Becoming HIM | The Hakeem Marion Story

[The JZA]

College Hoops 2K | NBA 2K

These Tales Are Based On Elements Of My Personal Life

[The JZA]

[The JZA]

Table Of Content

THE MAKESHIFT ERA
Chapter I: The Prelude
Chapter II: Birth Of Greatness
Chapter III: Growing Pains
Chapter IV: The Bad Batch
Chapter V: Becoming "HIM"
Chapter VI: Road To The 12th

THE PENN STATE ERA
Chapter I: Leading The Pride
Chapter II: A Trip To Asia
Chapter III: Cracking The 25
Chapter IV: Marion Vs Jordan
Chapter V: The Way This Game Is Played
Sub-Chapter: A Broader View
Chapter VI: Chasing A Natty
Chapter VII: Locked In
Chapter VIII: Whatever It Takes

THE WASHINGTON HUSKIES ERA
Chapter I: Changing The Narrative

[The JZA]

Chapter I: The Prelude

June 22nd, 2023 —

Tonight is the night. Everything I had done culminated to this very point that I dreamed of; making my way into the NBA... I've lost count of how many people that crossed my line of sight, Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson, the Thompson twins, Anthony Black, Jett Howard, just to name a few. Everyone you can think of that had a dominant year in college was in the building. But only one place , before my eyes, would see sixty athletes stand before the arena, and the televised world; the draft stage. We was mere moments away, and I couldn't wait to hear my name be called...

"Little bro, you nervous?"

"Nervous? You bet I am. You see all the talent in this place?"

"There's definitely some future big names in the draft, especially-"

"Hold up, hold up, I wasn't talking about them, I meant me. I'm the talent in here and everyone is jealous cause you two got the hot seats next to it."

"Uno, you always have to be so cocky?" My mother questioned my grace.

"Especially with that nickname, Mom. Must you always act like this?"

"Hey, you got to invest in your brand and manifest, baby! Come on, don't act like you don't believe I'm the one, it's there in my nickname. It's been written, it's been fated. I'm destined for this."

"Don't be such an embarrassment tonight, mijo. We're here tonight for you, but not with that attitude, put it on ice."

"Okay, okay... I'm just trying to stay loose. Tonight is a pretty big deal for me, for all of us. Worrying if my name will be called first or sixtieth does nothing for me, so I don't stress."

"I know baby, I'm sorry. I just don't want people looking over here and overhearing you."

"Yeah, you know people are sensitive these days." My sister added. "One sound byte in the wrong hands of the media can lead to unnecessary bad press."

"You right, Mom. But let them haters hate, the Marion family take no prisoners. They line up for the fall every time they're against us." I uttered out pridefully.

"Sound just like your father, always bullheaded. If he could hear you now, he'd have the biggest grin across his face."

"[Heh] I'm sure of it. But hey, sis, not for nothing, good looking out taking me on as your client. I don't think there's a better person I can trust our interest in."

"As reluctant as I was initially about it, you made some solid points in keeping it in the family. But don't think I'll be riding your coat tails, I still have my own path to walk."

"Man, I wouldn't think nothing of it. Your greatness is nobody's shadow but yours. I'm proud of who you become and what you're doing, sis."

"I'm proud of you too, Uno. You really stepped up for Mom and I when Dad passed away. I know it was a lot, but I don't think life would burden you with so much you couldn't handle. And I have to say, you handled it very well. So being your agent is the least I can do. I'd love nothing more than to make sure my baby brother is in good hands."

Just as the sentimental moment reached it's peak, NBA Commissioner took the podium as everyone's attention gravitated towards him. "With the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the San Antonio Spurs selects..."

[Needle skip]

But before we get to that, how about I introduce myself. Hi, I'm Hakeem "Uno" Marion. And this is my story of, "Becoming H1M"...

[The JZA]

Chapter II: Birth Of Greatness

You know how 30 teams in the NBA take to the draft? Well, you can say 31 teams made a draft that night. I was born June 26th of 2003, in the same hour LeBron James was announced as the number one overall selection for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team that drafted me? Their names were Anna-Marie Martens and Stephon Marion. I was there only boy of two children. For where my birth took place, I took my first breath at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Southside of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

I'm told my family was enjoying a much needed trip in Brazil, for my mother's sake of visiting family. She's also from Sao Paulo. Growing up, she was a former track star at her high school. Standing at 5'9", she had the physique, the charisma, the pretty face and popularity in her day before taking the leap to North America, New York City to be precise, to go to school at St. John's University . And that's where she met my father, Stephon. My Dad came from Irish and Puerto Rican descendants.He also went to St. John's University for a short while until he dropped out. His education became second to hustling as poverty overwhelmed his family's financials, but he stayed long enough to come across my Mom. He was a true ladies' man. My uncle Paulie, his brother would tell me stories of them coming up and how all the ladies fell at his feet. But when it came to Mom, he had a sparkle in his eye for her. Come to think of it, I remember him telling me how Dad was actually the one playing hard to get. He had a great deal of respect for my Mom though, so he never brought his "street business/pleasure" around her. But somehow they made it happen and had a girl, my sister, my future partner-in-crime, Michele. After three years of co-parenting, they finally tied the knot. And after seven years of marriage, my conception conceived to fruition.

As life grew in me, I became the heartthrob of the hood. From copping feels of my Mama friends' derriere, to kissing their daughters on the playground. I was becoming my father's son with his charismatic traits. But not everything was so sweet for me, or my family. We often moved between boroughs as Dad had a few places to his name. That all came to a head once his mother became ill and we all moved into her three bedroom apartment. It was on the 13th floor, overseeing blocks from the heart of Harlem, New York. My grandmother had section 8, she practically lived there for the majority of her adult life. Family came through, growing up in that very apartment before me, mostly cousins as my Dad's side of the family was crazy big. We lived comfortable enough though. Mom held a steady job with TSA and part-time as a beautician. Dad, on the other hand, stayed to the streets, getting money by any means. As time grew on, my grandmother became iller in her final days, which also led to my Dad coming home less. I never knew why Dad came home less. All I can remember was one big argument between Mom and Dad, and he stormed out the place. Then 10 days later, he was gone. Word got around the streets that my father had passed away. I never knew why, nor did I asked why, I just remember my sister, Michele, holding me as tight as she could, pouring tears down her face onto the top of my head. I had to be about 7 years old...

[The JZA]

Chapter III: Growing Pains

It didn't take long for our Mom to have enough of the city life. She packed everything and us up in a U-Haul and we moved all the way down to Summerton, South Carolina. This area couldn't be more isolated from the city if it wanted to be. Everything was smack-dab in the town's center. Gas stations, school, police & fire department, a supermarket, all of this was damn near available on one intersection. Everything else of life sprawled out, weaving through fields and woods; the country. Annie Tindal Rd, the very first locale we stationed our belongings at. A two story complex in the middle of nowhere. It's only neighbor was a house that sat on land of greenery that went on as far as the eye could see before trees had walled up in the distance. I think the weird part is that no one ever saw anyone go in or come out that home, but it always received mail.

Nevertheless, these were the times of re-calibration, going through the motions of adapting to new scenery, which wasn't much to begin with. My sister, Michele, was a late bloomer, getting her first period just before she turned 18. It was weird times for all of us. The close bond we had changed with her phases. Mom was too pressed with holding down two jobs, making ends meet. The only constant in my life was the overly flustered girls I met at school that wanted to get to know the Brazilian kid. I had the looks, the charm, the smile, the accent, the natural long hair that most girls in this part of town didn't have. I had the girls eating in the palm of my hands, but as the new kid, and especially when they found out that I was from New York, they didn't take kindly to me stepping on their turf. So ensued fights of me earning my respect. I didn't understand it back then, but now that I'm older, I chalked it as it came with the territory, of haters that is.

And just like my father, I came across my first crush. Kandriqua, I could never forget her. I was around 12 or 13, maybe in the 6th or 7th grade when she walked into my life. Had to be about 5'5"-5'6", with a true cornbread fed body, coated in mocha complexion, shading into chocolate. Simply thick for no reason at her age, which she had to be about 14. She was a smiler, so she keep her lips glossy and her teeth pearly white. But it was her eyes, it was her eyes for me. They were so exotic, as if everything she wore covered her whole body except her eyes as they stood out with a bit of hazel in them. That, until someone in class mentioned her nose and said she had looked like a emperor penguin. She had somewhat of European features for nose and gaunty cheeks and I couldn't unsee it for the life of me. So instead of keeping my cool, I blurted out and laughed. For a long time I was on her bad side. But things changed when we became community-neighbors.

My sister found her-self enrolling into the University of South Carolina, living on campus. She was the second in our family to go to college for that fact. Mom and I moved about 10-15 minutes away from Annie Tindal to a small trailer community known as Clarendon Heights, just out the way of the historic Scott's Branch Middle/High. For such a poor school, the only thing that piqued me was my newfound loved for anime, gaming, sports and interest in Kandriqua. Kandriqua would join the cheer leading team and I would find myself playing multitudes of sports; baseball, basketball, football and track & field. The athletic genes in my Mom revelated in me, as coaches took noticed, but I was a jack of all trades, master of none. But it all kept Kandriqua and I at school late. Sometimes her parents would pick her up, other times we'd walk home together. It was convenient for me as it helped diminish her dislike for me, growing into a friendship and more.

I won't lie, I fell madly in love with her over time. She was smart, funny, quirky, yet, she carried herself in this womanly air beyond her experience. We were our first everything. First kiss, first date, first cherry popper, and first break-up. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. It would be her father finding a better job that would relocate his family, promptly ending a beautiful relationship. I couldn't be mad at him or her, but I hated the situation it had put me in. Put in a everyday-possible situation with impossible outcomes. It infuriated me, because I had all these emotions I couldn't truly understand as I was still discovering my-self. But It wasn't until Kandriqua that I understood how my sister had felt when we lost our father...

[The JZA]

Chapter IV: The Bad Batch

Summer of 2017, I was madly into watching sports if I wasn't playing them. After that break-up, I had to keep my-self distracted. The Golden State had won their 5th NBA championship after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers. I was a huge Kevin Durant at the time and seeing my idol win his first NBA championship and Finals MVP, I was high on it. It was then I decided to take basketball extremely serious. Coincidentally, life began to phase on me. I was getting taller, thicker, getting pimples, puberty took no mercy on me. Heading into the 8th grade, I was 6'2", sitting at 180 lbs. My Mom usually keeps a strict diet for us, but she sort of laxed on it, giving that she was busting her ass. I hated seeing her like this, and I needed an out. So I turned to basketball, joining the JV team. Scott's Branch wasn't known for their basketball team at the time as most of the players consist of baseball and football players who didn't make the cut. They lacked finesse, which I exposed at every chance to staple my dominance.

Although I made the team and was named captain, it was short-lived due to another opportunity. My best friend at the time, Deon, whom with his brothers, Bobo and Hammer, introduced me to some associates of their Uncle. Long story short, these guys were from Miami, pushing through the Carolinas, if you know what I mean. Granted, I wanted to focus on basketball, but I made a choice for money at the time. Deon and his brothers were much older than me, juniors and seniors, and I stuck out like a sore thumb. I remember, "he's just a fucking kid, DB, he can't do shit for us!". And against my better judgement, I was determined to prove them wrong. I started off nickel and diming as a courier, small stuff, nothing that should have gotten any attention for. After school, I would elect to book it on foot, as home was not far anyways, and the people I was delivering for was a ways from my area. So I utilized that as cardio training.

Eventually I got savvy with it, copped a burner and started mingling with connects, doing "extra curricular" for them. I didn't care, as long as I was getting paid and my Mom didn't suspect a thing as she thought I was coming home from sports. I guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree of my old man. My Mom would keep a shoe box stashed in closet for rainy days. I'd drop a deposit every now and then whenever she would dip into it. $50 here, $100 there, keeping her afloat. After months and months of covering my tracks to secure my way home was not followed or trek'd, I was at the point of wanting out. At this point, I had amassed several thousands of dollars, more than I could image what to do with at the time, so I was good. I noticed the deliveries were coming in more often and heavier. I just had that "spidey-sense" that things were about to get hot and I needed to make a b-line. Problem was, there was a hiccup in my last delivery. I had totally forgot to wear gloves in handling the package, so I wouldn't leave no fingerprints. Unfortunately, that package was a bad batch, it was not what it was, and one of the buyers was K.O.'d from it, permanently.

I panicked, I panicked, I panicked. Learning that someone had died left a hefty dark cloud on me. Of course, I was the enabler, I handed it to them, how could that dark cloud not rain on me? I spent days not showing up to school, days not going home. Days turned into weeks as I shacked up with Deon's brother, Hammer, girlfriend's best friend cousin, who happened to be a base head herself, but at least she kept up her appearances. I know this story is crazy for a 14-year-old, going on 15, is crazy, but times was really like that. It got so bad that county sheriffs were actually looking for me, making the news as a missing child. My Mom was looking for me, worrying sick... I couldn't live like that, knowing what I was doing to her. So one Saturday night, I just turned my-self in to the county police. And of course, they kept me there for crazy questions. But all I could think about was that guy who K.O.'d, and I'm like, "shit, they going to figure me out if they found evidence at that place". And if word got out that I was at the police station, that could've cause major problems with Deon and the guys. Last thing I needed was them breathing down my neck about snitching, cause I wasn't no rat. Fortunately, with a lot of luck and divine intervention, that would be evidence was burned to non-existence. No traces of my presence in that crime investigation. Whomever it was that saved me from Juvi, plus jail time if trialed as an adult, couldn't save me from the wraith and sorrow of my mother. This was one lick I had to man up on.

Rumors would eventually float around town and neighboring towns of people who associated with me (it was like everybody knew everybody), of my involvement in such "door dashing". Despite it being true, and perhaps someone couldn't keep their mouth shut with gossip, it was left in the air as rumors with no proof. But it didn't stop them from anointing me with "bad boy" persona. But none of that mattered as my mother grew tiresome of my ways and antics. Always hiding, always avoiding, always having to lie by silence. But as they say, a woman's intuition is always true. So next summer of 2018, my Mom packed me up, sending me off to my Uncle Paulie. With my school transcript, my bags, and a one-way ticket out of South Carolina, a place I grew to hate, I left home. And it would be a while that I would see my beautiful mother again. The pain on her face was all I needed to get my act together and refocus. And that's what I did...

[The JZA]

Chapter V: Becoming "HIM"

With the 2018 summer rearing it's ugly head, I had a reprieve for a few more weeks as school didn't the northeast didn't start until September, as opposed to August in the south. So I did nothing with my time, just kept a low-profile and spent time with family. After telling my Uncle all that happened, new broke in South Carolina that there was a major drug bust in Cherokee County, and sure enough, it was the same people I was running with that got caught in the middle. I couldn't do anything but cry. Someone was looking out for me in more ways I could imagine. When things calmed down for me, my Uncle's Wife, Angela, actually helped me washed the dirty money I had stashed away. I was colored impressed on how discreet she was about it. It was like, her doing that made all my problems go away, without uttering one word. In the end, I ultimately had my Uncle wire the money to my Mom as a "gift". It wasn't much but about $7,500, but it was hers to help with the bills and keep food in the house for her, or whatever she wished to do with it. It was at that, I wanted to put that life behind me and re-calibrate.

I spent the next three and a half years living a relatively normal teenager's life. Being the charismatic-cocky me still had eyes leering at me, but I was simply just trying to play it safe as I knew how. Though, I was truly focused on nothing but basketball during this time. If I wasn't studying, working out, or winding down with some anime, I was talking up a storm about basketball with my Aunt and Uncle. They were die-hard Knicks fans, and I could never see the appeal as they always had season tickets to the Sixers' games. Nevertheless, I had only one goal in mind, to make it to the NBA, and rob them for everything it's worth. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm as competitive as they come. That Brazilian blood with New York origins ran through me with great vigor, but I also seen the NBA as a business. Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, guys like them made a fortune off the business aspects of the sport, and I wanted in. So if I had to go to college, let's go! G-League? run it up! Overseas? I'm Chef Curry with my shots over the pond. There was no excuse for me not to get my name up and get some buzz generating. And that's when lightning stuck in a bottle.

My relatives and I had moved out of Philadelphia, relocating upstate to Sugar Notch, just south of Wilkes-Barre. My Uncle had purchased a $250,000 two-storied home in a small town of nothingness. It was like ire was ordained for me in redux. With our new home, came a new member to the house, Angela's nephew, Michael. He hailed from Mississippi, by way of Irving, NJ. He's a cool guy, a bit slow on the uptake on socializing, but he was a real tech head, just like my Uncle Paulie. Another amazing thing about him was he was a great photographer, and had a passion in catching life-lasting moments. So, my Aunt had the idea to pit us two together, allowing one to capture the art of another's magic. Come to find out, Angela used to be a corpo. Not only did she worked law firms, but was also great with public relations and marketing. It was a great idea. We went hand-in-hand like Peter Parker and Spider-Man, and social media was going to be our John Jonah Jameson.

After securing our driver licenses and the keys to my Uncle's custom '99 Cadillac Eldorado, we was left to our devices to make some noise in our own way. After school, we would hit up some of the local courts in the northern region and make videos of my basketball skills. Michael's editing skills was top notch, so much so, that he made editor for Wilkes-Barre Area HS. Me, I had no choice but to make the varsity team, and that I did. Wilkes-Barre Area Wolfpack: "The strength of the pack is the wolf, the strength of the wolf is the pack." Nothing about this team screamed out strong. The team they had was a bunch of scrubs at best, but that left me with all the opportunities to shine. But playing here wasn't going to be enough. I had needed more fire power. But before things could get in motion, the world was devastated with the impact of COVID-19. With school on hold, people locked up in their homes, there wasn't much to do besides 2K and indoor training. After months, a break in the strict "indoors policy" at home started to lax, Michael and I got back on the road and took to the courts and social media. People were still cautious to return to outdoors, but with precautions, things slowly returned to some normalcy. We started getting our delayed plan in motion, calling out ballers from across Pennsylvania. "King of the Courts" was the name, territory bragging rights was the fame. It took off on social media and unheard of ballers were attracted to the light like a moth. It even garnered some hype from NBA legend, Allen Iverson, Joel Embiid, and street ball legends, The Professor and Spyda. It was a genius idea, all thanks to Auntie Angela.

By 2021, I was able to reshape the Wolfpack and hand them their 2nd PIAA District 2 championship. Back-to-back titles, and as Kobe says, "you're welcome". Winning those two championships was the cap and gown I needed to graduate as colleges came flocking with scholarships. The A-10, Big Ten, MAC and NEC conferences came knocking on my door. All the hype, the call outs, the bragging, the practices, the success, all of it was paying off to propel me into the spotlight. And the spotlight did everything for my confidence, but even more so for my arrogance. It was a double-edged sword I was willing to live with, cause greatness knows no suckers.

[Agent]

Bro was the plug

Good luck with this one my dude

[mvp]