm for life and is currently in university.

You met stiff resistance from David’s father. What really transpired?

It was really strange. When he first came to my house, we fed him and my twin brother and I gave him a suitcase full of clothes. The next time he came to our house, he said his dad burned all the clothes we had given him the previous time. I didn’t understand initially, but eventually, I began to understand his father was a difficult man. I don’t want to make it look like I am demonising him so I won’t say further than that. David should be the one to speak about his father.

You mentioned that the young teenager started living with you at some point. Were you not scared the father might tag you that which you are not?

Everybody knows my family in Calabar, Cross River State. My parents are the nicest people you can think of and have a reputation for kindness. We have had no scandals of any sort. For me, I rest comfortably in my family’s reputation. We were trying to help and knew we were genuine and had nothing to fear.

How did David get to Senegal for National Basketball Association Africa tryouts?

Two people were pivotal to this. First was Mr Frank John, his coach, and also Prince John Owhe of the OCAS foundation. David is obviously talented, but they used their contacts to find him opportunities and the NBA Academy invited David for a showcase, where he got those scholarships. He then reached out to me for funding, and at the time, I was with my friend, Kennedy Ekezie, who heard the good news and also knew David from his time staying with my family, and he was happy to help cover that.

Before Senegal, you had enrolled him in a basketball school. Why did you choose to invest so much in this young man?

Yes, it is true that before Senegal, I handed him over to one of the best basketball coaches in Calabar, Mr Frank John, and I paid an enrollment fee for the academy. The coach reached out to me and my dad whenever David had bills that needed to be paid.  We just wanted to change the trajectory of his life and this is the easiest way to glorify God – helping people. That’s my family’s philosophy.

Were you scared at any point that your investments may go to waste?

The only thing I was scared of was David not reaching his full potential and being significantly better than if he never met me. I felt the constant pressure to leave him better than I met him. As for investments, money comes and goes, and when you’ve been in the position of my family – constantly helping people – you will get your fair share of heartbreaks. So, we really don’t care about that. We do this because this is what God wants us to do and God is the one who rewards.

What were some of the hurdles he faced?

When you pick up someone from the ‘streets,’ you have to be ready for anything. They could be anything. At that time, someone even asked what I’d do if David decided to join a gang or cult group. My response was that there was only one way to find out. He had his flaws and made some mistakes, some of which were enough for us to send him away, but my parents have been through everything you can imagine with people, and they always can keep faith alive. I learnt patience and understanding from them, so it was easy to deal with whatever David threw at us.

How did David bag three scholarships from three United States colleges?

He bagged those scholarships through his performances which dazzled the coaches within the network of Mr Prince John Owhe. Mr Owhe and Mr Frank kept sending his videos to scouts and coaches from around the world but the NBA Africa Academy showcase made all the difference. He impressed everyone there.

Did you see that coming?

I didn’t really see it coming. I haven’t been able to really follow his development since I’ve been abroad, so it came as a pleasant surprise to me that he’s become as good as he is.

How does that make you feel that a boy you saw on the street of Calabar in 2021 is on his way to becoming a big basketball star in the US?

It makes me feel quite fulfilled, but there’s more work to be done. We need to get him a visa and raise funds for his flights and upkeep. When we have everything sorted out, I’ll be able to relish and revel in this even more.

Has he made his choice from the three options yet?

No, he hasn’t. He will make a choice soon.

Is his father aware of his progress?

At this stage, I can say his dad doesn’t care about what he’s doing.

Do you intend to have a scouting academy or basketball fund for youngsters soon following David’s success?

I really love sports and I have an LLM in Sports Law from Real Madrid as well as contacts within Europe. Apart from the fintech start-up I co-founded, I am building an entity, Inspire Naija, to help football and basketball talents get connected with foreign footballing markets.

I am also building this with Rajiv Autar from the Netherlands, also an alumnus of the Real Madrid LLM programme with experience in high-profile football cases and transfers; and Duke Ekezie, a fellow Nigerian and co-founder of a Nigerian tech startup, Kippa, which has over 650,000 users and over $15m in funding.

We know how sports can change lives and we want to help as many young people as we can. It is a cost-intensive project, and we hope we can get all the financial support we can garner.

You recently moved to Spain. What was behind that move?

I moved to Spain in 2022 for a master’s in Sports Law at the Real Madrid Graduate School. I finished as the best student in my class and landed an internship with Real Madrid CF, and one of the leading sports law firms in the world, Ruiz Huerta y Crespo. I also worked remotely as a product manager for start-ups in Nigeria, and remote work allowed me to move to France to be closer to my fiancée, who studies Business Law there.

Source: Punch

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