He hopes to play AAU in the summer before trying out for Emery High School.
“I love the game as much as it loves me, and the things it’s given me are the opportunities,” Marcus says. “You also have to thank God. Without basketball or sports in general, I don’t think I would be doing anything else. I found a path. I’ve had a focused path my whole life.” Marcus studies the moves of Stephen Curry, LeBron James and Michael Jordan. He connects most to James, who grew up with a difficult childhood, because, “I feel like I can relate to his story, and I can make a big name for myself once I get drafted.” Marcus plays basketball every day. If he’s not shooting at a park or his school, he’s dribbling the ball on the sidewalk outside his house. In pickup games at a park, Marcus once witnessed a losing player brandish a gun because of the result. “It wasn’t my fight, so I kept walking,” he says matter-of-factly. “If it was me, then I don’t know what I probably would have done in that case.” It’s common for Marcus to see basketball players hop fences or cut gate wires to get access to a court. He wishes someone could supply basketballs at courts every other week since kids often have their balls stolen at parks. “Most people don’t feel safe [at parks],” he says. “But especially if you go there a lot, I feel all right because they’ve been here and been through it all.” Marcus views basketball players in two categories – those like him who put in the work and those who slack around. He is putting in the work because he hopes to escape his reality.
Marcus Davis, 14
At the end of the interview for this profile, Marcus asks the interviewer a question: When you look at Oakland, what do you see? It’s a rhetorical question because Marcus clearly wants to share what he sees every day.
Troubles and violence throughout the city, punctuated by flashing red and blue lights.
Residents’ longstanding homes taken away because they can’t pay their mortgage, or the city wants to build a new freeway or condos – many of which will be populated by people who don't look like him.
BART stations and buses that people run in and out of while sometimes getting shot at.
“I don’t really think it can change because once something new gets here, it always gets vandalized in some way,” Marcus says. “You can tell that to the people who are here, but they aren’t gonna take any mind to it. They’re still gonna do the same things they do every time.” Marcus, who attends the East Oakland Youth Development Center, dreams of playing in the NBA. He says he’s not currently on a team because his grades didn’t meet the requirements.
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PROJECT PLAY — AN INITIATIVE OF THE ASPEN INSTITUTE
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