One Armed Basketball Player

A truly inspiring segment aired on CNN earlier talking about Porter Ellett, a one-armed high school student who is a starter for his basketball team. I included a video below and this kid can really do it all… knock down 3 pointers, grab rebounds and steal the ball from the opposition.

To see Porter Ellett warming up for a high school basketball game, he looks out of place and you would expect to see him sitting on the bench, instead of the starting for Wayne High School.

“It’s kind of fun to see people’s reactions when they doubt you and they see you walk out on the court and wonder why you are even playing; then you get to go out and prove what you are worth,” Ellett said.

Porter lost his right arm in an accident when he was a young boy. While having only one arm to compete with is a disadvantage, Porter likes the challenge, scoring 16 of his team’s 50 points, with steals, rebounds and a blocked shot. His coach, Kade Morrell, calls him a natural leader for the team.

“He’s got a winning attitude and he’s a prime example of how far attitude can take you. It’s not what happens to you, but how you react and how you deal with it that matters in life,” Morrell said.

While the spotlight is on Porter much more than his team, he is the first to credit his teammates for helping him win, both on and off the court. “My teammates, my friends, I wouldn’t be anything, they are my support. When other people knock me down, they are always there. They’ve always been positive, always told me I could do anything.”

Here is the video: