Leaders of Unites #129 - Raphalee Kesser

11 February, 2026

"Thanks to basketball I met many new people; I met all my best friends there"

As a child I did athletics; I had talent and won prizes

My name is Raphalee Kesser and I am 18 years old. I was born in Amsterdam Zuidoost and lived there until I was six. After that I moved to Amsterdam West. I still go to Zuidoost almost every day because my grandmother lives there.

I have seven brothers and two sisters in total, but I live in West with four younger brothers and my parents. My brothers are 15, 12, 2 and 1 years old. I like having younger brothers. I love little kids. I already bought them a mini 3X3 Unites basketball. They can already dribble a little and throw the ball. I hope they will play basketball later too.

As a child I spent a lot of time outside. From the age of five to thirteen I did athletics. I had talent and regularly won prizes. The 100-meter sprint and long jump were my favorite events. I also raced my friends for fun. Because of a knee injury I had to stop doing athletics.

Thanks to basketball I met many new people; I met all my best friends there

When I was still doing athletics, I often went to the Johan Cruyff Court in the summer. That is where I first came into contact with basketball. I always liked it: the atmosphere was good and I quickly met new people. In fact, I met all my best friends there.

After I stopped athletics, I started playing basketball more and more. If I had to choose which sport I like more now, I would choose basketball. Athletics is something you do alone. The nice thing about basketball is that you do it as a team, you build a bond and share the same passion. I am now also a member of Amsterdam Warriors.

But that is not where I first heard about 3X3 Unites. That was at school. I was playing basketball on the schoolyard when the gym teacher asked if I wanted to join the school’s basketball team. We were coached by Mike from 3X3 Unites. He said I had talent and should join the school tournament. We finished second. Super cool.

During the 3X3 Leader Course I learned to talk to people I don’t know

Mike also told me about the 3X3 Leader Courses. I didn’t know them, but I was immediately enthusiastic: I could play basketball and develop myself. That really appealed to me. In the end I chose the 3X3 Young Leader Course. It was really fun and educational.

I mainly learned how important it is to work together. Within our group everyone had ideas for organizing a final event. Everyone also wanted to do their own thing a bit, you know. At first things went wrong because we didn’t work well together. But when we started cooperating properly, we organized an awesome basketball tournament.

I also learned to talk to people I don’t know. I wasn’t used to that, but during the 3X3 Young Leader Course it was necessary to work together. I notice that in daily life I now talk much more easily to people I don’t know.

After the 3X3 Young Leader Course I also did the Girls Only 3X3 Leader Course. There I mainly learned how to give simple and accessible basketball exercises. For small children, for example, we put two hoops on the ground to teach them a lay-up. They had to switch feet in the hoops and then throw the ball.

The hanging plush toy my best friend gave me is a reminder to never lose the child in yourself

On my eighteenth birthday I received a special gift from my best friend: a hanging Stitch plush toy from Lilo & Stitch. It is my favorite series that I grew up with. The plush toy is a reminder to never lose the child in yourself. I thought that was a very beautiful message from my best friend. The plush toy hangs on my basketball bag.

Besides being a basketball fan, I am also a big football fan. Or rather: I have supported Barcelona since I was little. That is because of my aunt, who used to live with us. She was a Barcelona fan and once took me to a match when we were in Barcelona with the family. Messi was my favorite player. Now that he has been gone for a few years, I most enjoy watching Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal.

I design clothing and would love to design my own clothing for 3X3 Unites in the future

Besides basketball and football, I have another big passion: designing clothing. I started during the Covid period. I was bored and began creating my own designs. I enjoyed it so much that I kept doing it more and more. One of my dreams is to have my own clothing brand.

Another dream I have is to become a sports physiotherapist and personal trainer. I am currently studying marketing and communication, but I want to continue studying afterward. As things look now, I will first do a bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy and then a master’s degree to become a sports physiotherapist. I enjoy studying.

I also want to stay active with 3X3 Unites. I am now part of the Paper Dome team and that is really great. I work with my friends, I am involved in basketball, and I can mean something to other young people in the neighborhood. What more could you want? Well, to answer that myself: I would love to design my own clothing for 3X3 Unites in the future.