[NBA Stars and Characters] OG-Anunobi: The counterattack journey of a silent tough guy

A true strong man does not need to be noisy and thunderous. It is most suitable to use these 15 words to describe OG-Anunobi. Before the age of 8, Anunobi was also a sunny and cheerful boy. Although he was of Nigerian, because of his father Francis's status as a lecturer, they quickly integrated into the upper class of London. Later, Francis obtained a professorship at Lincoln University and was transferred to Jefferson City, Missouri, USA. Francis was very busy and often traveled between the United States, the United Kingdom and Nigeria, so most of the time, Anunobi lived with his mother, sister, and brother.

My mother was a member of the Nigerian track and field team and had excellent athleticism. Her genes were also inherited to her two sons. Chibo majored in football and is now a member of the NFL Cleveland Browns. Anunobi is interested in basketball. He can play from sunrise to sunset and is exhausted.

That period was the happiest time in Anunobi's life. Their family talked and laughed without any rules. Every time my father came back from a business trip, he would bring a gift to everyone. The whole family sat around the dining table, while removing the gifts, while enjoying the special food of the Igbo people in Nigeria.

But in 2005, an accident broke the peace of the family. The sudden death of his mother made everyone feel sad. Anunobi curled up helplessly in the corner, listening to his sister's suppressed sobs. Since then, he has become a different person and has begun to be dull and taciturn. What's worse is that his father's job has changed again and he has to stay in Nigeria for a long time. In the days to come, Anunobi mostly depends on his sister, who is studying for his young brother while taking care of his young brother.

Anunobi knew how hard his sister worked, so he tried to complete many things independently. Fortunately, Anunobi on the court was smooth sailing. With his outstanding physical talent and a tough heart, he firmly occupied the main position of the team. In the last year of high school, he averaged 21.3 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.4 blocks. He entered Indiana University as a top 50 high school student in the United States. In his freshman year, Anunobi did not perform well as a substitute, but he was impressive on the defensive end. In the game against Kentucky, Anunobi cut off the ball of Jamal Murray, the sixth high school student in the United States, six times. During the offseason, Anunobi focused on polishing his shooting and strength. His shooting practice of 500 shots a day became a compulsory course. Even if his father came back to visit him, he would let Francis sit on the sidelines and see him leave after training.

Sophomore year, Anunobi rose to the starting lineup bit by bit, handing over a record card with 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.3 steals. The draft pick also soared, but in the rising stage of life, the sickle of fate swung towards Anunobi again. In a dunk, he landed unsteadily, causing a torn cruciate ligament in his knee. Anunobi knew what this meant. On the hospital bed, he didn't say a word, holding the wrist guards given to him by his father in his hand, and it seemed as if he could hear his mother's comfort in his ears. The next second, the big boy choked up.

"Either let the injury re-define me, or let me redefine the possibility."

The return of his father made Anunobi rekindle hope. Francis suspended his work and began to be with his son every day. He would write a letter every day and stuff it into Anunobi's drawer. The father and son just let go of all the things that had not been said in the years and the unresolved barriers. At the same time, Francis also used his relationship to find many rehabilitators who had served NBA stars. With their joint efforts, Anunobi got out of the injury bit by bit, but in the draft that year, he was still affected and was not picked up by the Raptors until the 23rd pick.

The Raptors are a team that is eager to win the championship. They need Anunobi to improve the strength and hardness of the forward line. The result is as expected by Toronto. Although they make their first appearance on the playoff stage, the young rookie is not panicked at all. Even if they face the peak James, they are not outdone. They have a record of 7.9 points per game, a shooting percentage of 55.8%, and a three-point shooting percentage of 44.8%, like a rising star.

But at this moment, Anunobi, who had just gained a foothold, received bad news again. His father Francis died of illness. On the way to the hospital, Anunobi kept shaking his head, unable to believe all this. His father was like the spiritual pillar in his inner world. His departure hit Anunobi very much. He suffered from a serious mental illness and had to see a psychologist every two days. The doctor suggested that he pick up his pen again and try to write his thoughts on paper, and then recommended playing with the quick-load model to distract himself.

After a long time, Anunobi walked out of his sadness. After reconciling with him, he focused all his energy on basketball. At 4 a.m., Toronto, when the sun was still sleeping in, Anunobi had turned off the alarm in his phone, washed his face with clean water to wake up quickly, and then put it neatly and pushed the door out to start the training plan for the day. At 9 o'clock, Anunobi came to the arena on time. At this time, an NBA legend, two-time scoring champion, Tracy McGrady was already in the center of the court.

Yes, Anunobi hired a famous teacher for himself to learn to play with balls, singles, etc., and soon, he achieved some results, increasing his average score to 15.9 points. His outstanding performance surprised the Raptors and immediately handed over a four-year, $72 million contract extension. Anunobi also successfully transformed from a 3D forward to a ball-holding forward.

In fact, Anunobi misses her parents all the time.

"I think of them for a long time, and I miss when I was a child, we sat around the dining table, talking and laughing." "I have everything now, I have the ability to suspend my father's work and stay with us every day, but now I have lost them. ”

In order to commemorate his parents and avoid more children from leaving him with regrets like him, Anunobi established the "Family Foundation" to help those poor families. At the same time, he also donated to build a stadium named after his mother, and engraved his father's creed at the entrance, "The broken land can also grow the toughest trees. ”

OG-The story of Anunobi is a fable about loss, pain and rebirth. When fate takes away his close relatives one after another, he forged the scars into armor with silent sweat. This man who is not good at expressing himself, in every robbery, every three-pointer, every time he defends, writes the romance of a tough guy - a real strong man, no need for noise, and has his own thunder.