Leaders of Unites #127 - Abel Ackon Mohammed

Kobe Bryant will always be my role model, and because of him I started playing basketball myself

In Italy I played baseball, but when I arrived in the Netherlands one of my friends was a big basketball fan. He kept sending me basketball videos, mostly of Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant is my example forever, and because of him I started playing basketball myself. I became a member of Amsterdam Warriors.

Because I started basketball at a later age, I was not the biggest talent. But by training a lot, I eventually became a good defender. After two years I stopped. I had a very nice coach and a nice team, but I felt it was time for other things.

At Amsterdam Warriors I met Mike from 3X3 Unites. He told me there was a tournament in Sporthal Bijlmer and asked who wanted to referee. You would get paid for it, he added. I wanted to do that. It seemed fun, and some extra money is always useful. That is how I got in contact with 3X3 Unites.

I learned a lot through the 3X3 Leader Course, especially in the area of communication

When I first heard about the 3X3 Leader Course, I did not know exactly what it was. But I was curious, so I decided to give it a try. From the first meeting on, I found it interesting, because we talked about many life skills and you could learn from people who already had experience in teaching.

I have to be honest: for a long time I did not really like working with children. But because I learned how to deal with them better, I now enjoy doing things with them much more. Especially in communication, I learned a lot. That still helps me today.

An example: I give basketball lessons at schools. In one class there were many boys who were loud and often used bad language. Before, I really could not handle that and did not know what to do. But now I talked to all those boys one-on-one. I told them that certain language does not belong at school. I respect them, but they also need to respect me.

My classmates already knew more, but I’m persistent and wanted to improve my camera work

Besides giving basketball lessons, I also work on making and editing videos within 3X3 Unites. I am now in my final year at the Audio Visual Academy in Hilversum.

The funny thing is that as a child I was never interested in video or camera work. But that changed after I saw the movie Spiderman. When I found out what was possible with a green screen, which effects were used, and how the movie was made, I realized: this is what I want to do. This is so cool.

Without any experience in this field, I applied to the academy in Hilversum and thought: let’s challenge myself. In the beginning it was quite difficult, because all my fellow students already had some experience and I did not. But I am a persevering person and wanted to get better. In my free time I watched many tutorials and asked a lot of questions.   

I want to contribute to the growth of 3X3 Unites; it’s my way of giving back for all the opportunities I’ve received here.

I am in the final year of my studies and hope to get my diploma this year. In addition, I want to help 3X3 Unites grow further and expand the community. That can be done in different ways, whether by giving lessons or by focusing even more on video editing.

It is my way of giving something back to 3X3 Unites for all the opportunities I have received here. I was able to develop myself, expand my network, and I look forward to working even more with great people like Dusan and Shuwendly, and of course with the rest of the team as well.