Former resident, NBA player gives back to youth

It’s not every day that people follow their dreams, see them come true and find time to give back to their hometown community. For Desmond Ferguson, growing up playing basketball and developing a passion for the sport led to a successful basketball career playing for numerous teams, one of them being the Portland Trail Blazers.

“He’s been playing basketball since middle school,” Patricia Ferguson, Desmond’s mother, said. “He worked hard and developed good ethics, woke up early, was on time and it paid off.”

Throughout his basketball career, Desmond Ferguson has learned the game is about relying on others as well as playing as a team.

“I’ve learned discipline and determination. I’ve learned many things. I relate the game of basketball to the game of life.” Desmond Ferguson said.

For the past three years, Ferguson has offered a three-day clinic for Lansing community children to learn the basic fundamental skills of basketball. For the third year, Lansing resident Denise Campbell has worked as coach for the clinic.

“I do it because I like that Desmond grew up here and he comes back here to give back to the community, and it gives an opportunity to kids who can’t afford to go to basketball camp,” Campbell said.

Giving children who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity or the money to attend basketball camps was one of the reasons Ferguson started the clinic in the first place, which also plays a big part in the event being free of charge.

“I think it’s only right when you get a chance to experience things, (that I) do what I love to get paid for, and (am) able to come back and give back to the kids,” Ferguson said. “Because when I was growing up, there wasn’t anything like this. I feel it’s not much to take some time out of your schedule or out of your life.”

Ferguson said that he would still be playing basketball, even if he wasn’t being paid.

“It’s great to be able to do something that I love and get paid for it, so it’s not really like a job,” Ferguson said. “That’s why I would tell anybody: Do something that you love not just for the paycheck … I love the game, and if I was making money or I wasn’t making money, I would still be playing it.”