Former NBA player Adrian Branch visited with Kimmons students to discuss how he turned his life around. Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) sponsor Coach Cash recruited the former Laker to come speak and share his personal experiences.

Students had key points that stood out the most for them.

“I will remember that Adrian Branch said, ‘Is your life mixed up or fixed up?’” Kyleigh Cason, 8th, said. “What that means is ‘Are you hanging around your good friends one minute and then your bad friends the next minute?’”

Kyleigh also admired Branch being a proud Christian.

“Branch is a professional basketball player who is a believer in Christ, and he said that some think that it is stupid to believe in Christ, but he didn’t care,” Kyleigh said.

Jenna Newton, 9th, remembered a valuable piece of advice that Branch gave to the young scholars.

“He told us that we aren’t born as winners or a losers — we’re born as choosers,” Jenna Newton, 9th, said. “I think students benefitted from getting to meet Adrian Branch by hearing what he did in his past and learning how you can come up from it.”

Frederick Wiley, 8th, liked Branch’s message.

“He made us laugh and told us not to listen to anyone who tries to make you do bad things — just enjoy life,” Frederick said.

Chris Rotramel, 9th, was impressed at getting to meet an NBA player.

“The assembly was a blast!” Chris said. “He talked and got people from the audience to play basketball.”

Branch talked about the kinds of people he hung out with as a teen and how he hoped students do not go through the same thing.

“What I remember about Adrian Branch is he followed his dreams and had good and bad friends,” Nariyah Church, 8th, said.

Branch encouraged scholars to reach their goals.

“He told us to always do the right things, and that we can be anything in life that we put our minds to and never give up,” Dynasty Andrews, 8th, said.