Before becoming a very successful professional basketball player, Skal Labissiere didn’t have the easiest of journeys to the NBA. His story is one of the most unique in the entire NBA and is truly inspiring.
Before Skal Labissiere was one of the top-three recruited high school basketball players in 2015 and being drafted into the NBA the next year, Labissiere went through one of the worst earthquakes of all time in 2010.
What turned out to be a fairy tale ending didn’t seem very plausible for Labissiere. Being produced from a country like Haiti, making it to the NBA would be even harder than usual. Haiti is a country infamous for natural disasters like the earthquake in 2010 which would alter Skal Labissiere’s life forever.
The Earthquake
A 13-year-old Skal came into his house with his little brother Elliot, after school. His dad Lesly, had brought them home and stuck around outside to fix the bent basketball hoop. Skal and Elliot came in and briefly talked to his mother, Ema. Shortly after, the ground started to shake and that’s when all chaos broke loose. His entire family, excluding his father who was fixing the hoop outside, huddled up and embraced the fall as a wall of the family’s third story apartment was completely broken off; the family eventually buried in debris for hours. (Full Video)
With Ema and Elliot still being relatively close by, Skal could hear the cries of his little brother and the prayers from his mother, which indicated everyone was still breathing. Skal’s mother was pleading, asking for forgiveness from God as she was fearful this could be the end.
Skal, fearing the worst much like his mother, began to pray. As hard as he tried, Skal couldn’t bring himself to do it. He was angry with God. He yelled to his mother, “I’m 13, I’m not old enough to die.” To which his mother replied, “We die at any age, this is life.” Skal wasn’t content with her response. The dream was always to move to the U.S. and play professional basketball. His life hadn’t truly started yet. (Source).
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Trapped in an awkward position, seated up, entire body weight on his legs, and knees up to the chest, Skal’s legs were crucially damaged. The same wall that had Elliot’s foot locked under the computer desk was pressing on Skal’s back. Skal couldn’t move and was questioning how long before their lives end. (Player’s Tribune Article).
Reunited At Last
Lesly found them in the rubble, but he didn’t do it alone. The man who assisted Lesly was recently reunited with Skal on July 20th, of 2017. Skal had made the trip to Haiti and went to visit one of his heroes. The Sacramento Kings’ Twitter was nice enough to share it with the world.
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After going through intense rehabilitation, Skal Labissiere fully regained the ability to walk. Luck finally caught up as he made a full recovery and eventually made it big. Labissiere is a current up and coming star for the Sacramento Kings. He’s on the trajectory to be a good player for a long time. Due to fighting through major hardships and adversity, Skal will forever be a fan favorite.