I mean, there's there's even you've even been dubbed the LeBron of the game of the virtual game.

Now, I know you grew up with humble beginnings and Cleveland, Ohio, and I'm wondering what those humble beginnings in Cleveland taught you about setting a goal.

Taught you about working toward that goal.

Talked to you, you know, taught you about achieving a dream.

Could you speak to us for yes.

So uh huh.

You know, I grew up, you know, it was interesting.

You know how everything came together?

Um, I grew up, you know, pretty rough.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, born and raised, and, um, grew up in a pretty rough neighborhood.

And I think the way I grew up, what it taught me is, you know, howto work.

Like how to Brian?

No.

I think that's what helped me get here today.

Just some.

I had the brown for everything and, um, you know, just just to be able to eat No, we won't have some tea eat.

So, you know, it'd be like, man like, how are we gonna get $10 to go get milk bread, eggs, cheese.

Have something.

So I think you know whether that was, you know, uh, pumping guys or shoveling snow, you know, because it actually snows in Cleveland.

I'm gonna be pretty cold.

So whether that's set in the snow or, you know, I'm Dr Driveways or, you know, whatever I have to do, just, you know, Grind, you know, that's what I was taught.

That's what I grew up one.

And I'm just grind and work hard for, you know, whatever it is you want in life.

So I think that's what kind of helped me get here in them.

You know, I'm very thankful for the way I grew up.

Absolutely.

Now, when we when we find that that passion of ours there's always a story of how it came into our lives.

So I'm wondering, how did you find gaming?

How did you find becoming an expert at this?

And how did you first realize?

On top of that?

But there's something I could do for my life.

Yes.

So I guess my my story with how everything sort of began waas It started in two K nine.

That's so I'm a professional MBA to K player.

So I play mea to K professionally.

Professionally, an MBA to K is basically just basketball.

So I played the game basketball professionally, Virtually the way that sort of began is 2009.

When I started playing, I got my first ex wife's 360.

My mother actually gave me the money in, you know what about as last 3 60?

I bought Xbox Live, you know?

And when you started gaming and, you know, I had X box and starts life.

So I'm thinking like, Okay, I have everything I mean about to start gaming right?

Right away.

No, they don't tell you everything you need.

You gotta have good Internet.

Because if you don't have to start playing the game and then that's going you're gonna be lagging and everything, and it won't work, right?

So I got us live and I got 360 myself playing to K nine.

So I'm playing to Kate nine and everything transition from my real life, love and passion for the game of basketball.

Which is why I started playing NBA two k.

So I'm sorry playing two canine with friends and everybody around the neighborhood, and we're just playing like five on five.

So I'm controlling like, um, LeBron James and you're controlling.

Luke ignites again where?

Guarding each other.

So it's five p five and I'm playing with you around the neighborhood.

So to cane, I was sort of like the start of year.

So and once I started playing, I just fell in love with it, like, you know, So I'm getting home from school, you know?

I'm doing my homework in the game and for the rest of the night, and then wake up and do everything again.

So okay, now was the practice year and then two K 10 and two K 11 which was 2010 in 2011 Um, I had the number one ranked team in the world.

So there's a leaderboard that states, like shows are The stats are to assess.

All the points are game.

All the wins, losses, losses from every team and every player in the world.

So I have the number one team in the world consecutively both years.

So to get in and took 11 some might man like I'm actually pretty good at this, like so from there on to K 12 to about two K 16.

So for those next, like, four years, Um, I'm just planning tournaments, so I'm trying to play in tournaments, and I could win $50 here.

$20 here, $30 Here.

And, you know, that was everything that's like big money to Yes, Tom.

So because, you know, $20 that's food.

You know, for the next couple of days or $10.

You know, that's the 10 hours I could get to my parents too, you know, going by the milk, egg, cheese, bread, whatever.

We need it.

So, um, I started So for them years, some playing.

And, you know, I'm just laying out out of the love of the game like I love it.

So for the longest time, I wasn't making money, Wasn't making any money from gaming.

So I'm playing and just, you know, planned for bragging rights or respect from other top players.

So we're playing like game battles with this like, which is like a male chief, that or the card players and professionally sports latest play.

And that's where you know, like, it really, really took off.

We're all like the competitiveness started.

So in 2016 they announced this $250,000 tournament for MBA to Kay.

So when they announced that I'm like, Oh, man lake, this is what I've been playing all these years for it, Like, this is what I've been grinding for.

This is it, like, this is what I need to do.

So we went in, we went on, I build a team and, um, I went on and I went and competed for the $250,000 I lost first round.

So we lost.

So the first time, the first game, you load up and I lost that game.

So I'm like, devastated, Heartbroken Lake.

I'm like, man, like I just turned the game off and I was super frustrating, just heartbroken, and I went to sleep immediately.

So after I, um, woke up, I start working towards the next year, and I'm like, man, they have to do this again like that.

Have to They just have to, because this can't be the end.

So I'm working towards Suitcase 17 and, um, to k 17 comes around, and they announced the $250,000 tournament again.

So the first year in 2016.

It was a road to the finals.

And then the second year, it was the road to the all Star tournament.

So they announced it.

And I'm like, Okay, we're not losing this time.

We're liking everybody to do it.

So I built the team again, and, um, we went on to play the tournament.

But before you played the tenement, they announced the N B A to K league, which is what I do now.

So the M E s u K League.

It's just, uh, MBA organizations coming along and having a gaming team and the East Force team and, you know, they draft you, and then you basically do.

So what?

All they say is I do like a literal mimic of the actual MBA.

So I fly, travel the world.

I play against other MBA organizations.

Um, I get to meet cool like celebrity people, and, um, you know, the best part about it is to make money.

Obviously, I can support myself, and so I'm playing against so you know, all these other teams and stuff.

But when they announced that they announced, this is Well, some like, Wow, man, you know, $250,000.

It's cool.

But, you know, this is like a career.

This is something I could do for the rest of my life.

So a window onto the $250,000 tournament the second year.

So the road to our star and, um, I went to player, but I was plan C like get my name out there and let people know who I am and, you know, showcase my skills basically to show people how good I am at the game.

So I went on and I played my heart out, and we ended up winning the whole tournament.

So handle winning the $250,000 tournament, and I went like the MVP award.

I'm averaging, like, 33 points for getting 14 assists a game, you know, just going crazy.

And I was I think the reason I went so crazy is because I really, like, needed it and wanted they're like, this is what I wanted to do.

I knew that from the get go, and I just really liked in.

And now I'm here today as the number one overall pick for it.

You know, the Dallas Mavericks and Mads Gaming.

And, um, it's just been a crazy right.

Wow.

Wow.

What?

Someone who's as successful as you are always is looking ahead the way you are in the game.

Always keeping eyes up.

Looking ahead.

Um, what do you have on the horizon view?

What do you have planned for this year?

For the coming years?

What do you see?

Dimes blowing up in the future.

Talk to us.

Yes.

So, um, right now, we're working towards season three.

So season two, we had a pretty good season.

Was the number one overall or the number two team in the league.

And so right now, we're just working towards season three tryingto re home with 10.

You said to Dallas, as far as my personal brand dimes, um, working on getting having my own clothing line, Women's and Mills.

Um uh, just, uh, And the last thing I guess I would say, is just trying to learn more about more of the business side of what I do, because gaming obviously won't last forever.

But I want to stay in the field of gaming.

So in the e sports field, but so I'm like, sitting in all extra meetings, learning, you know, the sponsorship side to be a society like just the social media side, because there's so many different aspects and what I do, It's not just you don't just have to be a professional gamer.

You can be a constant creator.

You could be a photographer.

There's different avenue.

So your son of everything, about every little thing there isn't.

No, it's amazing.

Now, you know, we have a lot of middle school students in the room, and at one point in your life, you were a middle school student, and you've achieved so many things.

I'm gonna challenge you to look back to your middle school self, young dimes, little dimes and and what would you say toe little dimes in middle school to inspire him?

T keep him pushing forward and maybe some inspiration of these young scholars and stars can take with them into this next semester in this next week.

So what would you say?

The little dime's about success in about dreams and about work?

What would be your advice to yourself?

Um, number one thing is, you know, and I heard someone else say it earlier.

It's just that anything is possible, and that really is true.

Like I said, I went for this and I had, like, nothing, like, literally I had nothing might not even have food that day.

So I went for this and I went for it with my all.

And I think that goes with whatever it is you're doing.

Life, just go for it.

And if there was something I could tell myself before, it would be that you know, this isn't it.

Just because your life is here right now doesn't mean you have to stay here.

There's a there's a higher there's a there's something more.

It doesn't just have to be that had never been under Cleveland in my life.

You know, the next thing I know, I'm flying to New Orleans.

I'm flying to Dallas.

I'm flying to New York, you know, to do and me and just do all different types of things.

So this isn't a go for whatever it is you want to do in life, learn everything there is to know about it and they go for it with ya.

That would be You know what I would tell you guys and my old self You please make a lot of noise for Mavs.

Mavs, Rockstar Dimes, give it up for dimes.