- BOY, OH, BOY. YOU'RE SOMETHING ELSE, EZRA.
OKAY, SO YOU--
THE STORY IS, YOU WERE THREE YEARS OLD,
AND THE DOCTORS HAD TO AMPUTATE YOUR LEG.
- YEAH. - TELL US YOUR STORY.
- SO I WAS BORN WITH ONE FINGER ON MY LEFT HAND
AND A LEG THAT WAS CURVED.
THEY REMOVED THE PART THAT WAS CURVED.
THEY TOOK THE BIG TOE, AND THEY PUT IT ON MY LEFT HAND,
SO NOW I HAVE TWO FINGERS AND A STUMP
THAT THEY CAN PUT A PROSTHETIC LEG ON.
- RIGHT, SO--AND IT HAS NOT SLOWED YOU DOWN A BIT, HAS IT?
- NO. - NO.
AND YOU LOVE SPORTS. - I LOVE SPORTS.
- AND YOU-- I MEAN, AND THIS KID--
IT'S AMAZING WHAT YOU HAVE DONE.
YOU'VE DONE SO MANY--
WHAT ARE ALL THE SPORTS YOU PLAY?
- I PLAY BASKETBALL.
WE'RE STARTING BASKETBALL SEASON.
I PLAY SOCCER. SOCCER SEASON IS NEXT.
THIS IS ACTUALLY MY FOOTBALL JERSEY
THAT WE JUST ENDED.
I WAS THE QB. SKATEBOARD.
- DOES THAT--QUARTERBACK? - YEAH.
[cheers and applause]
- YOU'RE A QUARTERBACK. WOW.
- AND THEN--AND THEN THE ONE THAT I LOVE THE MOST
IS PROBABLY TRACK AND FIELD.
I SET SEVEN NATIONAL RECORDS.
[cheers and applause]
- WOW. - THANKS.
- SO YOU WERE ACTUALLY ONE
OF THE SPORTS KIDS OF THE YEAR, RIGHT,
OF "SPORTS ILLUSTRATED" RIGHT HERE.
LOOK AT THIS.
[cheers and applause]
SO NOW, WHEN DID YOU-- I MEAN, SOME KIDS LOVE SPORTS,
BUT YOU'RE REALLY GOOD AT ALL SPORTS.
SO WHEN DID YOU REALIZE
THAT YOU WERE GOOD AT EVERYTHING?
- I'VE ALWAYS LOVED IT SINCE I WAS A BABY.
I'VE ALWAYS LOVED BEING VERY ACTIVE,
HAVING FUN, PLAYING WITH MY FRIENDS,
BUT WHEN I PLAY SPORTS, I FEEL AT HOME.
I DON'T FEEL DIFFERENT.
I FEEL LIKE I'M JUST ONE OF THE GUYS.
- YEAH, WELL, AND YOU ARE, BUT YOU'RE BETTER THAN THEM.
[applause]
YOU'RE BETTER THAN A LOT OF THE GUYS.
- THANKS.
- AND YOU HAVE A COACH
THAT GAVE YOU A REALLY GREAT MOTTO.
WHAT IS THAT MOTTO? - IT WAS, "FINISH WELL."
I WAS A LITTLE KINDERGARTNER PLAYING BASKETBALL,
AND I MISSED A COUPLE SHOTS, AND THEN I MISSED ALL MY SHOTS.
AND I GOT UPSET, AND I RAN AWAY.
AND SO MY P COACH, COACH CHAO, WAS WATCHING ME,
AND HE CAME UP, AND HE SAID,
"HEY, BUDDY, YOU MIGHT'VE MISSED ALL YOUR SHOTS,
"BUT YOU'RE GONNA GO OUT THERE AND MAKE ANOTHER SHOT
NO MATTER WHAT, AND YOU'RE GONNA FINISH WELL."
AND A LITTLE KINDERGARTNER-- I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANT.
I JUST WAS GONNA GO HOME AND SAY,
"OH, WHO AM I GONNA TELL THIS TO?"
BUT AS I'VE GOTTEN OLDER, LIKE, DOING A RACE,
MAYBE I SLIP AND FALL AT THE BEGINNING.
I GET UP, AND I GO, "OKAY, FINISH WELL.
FINISH WELL," AND JUST YOU DRIVE HARDER
AND HARDER AND HARDER,
AND THEN YOU EVENTUALLY GET TO THE FINISH LINE.
- GOOD FOR THAT COACH,
AND GOOD FOR YOU FOR TAKING THAT IN.
[cheers and applause]
AND THOSE ARE THE THINGS-- IF EVERYTHING WAS EASY,
THEN IT'S NOT FUN.
YOU WANT CHALLENGES.
YOU WANT THINGS TO-- YOU KNOW, TO OVERCOME,
'CAUSE IT MAKES YOU FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF, DOESN'T IT?
AND WHAT DO YOU-- IF KIDS ARE WATCHING
AND THEY FEEL DIFFERENT, IF THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THEM,
WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO THEM?
- I'LL SAY EVERYONE'S DIFFERENT,
WHETHER YOU LOOK DIFFERENT, YOU THINK DIFFERENT,
OR YOU ACT DIFFERENT.
MINE HAPPENS TO BE I LOOK DIFFERENT,
AND IT'S VERY OBVIOUS,
BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT A KID WITH FOUR LIMBS
DOESN'T HAVE ANY CHALLENGES.
EVERYBODY HAS CHALLENGES,
AND EVERYBODY STARES AT EVERYBODY.
SO YOU JUST GOT TO KNOW THAT BEING DIFFERENT IS OKAY
AND THAT YOU CAN DREAM IT AND YOU CAN HOPE IT
AND YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN,
AND I HOPE THAT THEY MAKE IT HAPPEN.
[cheers and applause]
- YOU'RE INCREDIBLE.
[cheers and applause]
I MEAN...
YOU ARE SUCH AN INSPIRATION. - THANK YOU.
- I MEAN, SUCH AN AMAZING INSPIRATION,
AND YOU'RE ADORABLE TO BOOT.
- THANK YOU. - YOU'RE JUST GOOD-LOOKING.
I MEAN... - THANK YOU.
- YEAH.
SO YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS--
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?
- I PROBABLY WANT TO GO TO THE PARALYMPICS SOMEDAY,
HOPEFULLY THE OLYMPICS.
WELL, I'M A KID. I'M NINE YEARS OLD.
I HAVE, LIKE, 20 MORE YEARS TO THINK ABOUT IT.
I DON'T KNOW. - YEAH.
WELL, YOU SHOULD FOR SURE-- - I WANT TO BE AN ATHLETE.
- YOU WANT TO BE AN ATHLETE,
AND YOU WILL-- YOU ARE AN ATHLETE,
BUT YOU ALSO SHOULD BE A MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER,
BECAUSE YOU REALLY SHOULD GO AND TALK TO KIDS.
- I DO. - GOOD.
YOU DO. THAT'S GOOD.
HE DOES ALREADY.
ALL RIGHT, SO I WANTED TO GIVE YOU A GIFT,
BECAUSE YOU LOVE BASKETBALL.
RIGHT? - YEAH.
- OKAY, WELL, WE HEARD ABOUT THAT,
AND WE GOT SOMETHING FOR YOU.
YOU'RE A LAKERS FAN, SO I'M GONNA GIVE YOU THIS.
- WOW!
[cheers and applause]
THANK YOU SO MUCH. - YOU'RE WELCOME.
OKAY, BECAUSE YOU'RE A LAKERS FAN,
YOU GET ALL THIS WONDERFUL LAKERS PARAPHERNALIA THERE.
AND ALSO, SPORT COURT HEARD ABOUT
WHAT AN INCREDIBLE ATHLETE YOU ARE,
AND THEY WANT TO GIVE YOU THE BEST HIGH-PERFORMANCE
SAFETY SURFACE AVAILABLE FOR YOUR BACKYARD
AND AN ADJUSTABLE HOOP SYSTEM TO PRACTICE LIKE A CHAMPION,
AND YOU'RE GONNA GET THAT SET UP IN YOUR BACKYARD.
[cheers and applause]
- THANK YOU SO MUCH. - YOU'RE WELCOME.