Bonding with my younger sister over basketball strengthens our relationship

My sixth grade sister dribbling through defenders at a basketball tournament in San Francisco.

My sister, who is five years younger than me, is following nearly the same path of sports that I took as she grows up.

All eyes were on the court, as I intently watched my little sister, Bella, shoot a free throw at a tournament in Hayward. As expected, not many points were scored during that game since I was watching fifth grade girls play one of their first-ever basketball games. However, I was amazed to see how far my 12-year-old sister had come following the same path I took growing up with sports.

Often, it’s hard for siblings with a 5-year age gap to have much in common, but for my sister and me, sports successfully helped to bridge our difference in age. Whether it’s shooting hoops in the front-yard together or watching game films of our past games, our shared passion for basketball has made us closer.

Athletics seems to run in the family: Ever since kindergarten, my dad’s love for tennis and soccer inspired me to pick up a tennis racket first — just like him. By the time I turned 8, I was a multi-sport athlete.

Starting at age 5, I played golf and soccer for two years, swam for one year and did kung fu for four — all while focusing on tennis, which I played for three years.

After trying out this barrage of different activities, I switched to basketball when I was 8 and settled on it as a primary focus. Even now, as a junior in high school, I carry the same passion I found eight years ago — all while also discovering an interest in volleyball during middle school.

Bella has followed in my footsteps and has taken a similar path in exploring different sports. Starting at around the same age I did, she began to participate in the same sports as me: swimming, tennis, kung fu and soccer.

She, however, didn’t stick to those sports for as long as I did, quickly finding a stronger passion for soccer; tall, lengthy and fast, she was an effective and talented forward.

Soccer was her main sport for three years up until she was 10 years old, when she found basketball and took an immediate liking to it. She juggled between soccer and basketball for a year, strongly debating which sport to pick as a primary. Our mom heavily encouraged her to switch to basketball as she saw many upsides: It was an indoor sport that would enable her to stay out of the sun and I was already playing it so she would have guidance (though, admittedly, my mom’s main focus remained on her avoiding the sun’s damaging rays).

By fourth grade, Bella officially decided basketball was her main sport and joined the same club as me, TM Basketball Club. I, of course, was happy about her decision — and I didn’t even need to push or convince her to play the sport.

Her time on the team started off a bit rough, as does with any beginner, but she soon became a vital asset to her club team, the TM Lightningbirds. Her athleticism, mentality and play style all resembled mine, making it easier for me to understand her decisions on the court and guide her through her troubles.

Her choosing basketball allowed us to bond through sports on another level. I would play against her, coach her and talk to her about the game. At times our dad gets frustrated with some of the actions that she takes on the court — such as making unnecessary passes — but having had the experience myself, I understand that a player’s vision on the court is much different than what onlookers perceive. If we had played different sports, I wouldn’t have had these understandings, and it would have been much tougher to connect. As Bella developed as an athlete, it has been captivating to see her have the same commitment to practices and games as I did, spending five plus hours each week. The idea that she took inspiration and value in the sports I played growing up helped me find a way to relate to her, even with a 5-year age gap. I am excited to watch where basketball takes her, and see how powerful of an athlete she becom es in the future. Who knows? Maybe she’ll even school me in a one-on-one game someday, and I’ll have to eat a big slice of humble pie.