We live in the projects of Düsseldorf. It’s alright, because after all that time you get used to it. I think my neighborhood is very nice, though. My neighbors and I always do stuff together. We grew up together and play basketball together. It’s a very multicultural neighborhood and the other side of the city is very German. The last couple of years, however, crime here has gone up and the kids right now are growing up in a different environment than I did. It’s very bad sometimes. Everyone wants to be a gangster, they think they’re cool and all that, and I think it had a negative influence on the kids’ personal growth.

Use each other’s strengths

I always liked to watch basketball games as a child. That fascination kind of grew and during covid I started playing for fun, on a basketball court ten minutes away from where I live. It’s the best in the area, but still not very good. After covid I really started to train.
 

I really fell in love with the game because of the plays, the dunking and the dribbling, but mostly because of the culture behind it: the hip hop, the 90’s. I really fell in love with the outdoor playing culture, too, I think it’s more fun than inside. Inside is more restrictive and there’s more rules. Outdoors is more competitive than indoor. I really like that outdoors everyone has a different skill level. Some are really good, some are just getting into basketball, but we still all play together. I think that’s the best part of it.

I love being on the court with many different people, because there you really need teamwork and a plan to get to the basket. Use each other’s strengths to the team’s benefit and then trust that people will play their part. When I tell my team which play I want to run, I have to trust that they’re going to execute it and get the ball to the basket.

Because of Unites, I can look out for the kids around me

A while ago I played a school tournament at my school which I won. Afterwards my teacher came up to me and said that the school was working on a project with 3X3 Unites and then asked me if I wanted to do something with that. I said “sure, why not?” During the Leader Course we were told that we would get a gym just for us, and I saw that chance to pull kids off the streets to play basketball, instead of hanging outside, vape and just sitting around doing nothing.

3X3 Unites gave me a position to look out for the kids around me and help them find motivation. I taught many kids basketball, and shared the love of basketball with them and now they see me as a role model. I love it, and it’s so much better than looking up to bad people who make trouble in your neighborhood. When I walk around, they all say: “what’s up, Maki, when are we playing basketball again?” I saw a kid who I trained play on his own. At first he would always say, “I don’t like basketball”, but now he was on the court practicing alone. That was a really special moment for me.