How women's basketball stars inspired my career as a professional men's player

With seventh grade winding down and hints of summer teasing, my mother did something that would forever change the course of my basketball career. She challenged me to a free throw contest.

What began one balmy night as a random shoot-around turned into a summer-long, nightly commitment, where we’d hit the driveway following dinner and take turns shooting 10 free throws each until we’d both taken 100. Her challenge seemed audacious, but then again, she’d been a three-time honorable mention All-State forward. She knew something about shooting free throws.