By: Jessica Wang
Jaime Jaquez Jr., a basketball player from UCLA, is on the verge of entering the NBA. He needs to prove himself again as he starts from the bottom in the professional league.
The NBA is a whole new level of basketball, where players have to show what they’re made of against the best of the best. The competition gets tougher as they go up against famous athletes in the league. Jaquez has to prove himself by showing off his skills and getting used to the higher level of play inf the NBA.
Jaquez’s path to the NBA was not an easy one. He entered UCLA four years ago as a determined player, fighting to get better and training every day. Over the course of his college career, he went from being a lesser-known team member to becoming the Pac-12 Player of the Year, meaning the most outstanding player of the conference.
Because of Jaquez’s improvement and dedication to the sport, he was able to lead UCLA to a Final Four appearance and multiple Sweet 16 berths, a very advanced point in the tournament for a team to get to in a competition. He also brought the team closer to winning the NCAA championship, a national tournament to determine the top team in Division 1 college basketball.
As the NBA draft approached, Jaquez’s hard work and determination continued to shine. He participated in the NBA draft combine and impressed scouts and executives with his competitiveness and relentlessness. Numerous teams, including the Clippers, one of the most top teams in the league, brought him in for workouts, witnessing firsthand his exceptional abilities and the improvements he has made to his game. The executives at the tryouts predict that Jaquez will be picked from 17th to 25th in the first round.
“I feel really ready,” Jaquez said of moving on to the NBA. “I feel more prepared than ever, and I’m really looking at the four years and realize how much that’s prepared me for going into these workouts and really making an impact and talking to these GMs. I’m really seeing the payoff of my time at UCLA.”
Another factor that drives Jaquez is his Mexican heritage. “It’s just great for a guy like myself to represent a group that really hasn’t seen the light in the NBA, and I think it’s just because a lot of Mexicans don’t play basketball,” Jaquez said. “I’m just trying to inspire a new generation to maybe give it a shot and see if they like it and enjoy the sport as much as I do.”
Jaquez isn’t playing for only himself, he’s playing for his family and all the people out there who weren’t given the privilege to play. When he makes the NBA, he states, “I’m going to be back at the bottom,” Jaquez said. “I’m a rookie now.”
Jaquez’s humility and determination shines through his remarks, he knows how important his chance in the NBA is and he wants to do his best. Even though he’s done well in college-level basketball, he knows he has to start over and show what he can do as a rookie in the NBA.
Sources: https://eb18600f7bb2916037f5ee8e636ce199.cdn.bubble.io/f1687118464173x477431888887810000/Former%20UCLA%20star%20Jaime%20Jaquez%20Jr.%20eager%20to%20prove%20himself%20in%20NBA%20-%20Los%20Angeles%20Times.pdf