This story appears in SLAM 258.
Everything that Jordan Smith Jr. does is predicated on winning. From keeping his eyes trained on his opponent’s hips to stacking his days with training workouts alongside the DMV’s past and current greats, for the 6-2 guard at St. Paul VI High School, the standard for residing in the win column started all the way back in third grade.
After defeating a New World team that they had lost to all season long, Jordan and his third-grade Team Takeover squad advanced past their season-long foe to face the Oakland Soldiers in the national championship game.
“And then after that, I just took winning to another level because it just felt good to win. Losing to New World all year, it hurt, but to finally beat them and just win, it meant a lot. And then after that game, we played Oakland Soldiers, and then we beat them in the national championship. And ever since then, I’ve had a chip on my shoulder to win at any cost,” Jordan says.
Jared ebanks 