When I was little, Yves Pons (Port-au-Prince, Haiti, 1999) moved his body to the rhythm of jazz. Born in Cité Soleil, Haiti’s poorest shantytown, Pons was adopted at age four by a French family of artists. He grew up surrounded by music and instruments, playing the saxophone like his grandfather and dancing jazz like his mother. After a brief stint in the NBA, in Bàsquet Girona his athletic and jumping abilities have made him one of the most spectacular players in the league.
The braids and their springs make Pons unmistakable on the court, a 2 meter strong and athletic power forward. Nobody jumps like him, capable of rising 1.15 meters to smash the rim or to block rivals’ attempts. Whether with two hands or one, his arms turn to steel when blocking; impassable. He is considered a player with a defensive profile due to his explosiveness and speed, although he has improved his consistency in outside shooting (40.2% in three-pointers).
The memories of those first four years in Haiti before being adopted, Pons prefers to keep to himself. He grew up in Fuveau, in the south of France. His mother was a jazz dancer and his grandfather was an orchestra director.; he played the saxophone, trumpet, guitar and piano. Surrounded by instruments, Pons was multidisciplinary since he was little: he played the sax for seven years – still plays it from time to time -, He danced jazz and practiced judo and tap dancing.
Jazz dancing, key
Dance made him cultivate the athletic abilities he has as a player: “Jazz dancing helped my body develop the muscles that allow me to jump high and be explosive“It’s a very athletic type of dance,” the power forward tells this newspaper. His height made him discover basketball, which no one in his family played: “When I was six years old I had no idea what basketball was. Being quite tall for my age, many people told me that I had to play. I started at the club next to my house and I loved it,” he explains.
At age 13, he moved to a high-performance center in Paris, where he stayed before going to the University of Tennessee. Despite not having been selected in the Draft, he managed to sign a contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, making his debut in the NBA. After a season with hardly any prominence, he returned to France last season to play with ASVEL, before arriving at Fontajau. In Girona, average 9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 24 games.
“I know where I come from”
“As in life, we have ups and downs. The key is how you react to bad moments. I know where I come from. And I think about it whenever hard times come. I think about all those kids who didn’t have the opportunity I had. “I am very grateful to be able to live from my passion every day,” he expresses when he reviews the moments, also the hard ones, that he has experienced thanks to basketball.
Pons has created his own foundation, Hoops Reliefto provide sports equipment and support to young people in Haiti and Senegal. “For me it is important to give back to the community everything it has given me. Many children cannot play basketball because they do not have the facilities or equipment to do so. From the foundation we try to improve the lives of children, give them hope and help them develop and achieve their dream,” she says.
Photography, your escape route
In ‘The pursuer’Julio Cortázar gives life – inspired by Charlie Parker – to the brilliant and tormented saxophonist Johnny Carter, who entered another reality while playing: “Music took me out of time.”, although it is just a way of saying it. If you want to know what I really feel, I believe that “Music put me in time.”. Something similar happens to Pons when he picks up the photographic camera.
“I spend a lot of time thinking about basketball. I eat, sleep and dream about basketball. Photography is a way to escape from this. I love it, it is part of the artistic side that I have within me and that I reflect through the photos,” he says. When he retires, he plans to open his own photography studio.
For the moment, at 24 years old, Yves Pons remains determined to pursue your big dream. Return to the NBA.
2024-04-01 05:00:37
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