On loan from NBA powerhouse New Orleans, Brazilian Didi Louzada has been a revelation for the Kings this season. But growing up amid violence and crime, it could have been different
They shared the same name, lived in the same zone in the same Brazilian city, and played on the same basketball team. Marcos was three years younger than his good friend, who is better known as “Didi”, and when they weren’t playing, they were at the Louzada household along with other members of the team.
“I don’t feel like this is all weird for me,” Didi says. “My English skills are getting better. I’m highly impressed with the league. I have a lot of respect for it. I love this country, the food, the people …” As Joao Pedro lay in hospital, Didi made a promise to him: “We will accomplish our dreams — I’ll take care of you and our mother.”
Weaver witnessed in August as an assistant coach for the Boomers at the World Cup, when Didi was “bullying” older players in a Brazilian team that didn’t progress far in the tournament. “The Pelicans put a premium on that ‘neck up’ stuff,” Weaver says. “They talked to the people who spoke to his family in Brazil and not one single person had a negative thing to say about him. A ‘me first’ guy would not work at the Kings.”
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