The Tribune

By DENISE MAYCOCK

Tribune Freeport Reporter

dmaycock@tribunemedia.net

GRAND Bahama — Bahamian National Basketball Association veteran player Chavano “Buddy” Hield returned to his hometown of Eight Mile Rock to host the 12th annual Buddy Hield Foundation Basketball Camp.

The camp is being held at the Eight Mile Rock High School gymnasium, where Hield interacts with youngsters, developing their basketball skills and imparting valuable life lessons that can turn their passion for the game into real opportunities for success.

Hield, in inspiring the next generation of players on the island, said he never takes his journey in basketball for granted, and he has never forgotten where he came from and is happy to return home to give back to young people in his community.

“This is where I would find my joy, find my confidence as a young man growing up on the island of Grand Bahama,” Hield said.

Hield, 33, actually began hosting his basketball camp, coaching youngsters during his final year of college before he was drafted to the NBA. He is currently playing with the Atlanta Hawks and the centre-piece of the current Bahamas men’s national basketball team.

His basketball camp has benefitted countless numbers of young Bahamian players, some of whom have gotten scholarships to high schools in the United States and later went on to college.

“We have been doing this camp for 12 years," he said.“ I'm excited each and every year to just come back and give back.

“I love when kids want to come to the camp and learn about basketball and feel they can get better. We teach them life skills and everything.”

Hield’s camp is helping to make a difference in the lives of Bahamian athletes who dream of going to college or becoming professional basketball players.Even with all of his professional accomplishments, Hield said he never takes the opportunity to play in the NBA for granted. “I’m still in the NBA, still chasing my dream,” he said. “I love bringing basketball to a high level. I never take this for granted and I want to keep playing until I can keep playing.”

Hield said he continues to enjoy the competition and physicality of the game and has no intention of placing a limit on how long he can continue playing. “I have no time limiting myself, I never put myself down,” he said. “I like going out and competing and I love seeing the ball going to the hoop.”

In the 12 years of his foundation camp, Hield has watched young players progress through high school and college, with some earning scholarships and others pursuing basketball opportunities overseas.

“You have a lot of guys that come up to the Buddy Hield camp and the amateur sports that got scholarships to go to school,” he said. “A lot have made it to college already.”

Heild said his goal is to help put youngsters in position to reach whatever level they aspire to, whether that means playing college basketball, earning an education or pursuing a professional career.

“My job is to get them in the doorway to where they want to get - whether it’s high school in the (United) States, college basketball, or even further with basketball aspirations, whether it was trying to get to the NBA or playing professionally somewhere overseas,” he said.

“That’s always been my big goal, to help these young men get to the next level and help them grow as men too.”

Hield, however, reminds youngsters that success should not be measured solely by whether they reach the NBA.

“Everybody has dreams to make it in the NBA, but we’re all not going to make it in the NBA,” he said. “But you can also use basketball as a platform to take you somewhere.”

He also credits his Christian faith for helping him navigate the ups and downs of professional basketball and life. “I know God is my strength,” he said. “I know through Jesus Christ He saved our sins and He died for our sins.”

Hield remains humbled by how far he has come from the community where he first developed his basketball dreams. “I thank Him every day for just giving me the opportunity to go out there and live my dream out, especially where I come from,” he said.

He recalled telling people as a youngster that he would make it to the NBA, even when some did not believe him. “I remember telling people I’m going to the NBA and they looked at me and laughed,” Hield said.

Hield sees Valdez “VJ” Edgecombe, now preparing to play in his second season with the Philadelphia 76ers, as “the future of Bahamian basketball” doing great things in the league. “He’s amazing. He’s good,” Hield said. “That’s me 11 years ago, and I know VJ is going to do wonders in this world.”

“I think he's the future of the Bahamian basketball and he's going to have to take the torch to relieve me and come back and give back, and tap in all these kids in the camp, and, you know, it takes time doing that, but I am happy for him.

“When that time comes, he’s going to take that torch and start running camp around the whole Bahamas. And he needs to do that.”

Hield is an example of a young boy who realised his dream and is giving back by returning home every year to help others chase their dreams.

Hield has had a thriving basketball career in the NBA. He has played with the New Orleans Pelicans, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, the Golden State Warriors and now the Atlanta Hawks. 

“The first one is the hardest one and then you understand it's a business and it's just like staying in the business. And that's been the biggest blessing of the game.

He encourages young people to never quit or give up.

“It's always going to bring ups and downs, but if you can stay consistent and stay true to yourself, stay true to your work and keep your job that's the only thing, that's all that matters," he stated.

"I'm blessed to be in the NBA and there's only 450 of us, four from The Bahamas, and I'm one of them and I'm blessed, and I never forget where I come from and I'll never take it for granted.”

Hield, who attended Sir Jack Hayward High School in Grand Bahama, went on to play at Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Wichita, Kansas, before he was awarded a scholarship to play for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Following his four-year stint with the Sooners, the recipient of the John R Wooden award - as the best college player for the 2015-16 season - was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft.

Before his rookie season was done, Hield was traded to the Kings on February 30, 2017 where he played through the 2022 season. 

He then was traded to the Pacers where he played until 2024 when he was traded again to the 76ers in 2024. 

A sign-and-trade deal sent him to the Warriors from 2024-26 before he was traded this time to the Hawks on February 5.