The Beautiful Struggle for Kevin Parrom

“People search through the rubble for a suitable hustle” — Talib Kweli

Intro

Life doesn’t throw us anything that we cannot handle, however, how one reacts to significant events thrust into their life can have wide-ranging effects. Each juncture must be weighed and balanced based on its merits, and perhaps none is more critical than a decision in which one option is to simply give up.

Kevin Parrom is a 24-year-old professional basketball player who has felt the weight of life barring down on him with experiences that some of us will never have to bear. In a matter of months his life was sent into disarray and although he thought of quitting, he decided against it and is still fighting to this day.

Broken Glass

Parrom and his family are from New York — the Bronx to be clear. The setting helped shape his character, toughness and motor, and when speaking to him it’s clear that New York is part of his DNA. The tough, grity label has become synonymous with individuals from NYC, so when life hits hard we expect those people to suck it up and act as if nothing phases them — but it does. Nobody is immune to the perils of life and unfortunately Kevin found that unavoidable fact out at a young age.

Kevin’s Mother, Lisa Williams, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009, but she was a fighter. She never let the disease control her — or her son’s — life and Kevin believed that she would ultimately win the fight against cancer.

Despite her constant battle against the disease her time was coming quickly. Knowing that, she sent for Kevin and, aided by the NCAA’s emergency fund for athletes, he came home from Arizona to visit her in the hospital. It was September 23, 2011, and he spent the entire day bedside consoling his ailing mother.

Later that night, Kevin met up with a friend in the Bronx. Two men broke into the apartment and one of the men shot Parrom twice; once in the hand and once just below his right knee. “I didn’t feel anything. My leg just went straight numb,” Parrom said of the incident. Scary feeling for a kid who planned to make his living with his two legs.

Less than a month passed by until Kevin got the dreaded call he had been fearing — Lisa Williams succumbed to cancer on October 16, 2011.

A Game

Three months. That’s how little time had transpired, but the events involved changed a young man’s life forevermore. Kevin’s grandmother passed away in July of 2011 to cancer, he was shot in September of 2011 and his mother passed away after a hard-fought battle with cancer in October of 2011. Priorities change when tragedy strikes, but Kevin pushed forward just like he knew his mother would have wanted.

It was basketball that helped remedy his pain, and he returned to The University of Arizona with more fervor than before. His leg remained numb for two weeks following the gun shot wound and though doctors speculated he would not play again in 2011, he returned in November.

Though we lose those that we love, we are never truly without them if we honor them in all we do. Kevin took that sentiment to heart, and those who know his story know that he lives his life to the fullest and embodies his Mother’s will to win, her will to keep fighting and perhaps most importantly, her will to press through the onslaught of this journey we call life.

Beautiful Struggle

Kevin finished his four years at The University of Arizona and entered his name into the 2013 NBA Draft. He did not hear his name called that night. Instead of opting for something overseas, he wanted to remain stateside and ended up being the second round selection of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the 2013 NBA D-League Draft.

“I heard about politics and things like that but I’m a competitor, man,” Parrom said when asked about the D-League. “I’m from New York and that’s just my nature. The D-League is a stepping stone and I came there as a young kid. I had to learn how to be a professional on and off the court. I figured out early that you don’t play here for money. You play here for a call-up and the opportunity for NBA teams to see you.”

Unfortunately, Parrom was not called up during his rookie season with the Vipers. He ended the year posting 10 points and 4.3 rebounds per game on a loaded team that featured the likes of Isaiah Canaan, Robert Covington, Darius Morris and Chris Johnson. His hard work didn’t go unnoticed, however, as his versatile play earned him an international deal in Finland for the 2014-15 season.

Ultimately, the team in Finland and Parrom parted ways, and Kevin returned closer to home by taking a deal in Mexico.

I Try

A positive person is hard to come by in today’s cynical society, and it’s even more rare when someone has to fight the battles of losing loved ones at an early age. Through his family’s struggle and strife, Kevin has been able to transfer that energy into something positive.

“I’m blessed, man,” Parrom said. “Some people get paid to hate their job. I get to do what I love for a living. I’m just blessed.”

That positive energy has helped him become the dynamic player he is today. Parrom’s former D-League coach, Nevada Smith, had nothing but praise when asked about his time in Rio Grande Valley. “Kevin was great,” he said. “Handles like a point and good passer. Shoots it with range. Crazy athletic. Could defend multiple spots.”

In this position-less basketball world players with this type of versatility are beyond valuable. Given his experience and growth as a player, Parrom knows the D-League is the best way to gain exposure and interest from NBA clubs right now. If the right situation falls into his lap, he wouldn’t shoot down a return to the NBA’s minor league.

Outro

Nobody asks for struggle. Nobody wants to go through the pain and anguish of losing those closest to us, so we can see how we react. Kevin Parrom has seen a lifetime’s worth of struggle, but at 21 he made the conscious decision to fight. We all love fighters and underdogs, but most of all we love people who can overcome their endeavors and press forward toward the light of the world forsaking the dark that they could so easily have turned to instead.

Kevin Parrom may not become an NBA All-Star, but he will never, ever stop fighting for the chance. He can’t — Lisa Williams wouldn’t have stood for it.