When a person starts to indulge in their passion, focus and persistence come to play. Whether its playing basketball or riding a bike, staying focused on your goals will grant you success even if you don’t have the proper resources or the appropriate help. However, if that passion that fuels you daily is still evident, you will make it work no matter what circumstance you may face. Take Joey Haywood of the Fraser Valley Bandits, for instance. Growing up, he lived in a community where basketball at times was nothing but a blur. His passion drove him to new heights and, as a result, leads us to today as he has become one of the biggest Canadian sports icons in Canadian history! His legacy is so prominent that some NBA players including Kevin Durant had this to say,
“He is a legend out from Canada where he is from. He can shoot, (got) a mid-range game, can post you up as a point guard… one of those older guys that really get in your head”
Kevin Durant is one of the most proclaimed stars in basketball history, and to have him recognize Joey Haywood goes to show how special he truly is. However, where did Joey’s passion begin?
Born on September 3, 1984, in Vancouver, Canada, Joey would start to endure on a path of basketball. As a young kid growing up, his family played a massive contribution to his life and would support him in any path he chose. While others would have to think long and hard about their endeavours, Joey would have a concrete idea of what he wanted to do.
Joey was heavily influenced by his older brother, who was obsessed with playing and watching basketball. From going to open courts to watching Michael Jordan dominate his competition, basketball culture and the game as a whole grasped Joey with ease at the beginning due to his brother. When interviewing Joey on the phone, he stated,
“Growing up, my family and I were very close. When it came to basketball, I looked up to my brother, and if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be playing basketball. He loved playing basketball streetball specifically, so every time he would leave to play basketball or go out with his friends to the movies, I would always tag along”
Family contribution played a huge role in his journey, but what ignited it was watching highlight tapes. Even though watching his brother play with his friends was the segway to his passion, NBA stars such as Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, and Kobe Bryant is what made Joey grasp and love the game as much as he did. Rather than spending time with his friends or playing video games at home, Joey would only play basketball. Joey would go to his backyard or outdoor courts where he would watch his NBA role models play, which is where he would study and examine certain playstyles or moves each player would do. From there, Joey would emulate each player and start teaching himself rather than going to a camp or a coach to guide him. This was heavily due to his living situation as Vancouver wasn’t so high on basketball at the time. Rather than feeling discouraged about his situation, Joey would work hard and find ways to teach himself everything there is to know about basketball! He felt confident that he could be the best player in Vancouver and never stopped believing in himself. Even though some people had differences of opinions and were at times very hurtful, Joey would never care what people had to say about him and, as a result, used it as fuel to not prove them wrong, but to prove to himself that his mindset was right.
“I overall didn’t care if people talked bad about me. I did care a little at times, but not to a point where it would affect me. I used that adversity as a way to work on my craft and would train hours upon hours outside working on my dream in the cold and rain to not necessarily prove it to them but more to overcome all the negativity that would come my way. It did hurt at times. I didn’t do anything wrong I just played the game I loved”
When Joey first started elementary, his only focus at the time was basketball. Even though he did value education and tried his best to do his homework and hand in assignments on time, basketball was always his first and last focus as a kid. From the ages of 9-12, Joey loved playing basketball in his school as he felt that it was an escape from the real world. Whenever he would shoot a jumper or cross someone over, he would always imagine himself in a world where he hears chants while souring through the air and making a difference in the process. One of the motivations that led Joey to be on the path that he paved for himself was to be an icon and an inspiration to his community. Although his basketball career was starting too look very promising, his academic future was struggling. One of the biggest adversities that Joey had to overcome was his learning disability; however, by having the right people around him and great support systems, Joey would slowly defeat his struggles. Even though he did feel discouraged at times, basketball helped him through tough times as he always thought that he could rely on the game to relieve any stress. Once Joey would dribble a basketball on the pavement, he entered his own world of focus and determination and had a hard time in removing himself from his desired fantasy. However, once he became a teenager, things started to drastically change for him in his basketball journey.
In elementary, Joey was obsessed about basketball but only really started to study and emulate other players when he entered teenagehood. As a young teenager, Joey began to see his competition, which shocked him initially but was also an excuse for him to work harder on his craft. When it came to trying out for teams, Joey would make the team every year from grade eight to grade 12, where he was blasted with all kinds of negative and unnecessary comments. One thing that you can appreciate about Joey Haywood is that he never indulged in any of the crude comments he received and instead viewed it as constructed criticisms with a hurtful flavour. As persistent as he was, he was also human that had emotions, yet when it comes to basketball, the aspect of respecting and acknowledging a person’s emotions starts to disappear. However, his family, his mentors, role models and his community supporting his dream, his path, and motivation to play basketball would quickly appear clear instead of blurry.
“I had a good family, my parents supported me, my brother supported me, and my friends and the community all had my back. Those were the people I was playing for as I wanted to represent the community that believed in me”
When it came to high school, his academic struggles were still there, but his basketball skills were much more advanced. At first, Joey was insecure about his academics throughout his life but slowly realized that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Joey would work twice as hard in school to accomplish his goal, considering how important it was to get a scholarship to play for a college. Without the right grades, a basketball player cannot attend college as you need a certain GPA just to be recognized. Even though Joey was ahead of his competition, he needed to work hard to get his grades up to have a chance at playing at the next level. Surely enough, Joey accomplished his goal and graduated high school with the help of his teachers, believing in him and pushing him to academic heights that he never thought he could achieve. Joey would work hard and never go out to parties or school dances. If he wasn’t studying, he was playing basketball, which was a 24/7 commitment. Joey stated in the interview that he rarely left to hang out with his friends or party due to his passion for basketball. Night and day, he would work out and train himself as a pro when he was just a young teenager. However, his playstyle at times was criticized, but it never affected him.
“I had a certain style of play growing up, in 97, 98, and 99, my playstyle was very different, but I loved the game too much not to care. I loved my style of play, but as I got older, the game got more competitive for me when I played in high school, which is where everything started to show”
Every grade would dramatically get harder and harder as the competition flared up. Despite the lack of popularity that Vancouver had for basketball, some people still had the passion. Joey would have to take the game much more seriously when climbing the ranks and, as a result, had to shift his mentality. Instead of doing what he wanted to do on a basketball court, he had to now follow whatever his coaches demanded of him to do and, as a result, used that as a way for him to shine. Joey was a flashy player with incredible ball-handling skills and shooting ability, however, following his coach and doing what’s best for his team is what made him an even better player and the greatest player to come out of his community! In his final year of high school, Joey would mature as a player and averaged 30 points while also almost leading his team to the provincials. His play during that series was very impressive and caught the eyes of Lingara College, where he would start to pave his professional career.
When reflecting on Joey Haywood’s story so far, the first aspect that caught my eye was how focused and goal-oriented he was. If anyone spoke down upon him, he never really reacted and instead digested it and used it as fuel to better his game. Instead of partying with his friends or participating in the school dances, he valued basketball at a whole other level, and as a result, became of the biggest icons this sport has to offer. His practice and story make you want too get up and work nearly as hard as him considering how far he has come. He grew up in a situation where his community and environment didn’t value basketball as much as New York or Chicago, yet he found ways to make it work. Watching his brother play to watching professional NBA players play is what taught him most of his skill as he was overall self-taught! With the help of some camps and coaches along the way, they weren’t always there to Joey and, as a result, only taught him what they could. The biggest lesson you can take from Joey Haywood’s story is that hard work pays off as long as you develop the right mentality at a young age. He could have given up and called a career when he first started playing, yet his passion was too overpowering for him to give up.
“Never give up on your self. No matter what anyone says, just never give up. You will go down and fail; people will talk badly about you or find ways to disrespect you, but you have to learn from your mistakes and keep on going. If you have to find another avenue, do it! But never give up and believe in your self. You have to wake up and be true to yourself; that’s the first thing you have to do. You have to think that you’re really good. If your saying I’m good but then questioning if you are good, then that starts to become a problem. You have to go out and prove to yourself that you can be the best, and you might have to face the best player or team to find out how good you are and if you lose, you have to look at why you lost. You must put the work in if you’re serious in what you do”
Joey Haywood’s Life Today
“What inspires me today to play basketball is always to be there when the youth need me. I want to be that for the next generation, a person that is reliable and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done”. I do what I do for the kids by posting videos on youtube or clips on Instagram; I want to give back to my community and the next generation of athletes. I always wanted that help, and although I had that occasionally, it was never consistent, so I want to be consistent with my social media to help the next generation”
Joey Haywood today focuses on inspiring the next generation of athletes. His goal is to use modern-day technology to teach everything that he has learned throughout the years. It’s safe to say that Joey has accomplished his goal and, as a result, continues to broadcast hard work and persistence to thousands of children every day. No matter what, he will always find a way to teach the next generation what he has learned all these years. He continues to learn even with this pandemic as he now has to work around new struggles he has never experienced.
“The thing I value the most about basketball is, you can always learn. I am 35 years old, and I’m still learning aspects of the game. With COVID-19, for example, I’m learning how to spread my impact in different ways to promote my vision so you can always learn things when it comes to basketball”
In the end, basketball has changed Joey Haywood’s life, yet his biggest accomplishment was having a family with two healthy kids. Joey does what he does for his family, as every game he has played is dedicated to them. They have been the biggest support in his life, and without them, Joey wouldn’t be where he is at today.
“With all the stuff that I have been doing, having a family and having a wife is what makes it worthwhile. Having basketball is special, but when you start a family, that support that you get is so much more valuable. I probably wouldn’t be where I am at today because I do it for them. I always travel for basketball events, but in the process, I don’t see my family. Yet my wife and kids have always supported me, so having that is by far my biggest accomplishment”
