Thread: DeAndre Liggins will Never Crumble

Former Kentucky guard DeAndre Liggins will have to wait till it is his turn with the Orlando Magic, but as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel finds out, this is nothing compared to what Liggins has endured growing up in Chicago.

"I expected it to be hard … no summer league, late training camp, and we have a lot of veterans," Liggins said. "I knew it would be tough."

The thing is, Liggins, 23, can handle it.

Whatever adversity you throw at the kid, he won't crumble.

"I'm blessed, even though I'm not playing," Liggins said. "The things I've been through, most people don't make it."

Not many fans know it, but Liggins wears No. 34, honoring his late brother, Maurice.

Maurice wore the number in high school in Chicago, a rising star attracting college scouts, and was buried in his jersey a decade ago. He was then shot to death, gunned down on school grounds while defending his sister.

The Rev.Jesse Jackson spoke at the service, preaching nonviolence in the city while 14-year-old DeAndre mourned. Only a few months earlier, he had lost his father, who died from complications of diabetes, and moved in with his grandmother.

"[Maurice] makes me work harder. If not for him, I couldn't be here. I guess everything happens for a reason," Liggins said.

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Great read.








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