The NBA has been good to Ramon Sessions. But it doesn’t beat making an impact at home

It took a while, but Ramon Sessions was finally able to convince a few area youths their eyes were not playing tricks on them.

Growing up in a similar environment as many of those on the Myrtle Beach Sports Center basketball court on Tuesday, the former Myrtle Beach High basketball standout and 10-year NBA veteran recalls a time where his response to seeing a larger than figure was much the same.

“It’s funny because it really touched me the other day when I thought about it,” Sessions said. “A lot of the kids think when they see us on TV that we’re not human. But I tell them everyday, at the end of the day I tie my shoes like they tie their shoes.”

Shortly after being drafted, the former Seahawk launched his first basketball camp in the familiar confines of Myrtle Beach High School. And while in the 10 years that have passed Sessions has become older and wiser, the common yearning to give back to a community that’s given him so much remains.

All week, the Charlotte Hornets guard is hosting dozens of youths as part of his annual Ramon Sessions Basketball Camp.

“It means a lot, and to be honest it is one of those things during the season I look forward to,” he said. “The NBA has been good to me, but to return to a place that is home – truly home – there is always a smile on my face and I look forward to it every summer.”

This year’s event serves as the 10th edition of the camp. Wanting to commemorate the occasion, Sessions brought six youths from Reno, Nev. – home of his college alma mater, the University of Nevada – along to take part in activities with aspiring hoops talents from the Myrtle Beach area.

“Being 10 years in, I’m trying to figure out where those 10 years went at,” he said. “... This being the 10th year of the Myrtle Beach camp, I also do a camp in Reno (Nev.), it being in its ninth year. I flew six kids from Reno to Myrtle Beach, so there are six kids from Reno with a few adults that came down.”

Next month, he’ll do the same for six local youths, taking them on a journey more than halfway across the U.S. to participate in his Reno basketball camp.

In addition to his annual hoops camp, Sessions has diligently poured his hard-earned funds into the community, particularly in the direction of the Boys & Girls Club of the Grand Strand.

Last September, the NBA journeyman donated $250,000 toward a building project that will provide the local organization with a new facility. Expected to serve approximately 400 children, it will also include an education space, a media center a technology lab and gymnasium with a full basketball court named “The Ramon Sessions Basketball Center.”

For his support and charitable donations, Sessions was given a lifetime membership to the Boys & Girls Club of the Grand Strand.

“That’s big, because you are touching a lot of boys and girls, not just the people in my community but nationwide,” he said. “It’s been a huge honor working (with the Boys & Girls Club of the Grand Strand), getting this building going with the support of the community. A lot of people donated, just not myself, to get this going. This is great and we’re looking forward to getting it going.”

Also in town for the occasion was Gus Williams, a former professional basketball player and 1979 NBA champion with the Seattle Supersonics. As a youth, he was a member of the famed Mount Vernon (N.Y.) Boys & Girls Club, which also played a role in the life of renowned actor Denzel Washington and a host of other basketball talents who went on to play professionally.

His affinity for the club hasn’t lapsed as he’s grown older, regularly visiting the local Boys & Girls Club during the six months each year he spends on the Grand Strand. For his ambassador work, Williams also was given a lifetime membership to the local club.

“I was born and raised in New York, and I was actually down here to play golf and got the chance to meet Ramon Sessions at a golf tournament,” he said. “He told me what he was doing down here in Myrtle Beach, and I was quite proud of him because I actually grew up in the Boys & Girls Club in New York.

“So anytime anyone can do anything for the kids, that really made a difference for me – the Boys & Girls Club – I am all for it.”

During the course of the week, campers will learn the fundamentals of basketball, among those shooting, dribbling, passing, lay-ups and defensive posture. But while the sport is a common theme, Sessions said there is more to the event than ensuring that a round ball goes through a hoop.

“Just to be here with them – not just to have a camp, but actually showing up and interacting with the kids and doing ‘Q&A’ with them – it’s great and always exciting,” he said. “I remember it like yesterday, just being a kid from Myrtle Beach, S.C., entering the (NBA Draft) was already a stepping stone for me. Even though I got drafted during the commercial, I was picked at No. 56, it’s been an honor.

“Ten years later to be standing in the NBA still playing at the 56th pick is unheard of. It’s been a blessing and I just try not to forget where I came from and always come back to my community and do stuff like this.”

This story was originally published June 20, 2017 at 6:30 PM with the headline "The NBA has been good to Ramon Sessions. But it doesn’t beat making an impact at home."