You know how when you’re a kid you’re always getting told to stop fidgeting? Don’t fool around, quit showing off, concentrate on the task at hand?
Well, basketball showman Kalani Ahmad seems like a breezy, stand out contradiction to all those things that you got told as a kid. Which isn’t to say that he hasn’t concentrated, or worked hard, or put in the hours- oh, he’s done all those things, but the difference is that he dedicated himself steadfastly to working on exactly the kinds of tricks that collared you a glare and a stern word from a passing teacher in school, and he’s turned them into an inspiring story, a successful career, and a bright future.
Since the age of ten Kalani played basketball in his home city of Honolulu. He was good, at a high enough level to try out for college, but suffered a serious injury on the last day of the cut. However, he states that even prior to this it was always the basketball tricks that would help him ease the worries of school, of training, and of taking care of his disabled mother.
As he puts it, “I started doing basketball tricks because it would release stress. No rules. Just me and the ball- I felt like I was in my own world.”
And his response to injury curtailing his hopes of college basketball?
“From there on I decided to do basketball tricks full time. I practiced 4 hours a day or more. It wasn’t just for fun anymore- I wanted to take it to the next level.” In addition to this he finished college, and when he was good enough, performed open mic shows to positive responses.
Around this point he made a transformative decision. Having returned to college to study for a further degree, he took a calculated gamble that the risks and returns of pursuing a career from his ball trickery were equal to or greater than the benefits of continuing to study.
“One day I made that decision and walked out my class.”
He explains that school is important to him, and his qualifications are valuable as he doesn’t consider himself to have been the smartest student, but goes on, “Everyone is good at something. I figured, do something I was good at and be the best at it.”
His hard work led him, at the second attempt, to America’s Got Talent. He appeared on the show’s sixth season, put in some impressive, fearless performances, despite his inevitable nerves, and self-professed shyness away from the stage, and made it through to the semi-finals. And at that point, after progressing strongly? “ I messed up on my big trick.”
This, like being injured before the final cut for college basketball, might be enough to send someone into retreat. But, like all those years before, Kalani’s response was different.
“After having almost the worst experience of my life, messing up in front of millions of people, I am now hardly ever nervous anymore. I figured it couldn’t get any worse than that and that I just needed to bounce back. Also, just having that approval from America’s Got Talent- that my talent was worthy- gave me a boost in confidence, because I’d just been discouraged my whole life, told that it’s impossible to make a living from basketball tricks.”
From there, Kalani has gone on to acquire a huge presence on Vine and other social media platforms, worked with global brands, and travels internationally to perform in schools, events, and large campaigns, at which he promotes his own deeply personal motivational message, the rewards of which are self-evident.
Kalani states that he was shy, but performed on TV to millions. He says that he wasn’t the smartest kid, but got his degree, and forged a unique career doing what he loves. He is dedicated and hardworking, yet applied himself so successfully to doing the things that most people got told off for in school. Kalani is proof that although many people believe something to be true, it might not be, and that maybe you can make a go of things on your terms, to your own strengths.
When asked for his favourite trick, here’s what he says:
“A simple ball spin on a kid’s finger, and seeing the joy on their face, brings back a lot of memories of how I first started. Seeing the magic in their eyes, seeing the impossible become possible with just a simple spin trick- it’s always a reminder. I have it every time I see that look in their eyes.”
