Wilson High School in Long Beach may hold the record of most alumni to compete in the Olympics. Mekahlo Medina reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
From Oak Park High School to Princeton University to now the Paris Olympics in France.
Basketball has taken Kareem Maddox to different places over the years, but it doesn’t matter to the 34-year-old on how he got there as long as he made his Olympic dream a reality.
“It’s just business as usual and getting as ready as we can be,” said Maddox, adding that it’s started to sink in that he’s an Olympian after all.
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Maddox, who played professional basketball overseas, had to adapted to the different rules of 3x3 basketball
“It’s very much like what you’re used to playing with your friends at the park or you can’t find people to pay 5 on 5,” the first-time Olympian explained.
What he also loves about the new sport is its accessibility.
“There’s a DJ playing during the game. There’s an MC. They like to add an urban flare,” he described.
After retiring from playing professional basketball. Maddox has had multiple gigs, including a radio producer, a podcast host for NBC and a part-time job with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But being an Olympian is his favorite yet.
“I don’t think any of us could have really imagined this happening – the fact 3x3 wasn’t even an Olympic sport until three or four years ago,” Maddox said. “The role that luck plays – it can’t be understated. A lot of it is luck.”
Maddox’s Olympic ticket is also special to his father, Alan, who volunteered for the Summer Games since the early 90s.
“It’s something completely unique, very special. I just feel very blessed, not just because he’s going to the Olympics, but I like him as a human being,” the father said. “It’s going to be a good time.”
