RICHMOND, Ind. — Just weeks after signing a record five-year, $207 million max contract extension with the Memphis Grizzlies, Desmond Bane is back where it all began. The Seton Catholic alum takes pride in his roots and wants to spread his love of basketball with the youth of Richmond.
"It's hard to put into words, you know. Small-town kid with big dreams, and they came true," Bane said.
After signing the largest contract in Grizzlies franchise history, there's a thousand things Bane could be doing right now. Instead, he's hosting a basketball skills camp for the second time for kids in fourth grade all the way up to seniors in high school.
Giving back to his hometown community has long been a priority.
"It's something that I didn't have when I was a kid. I want to be that good figure, that good role model for all these kids," Bane said. "It extends way past basketball. Going to college, graduating college, being successful in whatever field you want to go into, I think is important."
The three-year NBA veteran was once in the shoes of these kids. From growing up in Richmond, to making it in the NBA. Bane is forever grateful for the place where he grew up.
"This is my home. It shaped me into the man that I am today," Bane said. "You talk about the YMCA, Boys and Girls Club, Cleer Creek, Townsend Center — all those places played a huge part in my growth and development as a kid."
It's three full days of basketball and memories these kids won't soon forget.
"Just being that positive influence, giving them somebody to look up to, that means the world to me, and it's not something that I take for granted," Bane said.