"I Was Doubted At A Young Age, But I Never Let It Define Me..." The Basketball Story Of Jamal Ray

The CEBL has introduced the basketball world, a different league that exemplifies the importance of determination and dedication. This new Canadian league has brought many professional athletes from Canada and across the globe with all kinds of inspiring stories. For most athletes, they had to work hard and practice their craft every day to even come close in playing for a professional organization. While some players only focused on their specific sport, others started off playing a completely different sport. An example of this is Jamal Ray, who was a member of the Fraser Valley Bandits in the 2019 CEBL season. Ray was a little addition to the team; however, he played meaningful minutes and helped lead his team to late wins towards the end of the inaugural season. However, what did Jamal do to reach this point in his life?

Born in Texarkana, Texas, on November 12, 1995, Jamal Ray started his life growing up in a rough community. From drugs to extreme violence, Ray’s environment was very destructive at times and needed to find something quick to avoid all the chaos. When it came to his community, if you didn’t have a passion or something to lean on, chances are that you would fall into the abyss of self-destruction and bad habits. With Jamal already witnessing some rather disturbing things at a young age, he needed to do something quick to change his fate and not submit to the invalidating community surrounding him. His mother, as a result, decided to take action right away and encouraged Ray to join sports as a way to not only remain healthy and in shape, but also as an opportunity to avoid any negative temptations. Ray’s mother made various sacrifices throughout his childhood, and Ray states that he wouldn’t be where he is today if it wasn’t for his mother’s dedication to helping him stay on a linear path to success. Ray’s story early on was a bit rough at times, however, with the help of sports and his mother’s expertise, Ray was always set to remain on the right track. However, what sport helped Ray avoid his environment?

The first sport that caught Ray’s eye at a young age was football. Growing up, Ray would play in a minor league and would watch NFL games, which were some of the main reasons why he developed a strong bond with it. From then on, Ray was dedicated to pursuing his football dream; however, if his football dream never came true, Ray was also interested in becoming a police officer. Similar to football, Ray would always see police officers and saw them as heroic icons. He valued them at a young age and felt that they were important due to how many times he would see them. As far as basketball goes, however, Ray was not the biggest fan of the sport. Even though his friends would throw a football here and there with him, most of Ray’s friends were passionate about basketball more than anything else. Jamal would play with them but didn’t have the same bond that his friends had with the sport. During this time, Jamal was still leaning on football as he valued and appreciated everything about the game. From his mother encouraging to play sports to him finding his favourite one on his own, Jamal was always participating in any physical activity. If he wasn’t playing sports, he would ride his bike everywhere and would always play outside with his friends. 

As Jamal got older, he started to appreciate basketball a bit more. His friends would always invite him to play basketball, and as a result, Ray gradually started to appreciate and enjoy the sport a lot more. Eventually, Ray felt that he was good enough to play for his middle school team in grade seven and tried out for the basketball team alongside his friends. Unfortunately for Ray, he didn’t make the team but was still a member of the team as a waterboy. Ray would go to the games and watch his friends play while he would sit down on the bench, waiting to give them their water bottle or anything else they needed. This was a massive test for Ray as he could have just walked away, yet, used this experience as a trigger to work hard in the summer to make the team next season. While this was a rather frustrating time for Ray, his family all thought that he was playing for his school team. Ray would come home saying that he scored 15 or more points to make his parents proud when, in reality, he was just a waterboy. When Jamal was in grade seven, his parents were very busy and weren’t able to come to the games. 

The following summer, Jamal felt that he needed to revive himself from his grade seven-year. By not making the team, Jamal felt discouraged at times and needed to prove himself as a top player in his school. Once his grade seventh year came to close, Jamal would train right away and learn how to play the sport while also receiving some intense conditioning. His only focus was to make the team and make his family proud as his parents started to have more time to watch his games if he made the team. The moment Jamal heard that, he bounced out of his bed every morning and trained as hard as he could to make the team next season. While other kids his age played basketball just for the fun of it, Jamal played basketball as a way to make his family proud and prove to himself that he can be great at anything if he puts his heart and mind into it. When the school year started, Jamal would still work hard until the try-outs officially opened up. Jamal showed extreme improvement and made the team as a starter where he would begin his basketball career.

When reflecting on Jamal’s story so far, one of the things that struck me was his transition from football to basketball. Even though Jamal loved playing football as a young kid and felt that this was the sport for him, basketball was a sport where he was more naturally gifted. Despite him being a great football player at a young age, basketball was something he used to not only make his family proud but also found something that he could focus on and pursue. With Jamal living in a rough area growing up, he needed something to focus on to avoid any form of devilish temptations and used basketball as a healthy outlet to purify his heart. Without Jamal’s friends inviting him or introducing him to the game, Jamal would have most likely been either a football player or a police officer. 

Once middle school came to a close, Jamal would go to high school where he would be the starting point guard in his freshman year! His middle school experience not only made his family proud but also unlocked a new level of passion for basketball. From not enjoying the game to now being crowned, a full-time starter in his freshman year goes to show how incredible and hard-working Jamal is. In his junior and senior years, he would play for the varsity team and would continue to be the starting point guard. His incredible defence, playmaking, and scoring ability allowed him to move on from playing in high school to then playing for a few college teams and eventually, the LSU Shreveport Pilots. Ray would be the starting guard for his team and averaged 13.4 points and 10.2 rebounds a game! He would later receive his degree in criminal justice while also making his major debut in the NCAA.  Once his college days were over, Ray would play in Indonesia as a professional basketball player and then later join the CEBL, where he played for the Fraser Valley Bandits. 

Overall, Jamal Ray’s story has many valuable lessons, with the main one being persistence. Rather than giving up, he kept on pushing to eventually becoming a pro-athlete. Instead of feeling knocked down or defeated in middle school, he worked hard to get to where he is today and deserves every opportunity he has accomplished. Even though basketball wasn’t his first passion, he excelled in the sport and continues to look for any more professional opportunities. However, basketball is not the future for Ray as he is also very passionate about criminal justice and plans on pursuing that field once his basketball career comes to a close. The lesson that can be taken away from Ray’s story is never to allow anyone to tell you that you can or cannot do something. If you put your heart and energy into something you love and work hard to strive for it, your dreams will become a reality.