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March 29, 2024
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Going Beyond Setbacks: How Chidi Udengwu Jr. Became a Rising Basketball Star

Setbacks and mishaps are inevitable parts of life. Pulling people down, throwing challenges in one’s everyday life, and hindering someone to push through with one’s desires, the path to success is full of struggles and problems that people have yet to surpass. While many get discouraged and break down upon being thrown by life on the ground, Chidi Udengwu Jr.’s determination to succeed is what brought him through his struggles upon entering the varsity team. His desire to be on the top kept getting stronger over time, and he persistently acted on it until he became a basketball star.

Chidi Udengwu Jr. is a first-generation Nigerian born and raised in California. A rising basketball star and public speaker, his growing up experiences are nothing short of unconventional. He was not exactly the smart type of student in his class, and unlike Nigerian basketball players who easily flourish in the field, he only got to enter the varsity team until senior season in high school.

Despite these discouraging experiences, Chidi Udengwu Jr. was clearly aware of his interests. Unlike wandering teenagers who were his age, he already knew what he wanted to pursue so he spent days and nights to get to the NBA and play in Division 1 Basketball. He endlessly trained and mastered the sport, eventually, his skills became incomparable. He landed a full-ride basketball scholarship to Idaho State University and graduated after two years. Five years later, he signed with a top NBA agent, worked out with various teams, and made it to the NBA Draft.

His experiences of being a basketball scholar were not as easy as they seemed. During his junior year, he was the laughingstock of the bench, and his incomparable skills were not instantly recognized. While life threw problems at his face, he was able to continue moving forward and learn from the process. By the following year, he became the starting captain of the team. His determination, hard work, and perseverance paid off, and he was able to reap what he sowed for years.

Besides his desire to succeed in life, Chidi Udengwu doubles his hard work for his family. Dreaming to make it to the NBA roster and to establish a family business, he brings his family to success just as how his family supported him on his desired journey. He wants to give back to his parents and grandparents for taking good care of him and his siblings, and his accomplishments prove just how close he is to this goal.

Knowing how good education boosted his desire to be great, Chidi Udengwu Jr. perseveres to bring his cousins to the United States to give them quality education. He recognizes how beneficial the resources and opportunities he received while growing up are, so he wants them to have the same opportunities and inspire them in dreaming big.

Further spreading his wisdom and inspiring people with his success, he created a podcast called ChitChatWithChidi and interacts with people about a lot of things. He uses his skills in public speaking in boosting his career, and just as how sure he was on pursuing basketball, he once again became successful in this pursuit.

Learn more about Chidi Udengwu Jr. on this website.

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