Published Feb. 4, 2022, on TheRinger.com
https://www.theringer.com/2022/2/4/22916297/jabari-smith-jr-auburn-nba-draft
It was pitch black outside, but Jabari Smith Jr. didn’t need to see. He just needed to feel. His feet knew where to jump, his arms knew when to pump.
It was 5:30 in the morning, an hour before Jabari, then in eighth grade, was supposed to wake up to get ready for school. But something tugged at him to hop out of bed and jump rope outside his home. To push himself harder. His mother, Taneskia Purnell, didn’t realize what was happening at first; she kept hearing a loud, persistent noise.
It was cold when she went outside and found him, wiry body bouncing up and down, rope whipping in the wind. She wished he would let himself sleep just a little bit longer. But he was too determined. Too awake. “I’m OK, Mama. Don’t worry,” he told her. “I’m OK.”
He continued to train most mornings and would ask her to take him to the school gym before classes. The gym was often locked. “The janitor said he’d come let me in,” Jabari would assure his mom. “I’m gonna shoot around before everybody gets here.” (READ FULL STORY HERE).
Mirin Fader 