Antonio Ballard

Antonio Ballard
Free agent
Position Small forward / Shooting guard
Personal information
Born (1988-04-30) April 30, 1988
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight 222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school Jeffersonville (Jeffersonville, Indiana)
College Miami (Ohio) (2006–2011)
NBA draft 2011 / Undrafted
Playing career 2011–present
Career history
2012–2014 Summerside / Island Storm
2014–2015 Lugano Tigers
2015–2016 ESSM Le Portel
2016–2017 Lions de Genève
2017–2018 Union Neuchâtel
2018 Kymis
Career highlights and awards

Antonio Ballard (born April 30, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Kymis of the Greek Basket League. He played with the Summerside and Island Storm from 2012 to 2014 and was named a National Basketball League of Canada (NBL) All-Star in both seasons. Ballard was also the Most Valuable Player of the 2014 game. He played college basketball at Miami University, where he represented the RedHawks.[1] Michael Stinnett, a coach, commented on him, "He is a versatile small forward who can do a little bit of it all."[2]

Early life

In his childhood, Ballard moved around cities such as Louisville, Kentucky and areas in Indiana. He said that he moved around two to three times each year. Ballard did not know his own father while growing up, and his mother introduced him when he was nine years old. He told one newspaper, the Dayton Daily News, that all of his brothers got into some kind of trouble. Brian, his older brother, was sent to prison for several years for murder during a failed robbery attempt as a teenager. Two of his other brothers, Corey and BJ, went to jail in 2010 after running away from the police with possession of a gun. Ballard's youngest brother, Ricky, had experience in jail as well. In addition, some of his cousins had been shot or killed. Antonio himself had a gun pointed in his face.[3]

The presence of gangs limited the time Ballard could practice basketball. Because many of them were his family members, he was allowed to shoot. He said, "It was rough basketball—kind of like prison ball, I guess. Fights would break out and you had to hold your own, but you couldn't take it too far or something bad would happen."[3] In Jeffersonville, Indiana, there was an old basketball rim, where gangs such as the "Money Hungry Gangsters" would park their cars. Ballard said, "I've taken the good parts of my past life—and one thing you do get from a gang is having each other's back."[3]

High school career

Ballard did not play Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball because his family did not have enough money to pay for it. He solely competed at Jeffersonville High School.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Antonio Ballard Player Profile". RealGM. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  2. ↑ "Stinnett Basketball Services". CoachStinnett.com. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Archdeacon, Tom. "Redhawks' Ballard exhibits toughness". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved 31 May 2015.


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