Basketball in a Wheelchair

         “I’m the best, there’s nobody that can beat me in basketball.” Said John
His friends looked very annoyed because that had heard that phase come out of John’s mouth for as long as they knew him, but it was true there was nobody who had beaten John in basketball. John was in gym at that time so he was playing basketball with all the kids. Later after school John had basketball practice it was a normal practice until after practice the coach had to talk to him about how good he was doing in basketball and told him that there would be scouts watching him play throughout the year.
         As John got in his car after school he felt weird, he felt as if death were following him. 1 mile right before getting to Johns house john was hit from the side on an intersection by a truck . John and his mother were sent to the hospital.  John’s father was very worried about what could happen to John and his mother. While John was in the hospital bed he couldn’t feel his body, he couldn’t move. The first thing that can came to his mind was that am I paralyzed, then he doubted that. He thought it’s probably because I don’t have any energy. John was more worried on his mother’s health rather than his own. On the third day doctors came up to him and told him
“Son I good news and bad news which one do you want to hear first “said the doctor
“The good one first” responded John
“Your mother is perfectly fine she just needs to rest know.” Said the doctor
“So what’s the bad news” said John worried
“You will be paralyzed from the waist and below” said the doctor in a said tone of voice
John didn’t know how to respond to that. He was in shock, his basketball life was over. What could he do know that his dream job was over? Now the hospital became like a prison to him, with no way out. John spent a week in the hospital but for him it felt like months of being tortured. When john was finally allowed to go home, he didn’t want to go to school he felt as if the other children were going to tease him. He felt as if they were going to call him names or not him play or even talk to him anymore. For that reason John didn’t go to school for another whole week. While at home John would just sit on his wheelchair, John was in the room for so long that the room began to grow a nasty odor and he didn’t clean up so there was clothes every and trash were ever you looked. John didn’t have any energy to anything not even to leave the room.
         After the week was over the only thing in Johns mind was basketball, he would have to quite.  What would the coach say to him, what are the other players going to think of now that he can’t play anymore. But he would have to wait till after school to tell the coach. While in class some kids were staring at John as if he were an alien others were whispering about him 1 or 2 kids even pointed at him. John felt like he came from a different planet.  While in class John zoned out and started to see the car wreck all over again he could see the truck hit from the side then he would see the car flip over, he could see glass fly every were, then he remembered he could the gasoline from the car leaking. Then all of a sudden John awoke from daydreaming for the whole day images of the car wreck where coming back to John. It was the end of the day and John was nervous he didn’t know how he would tell the coach that he could play basketball anymore. When John got to gym he smelled the mustiness of kids right away the sound of squeaking of peoples shoes running up and down the court.  When John went to the coach the coach already knew what he came to say John was very sad that he had to quite basketball. After John was down talking with the coach he left right away he was full of embarrassment.
While John was heading back home he noticed a kid his age playing basketball in his drive way which was smooth, looked like it was made recently.  But there was something different about this kid was that he was in a wheel chair and he was playing far better than other kids that John knew. John told his mom right away to stop the car and with the assist of his mom. John went up to the kid and asked what his name was.
“My name is Carlos nice to meet you” said the kid
“How did you learn how to play basketball so well?” said John
“I taught myself how to play” said Carlos
“Cool can you teach me some moves” Said John
         So John went back to his car and told his mother if he can stay and his mother agreed to let him stay. While John was learning how to play basketball with Carlos h found out that Carlos had suffered the same kind of horrible accident that John went through. John no longer felt alone, he finally found somebody just like. John and Carlos soon became friends. After a month on learning how to play basketball in a wheelchair john finally learned how to play, he would practice every day from 4 o’clock to 8 o’clock. John was dedicated to learn how to play basketball no matter what happened and overcome any obstacles. During that month of learning how to play in a wheelchair John learned how to stop bragging about himself and stop being so cocky all the time. He also learned that he needs to respect others on the court and how to be a team player.
Carlos taught John how to play so well that Carlos convinced John to try to rejoin the school’s basketball team since he was so good.
“There’s nothing wrong with letting a man on a wheelchair play” Said Carlos
John was worried if they would take him back on the basketball even though he was in a wheelchair. The next day after school John went back to the sweaty gym and asked his coach if he could play, the coach laughed and said
“I know you really want to play but look at you you’re in a wheelchair”
John felt rage rise up in him so he snatched the basketball out the coaches hand and showed what he could do the coach was so amazed about he could move the ball while in a wheelchair. The coach was left speech less so he decided to let John play. A lot of people felt that John shouldn’t be able to play basketball with them because he was in a wheelchair. The only thing that John didn’t realize was that there was only one game left in the season and John was determined win that game.
         A day before the game John told Carlos if he could go watch him play and Carlos accepted his offer. So that motivated John to play more. The day of the game came along and John was outside the building, he was very nervous. He hadn’t played a basketball game in a long time especially in a wheelchair. While John went in the building he noticed the building was very clean and it was being taken care unlike there school which and trash in the middle of the hallway and mud on the walls. John finally found the gym after looking for it for about 15 minutes. While John was there he began to become more confident in himself. The game began a couple minutes later and the other team was thrown off by seeing a kid in wheelchair playing basketball with the others. While John was in the game he wasn’t making any shoots. He missed so many that a kid in the other team began to say
“Let him shoot he aint gonna make it anyways”
But John didn’t really care if he was missing the shoots he was just glad was able to play for the team he finally felt like he was an equal to the other players. Towards the end of the game John began to make more shots and more every time he would try. The kids began to get more worried about him, but the other team was still up by one point. It was all left to John who had the ball then John shot for a 3 pointer. While the ball was in the air everything slowed down the ball looked like if it were in space. Then the ball hit the rim, rolled around the rim then slowly fell in the basket. Everybody cheered because thanks to John who mad the winning point.