Kia ora Te Runanga o Toa Rangatira,
We arrived in Los Angeles on Tuesday 28th July with excitement. We only had a couple of days
before the camp so we settled into our home with some family friends for the next few days and
soaked in the environment. It was really hot in LA because it is summer there at the moment.
Finally the day came for registration at the Michael Jordan Flight School basketball camp. We
arrived really early because we were so eager to get there and see MJ. Once I had registered all the
participants were gathered in a large arena and were organised into what would be our teams for
the week. I was a bit shy to start with but it wasn’t long before I started to make friends. There
were children from China, Mexico, Argentina, USA and of course, myself and my cousin Azra from
New Zealand.
The camp was organised so that we would play in our teams like a tournament during the day with
our own coaches. There were also times where we would gather together and sit down and listen to
Michael Jordan and also do some competitions. Michael Jordan would talk to everyone and we got
to ask him some questions. My cousin Azra was chosen when we had time to ask questions and he
asked “Do you feel pressure when you go to the free throw line?” His answer was simple “No”.
Each team had the opportunity to get a photo with him. As I went to stand in my place in line I put
my hand out and got a handshake. Each player chose any item of theirs to have signed and I chose
my T shirt from the camp. We were instructed not to talk to him during the process as he has to sign
so many items that he needs silence to concentrate and get through them all.
I played in the 11 year old competition and my team got off to a shaky start, struggling with our
games in the first day. We came back to win in the second day which lifted our team but found the
games in the final day challenging. Although my team were unable to make the finals I was
fortunate enough to be named in the “All Star” team which are the top 12 players in my age group.
My cousin Azra played in the 10 year old competition and his team proved to be strong with mostly
wins during the competition days. This put them into the finals where they fought out a tough game
and worked well as a team to win the competition for their age group.
The days were really enjoyable and long with an early start at 8:45am and a late finish at 9:45pm so
we were really tired by the end of each day. Michael Jordan was at the camp each day and was
involved in many ways including refereeing, signing, lectures, competitions and photos. We were so
lucky to have had the opportunity to spend this time in his presence at the camp and it is definitely a
memory that will last forever.
Young Māori basketballers selected for Michael Jordan camp | Te Karere YTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at2WpI0Mb1M
Thank you Te Runanga O Toa Rangatira for your support to help make this dream possible.
Nga mihi,
Kazlo Evans