FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Two Clovis West High School basketball players are again residence after an unforgettable journey to China, the place they competed in an elite Nike showcase and met NBA celebrity LeBron James.
Melania “Lonnie” Warren and Ramey Chapman have been invited to affix high players from throughout the nation for the all-expenses-paid expertise, which included video games in Shanghai and Chengdu.
“We started off in Shanghai with practice and a game, then went to Chengdu where we played the same team again in a different arena,” Warren stated. “Then we played Team Rise, which is LeBron’s team.”
The spotlight got here when James himself confirmed as much as watch them play.
“It was a star-struck moment,” Chapman stated. “We couldn’t believe he was actually there.”
The players stated the journey was about greater than basketball. They soaked in the tradition, constructed friendships and gained confidence competing on a world stage.
“It definitely gives me a lot of confidence that I can play at multiple levels with different people,” Warren stated.
“I was really happy to have the opportunity to go to a different country to play basketball and do something I love,” Chapman added.
The workforce battled jet lag in their first sport however settled in by the second matchup, displaying their skill to adapt and carry out underneath strain.
For Warren and Chapman, the expertise was about greater than the scoreboard, it was about progress, connection and a once-in-a-lifetime probability to share the court docket underneath the watchful eye of one of many sport’s biggest players.
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