“[The most influential person in my life is] Indiana guard Xavier Johnson. One day, he had a really good game. [He] didn’t miss a shot [and] hit 30 points. I messaged him after the game [and told him] he did a really good job. He has a bunch of followers, so I didn’t expect a response. He responded back to me and gave me some words of encouragement. After that, I started playing basketball a lot more and trying to get better. It inspired me to work harder [in life and in basketball].”
— Finn Smith, 9