“If anyone says, ‘I was gonna make it,’” Hield explained, “like 95 percent of people would say track would have been number one, like, the way out for me.”
Buddy Buckets, hailing from Freeport, Bahamas, wasn't supposed to be a basketball player.
Not until March Madness was No. 24 intrigued by the game of basketball. And the rest is history.
“The momentum when they start making threes and dunks and the crowd is crazy,” Buddy said. “People taking their shirts off going crazy…that was like the biggest thing I liked about it, and after that I always wanted to feel that moment. That excitement…that rush.”
Even more than his love the game, his love for his mother kept Hield's inspiration at an all-time high.
Jackie Swann Braynen, Buddy's mother, worked day and night to feed all seven of her kids.
“The biggest stress was taking care of my mom,” he explained. “And now that that's out of the way, I'm just most proud that God gave me the ability to do what I do best each and every day, you know, where I can take care of my family and support them.”
To read more on Buddy's inspirational story, read his CloseUp360 feature.