Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
VITALIS CHIKOKO has revealed he had to clear many hurdles, including enduring punishingly long-distances to access decent facilities, on his way to the top echelons in the world of basketball.
Twice, he broke his right arm, but never attempted to quit. Instead, he picked up the pieces, limped on until he touched the sky.
The Zimbabwe captain has spent the past 15 years playing the hoops across European top leagues having seen action in Germany, Italy and now France, where he has won several team and individual accolades.
At 2.06m, the towering star is considered one of the best basketball talents to emerge from Africa.
But the SIG Strasbourg man never got all this on a silver platter.
Growing up in poor suburbs of Kuwadzana and later on Glen View, Chikoko said life was never generous but basketball helped him put the world under his feet.
Addressing school children at Maranatha Christian High School in Harare where he commissioned state-of-the-art multi-purpose courts, Chikoko said:
“We didn’t have proper basketball courts like the ones here. So we would walk for something like 4km to access decent courts.
“I played basketball and soccer at the same time when I was growing up but basketball was always my Number One sport.
“I had injuries when I was growing up. When I was in high school, I broke my right arm twice but I never gave up.
“When I finished high school, my mind was split into two, that is between pursuing school or basketball.”
That led him to South Africa where there were scholarship prospects in the United States of America before a former coach recommended him to a Germany club where his professional journey in Europe kicked-off.
“So, what I tried is that I went to South Africa as one of my coaches wanted to try and get a scholarship for me in the United States.
“So, I was there for like two months, playing the game and trying to get some visas but it was taking too long.
“Back home, I was recommended to one of the teams in Germany.
“The visa was about to come out and I didn’t want to risk anything as Germany was calling.
“With the support of my family, I came back to Zimbabwe and I went to Germany for trials and since then, everything has been going pretty well for me.
“I played in Germany, Italy and now I am in my eighth year in France.
“Everything is possible. Basketball is something that I can say saved my life. I know some of my friends who I grew up with do drugs but basketball helped me keep focused and grounded.
“So, what I can tell these kids is that they should not give up. It doesn’t matter where they come from. Keep on working, keep on doing better, you know everything is possible.”
