Former NBA player Carlos Boozer recently released his memoir, “Every Shot Counts: A Memoir of Resilience,” and it gives a glimpse into a little-known tragedy that affected him during his childhood. Boozer had a best friend, “Chris,” who he grew up in Washington, D.C., during the late ’80s and tumultuousness of the city. The two were basketball junkies.
“Chris was a better player than me,” Boozer said in the book. “He had excellent ball handling and dribbling skills and was quick and crafty like Jordan himself. Even at that young age, I was envious of Chris’s natural talent.”
When Tragedy Strikes
The two were playing a pickup game when they were younger and Chris executed a crossover during a pickup game that left an older boy frozen. One passage from the memoir describes the scene:
“‘Dammnn! He broke you up on that one,’ I heard someone say behind us. I couldn’t help but smile because I knew, if anyone on this court was going to make it to the NBA, it would definitely be my best friend, Chris.”
However, the move would create a pivotal turning point in Boozer’s life a the older kid who was the victim of the crossover, reported as a gang member, pulled out a gun and shot Chris. As the other children scattered for protection, Chris passed away. He was only 7 years old. Carlos was only 6.
“This was not any other day,” the book continues. “Chris had unintentionally shown up a gang member. The older kid got up, walked calmly back to his bike, brandished a small black handgun from the backpack hanging from the handlebars, and aimed it directly at Chris. The shot echoed across the court…”
The 13-year NBA veteran kept the childhood tragedy a secret for more than 30 years.
“He died in my arms,” Boozer wrote about holding his friend’s felled body. The fateful moment led to his parents pivoting on living in the area and they moved 2,800 miles to Alaska to escape the blight of the D.C. area.
Change Of Course
The move set Boozer on a basketball quest that led him into the NBA. He became a Juneau, Alaska, high school basketball phenom where he led his Juneau-Douglas High School team to back-to-back state titles. Eventually, he accepted an offer to play for Duke University under coach Mike Krzyzewski. Boozer helped Duke University win a national championship in 2001.
Boozer was drafted 35th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2002 and played 13 seasons in the NBA with the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Boozer was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2003 and he made two NBA All-Star teams (2007, 2008) and he won a gold medal with Team USA in the Summer Olympics in 2008.
