On Tuesday, eight-year NBA veteran Trevor Booker opted to officially retire from professional basketball. Anyone who closely followed the league already knows that Booker was someone who built his career through toughness and continuous hard work'but how exactly did we get here' Well, being born in Newberry, South Carolina within a family of athletes was the first step towards what would unfold into Booker defying the odds for years to come. He was one of four boys from Gerald and Tracey Booker, and explained that competition quickly became an enormous part of his everyday life, 'We lived deep in the country and would play football, baseball, basketball'anything with 'ball' in it, we were competing. It made us all better for future sports, because we already understood how to be competitors.' Little did he know, it was just the beginning of something special. 

Growing up in Whitmire, a town of less than 2,000 people, Booker was slated to attend the small, local high school. Ultimately, he elected to make the daily 30-minute drive to Union County High School and play out his four years under coach Joe Pitt. It didn't take long for Booker to take advantage of the situation. He received a flurry of offers through his first two seasons and had his sights set on the ACC. Despite already holding various high major offers, it wasn't until his sophomore season during a visit to Clemson where Booker chose to further his playing career. He declared, 'I was going to commit to South Carolina until the Clemson visit, where I was so excited that I committed on the spot.' Booker utilized the following two years to simply hone his craft and become a college-ready prospect. During his senior season, he averaged 21.9 PPG, 16.4 RPG, 8 BPG, and 3.5 APG, secured the Gatorade POY, South Carolina POY, and left Union County as the all-time leader in rebounds and blocked shots. 

Upon arriving on the Clemson campus, it didn't take long for Booker to assert himself as a cornerstone within the program. Given the experience on the roster, he didn't expect to start as a true freshman, stating, 'I didn't even know I would start over a junior. I don't think either of us did. I worked and earned the starting job, and just got better as I went through my freshman season.' It was towards the end of his freshman year when he recognized that there was potential to play in the NBA. Not only did he start every game of his freshman season but Booker would also go onto start in each of his 134 career games at Clemson. He was a walking double-double throughout the college ranks and found himself as a likely second-round pick prior to the 2010 NBA Draft. Instead of accepting his fate, Booker chose to take matters into his own hands, participating in draft workouts with over half of the league'something that very few players have ever done. He would eventually get drafted 23rd(selected by Minnesota; traded to Washington), more than doubling his stock in less than three months. The reason' Booker reflects, 'It was a special night getting drafted. The results were due to hard work over the summer. I wanted to schedule pre-draft workouts with a lot of teams in order to prove myself and show that I could outwork anyone'and I did. Going from being projected 49thand getting drafted 23rdwas one of the things that I'm the most proud about.' 

Though Booker had finally made it to the promise land, his journey was far from over. He carved out a useful role and played out his rookie year with the Wizards but would soon be forced to find other alternatives with the 2011 NBA lockout looming. Booker was forced to grow up even faster than expected and signed a short deal to play in Israel, claiming, 'I was tough, especially early in my career. What was I supposed to do' Playing in Israel was cut short due to an injury but it was a great time in a great league and beautiful area.' After playing out his first contract in Washington, he would sign a two-year deal with the Utah Jazz'citing a meeting with Quin Synder and Dennis Lindsey during summer league really sold him. Booker would later sign with the Brooklyn Nets (after telling himself that he'd never live in New York City) but was traded 18 months later to the Philadelphia 76ers. He rounded out his career playing the remainder of 2018 for the Indiana Pacers and later with the Shanxi Brave Dragons, which was cut short due to injury. 

So, what turning points made Booker the man he is today and what can we expect going forward' He said, 'Breaks in life. I wasn't necessarily the most perfect kid. I was a good kid but I was still sneaky. Luck played a part in my whole career. Being a country boy played a huge part, because there was less trouble to get into. We had to design games to stay entertained. Family meant a lot to me and played a massive part in my upbringing. My parents were both athletes; I got my aggressive streak from my dad (who played football) and my height/basketball ability from my mom (who played basketball). As far as post-retirement plans go, I'm planning to see what opportunities come my way.' There was always an obstacle in place for Booker, whether being undersized for his position, underrated in the draft, or from a small town in South Carolina. However, he showed that anything is possible with hard work, determination, and being surrounded by quality people.