Chauncey Billups

Chauncey Billups (www.fannation.com)

“I’ve always believed in my abilities. Nobody ever gave me anything in life. I had to work for everything I got. It may have gotten really cocky for a while, but I persevered because I’m not afraid of failing.” A hero shouldn’t be scared to fail because if they work hard, then there are possibilities of another opportunity, and that’s why my hero is Chauncey Billups. One thing that I admire about him is not only being one of the best players in the NBA, but also a leader, which is a trait that I think a hero should have.

Chauncey with 2 championship titles (www.nbauniverse.com)

Chauncey Billups was born on September 25, 1976 in Denver, Colorado. His parents were Ray and Faye Billups. He is older than his 2 siblings, Rodney and Maria. His favorite basketball players were Joe Dumars and Magic Johnson. Chauncey and Rodney were very close. They both loved sports and were good athletes. One thing that was different between the two was that Rodney was lazy. An example of this statement is the fact that Chauncey had to drag Rodney to practice when Rodney said he was too tired to go.

Chauncey went to George Washington High School in 1991 and was already noticed for his skills in basketball. In the 1993-1994 season, he led the GWHS Patriots to the class 5A state title. After Billups graduated, he went to college to play for the Colorado Buffaloes. The team had not been to the NCAA tournament since the late 1960’s. He helped the team get ranked 18th in the nation and the team hasn’t been in the top 20 since 1969. Finally Chauncey was eligible for the NBA draft and joined the draft. He then was traded along the years through the Boston Celtics, the Denver Nuggets, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and finally the Detroit Pistons.

Chauncey Billups on LeBron James (www.nba.com)

With the Pistons, Chauncey seemed to get stronger throughout the season. Chauncey then led the Pistons to the NBA finals, which they hadn’t been to since 1990. They won the NBA Championship and did the same for the 2004-2005 season. The next season, after a couple of close games to win 3 titles in a row, the Pistons lost to the Spurs and the streak was over.

Chauncey Billups is my hero because he doesn’t just play basketball for himself. He supports a family and he helps raise money for the Children’s Center {$110,000}. Chauncey is a talented player and motivates me to practice to make it to the NBA also. Others in his surroundings view him as a leader, which is one of my traits for a hero. Teammates claim that Billups not only makes himself look professional but he also makes them look professional. Despite the surgery, injuries, and the stressful death of his grandparents, he never gave up and followed his dream.