Most Valuable Player

By Peter Giant Bowleg

Julian Baxter could play basketball well. For some reason he played great in practice but when the games began he played poorly. Julian worked hard, practiced and practiced. He was last man off the bench. Then he had a "life-changing experience".
He become a "new man".
He becomes the "Most Valuable Player".

"Hidden inside anyone can be a Champion
waiting for the opportunity to shine
and become... the MVP..."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 23, 2020
• ISBN: 9781984584540

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Copyright © 2020 by Peter Giant Bowleg.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 06/19/2020

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

Fiction:

…Looking Back…

Heading to the Next Level…

Reference

Director of Graphics

"…In order to Succeed…

You have to uncover the GREATNESS

Within… and…..Take Flight…"

"…Hidden inside anyone can be a Champion

waiting for the opportunity to shine

and become… The MVP…"

Peter Giant Bowleg

"…Make your haters your Motivators…

Never Give IN, Never Ever Give UP…

The BEST Revenge is to LIVE the GOOD LIFE…"

-Julian JB Baxter – NBA Star

The Mystery Dunker

A Special Thank You to My True Friends…

A Very Special Thank you to ALL the

POSITIVE People that I have met…

Thank you for the Inspiration…

Thank you for the encouragement…

"…He who has a WHY to Live

Can bear almost any HOW…"

- Nietzsche

There comes a time in Life when You

have to Draw a line in the sand…

Then…STAND…Your ground…

- Black Eagle/Peter Giant Bowleg

"…That which does not kill us…

Makes US STRONGER…"

- Nietzsche

…Believe…

ALL Things are POSSIBLE…

This book is dedicated to my Mother – Theresa Fairweather and my brothers and sisters – Andrew, Judith, BJ, Ethan, Paulette, Stephanie, Trevor and John Jr along with their families. Thank you for your support…

A very special dedication to my two sons – Valentino and Tavares and their families.

Love to one and all…

Peter Giant Bowleg

writer/dreamer…

…LISTEN…ENCOURAGE…INSPIRE…UPLIFT…

Black Eagle Group Publishing…

black%20eagle.png

…LISTEN…ENCOURAGE…INSPIRE…UPLIFT…

Acknowledgement

This book would not be possible if it were not for the Love, Inspiration, Encouragement, Sacrifices, Prayers and Support of a BLESSED, Wonderful, Loving and Powerful Lady by the name of Theresa Fairweather – My Mother. Through all the good times, bad times and in-between times mother always had a word of encouragement not only for her seven children but for everyone she knew or came in contact with. My mother was and always will be a generous and caring person with her time, money and prayers. Thank you Sexy Pepsi as she is known to the family. I truly appreciate you and the many sacrifices you have made for all of your children. I Love You Forever…

This book is also a Thank You to my brothers and sisters; Judy, Andrew, Ethan, Paulette, Trevor and BJ along with my sons Tavares and Valentino and their families. A special Thank You to my late grandparents; Romalia and George Albury of Nassau, Bahamas and my uncle Rick Albury of Harbour Island Bahamas. They watched over me and made sure I kept on the right path no matter the situation. Thank you to Miss Heidi Helm of Maximum One Realty, Mrs. Anita Bratton and Mr. Bratton, Catherine Yingling, Kelly, Brandi, Sabrina Fleming, Mrs. Ena Moncada, Debbie Hampton, Darlene Haffaney, Naja Finch and Scott Mmobuosi. A VERY Special Thank You to Franklin, Clarice Burr, Dominque Luna, Alexandria Alex Farmer, Khaadijah Wanja (Evangelist), Terry Bryant, Tigist TG Alemayehu, Jackie Auma, Mrs. Shayla Levy, Mrs. Robin Ellis, GG, Kathy Curtis, Mr. Cheatham, James, Sarah, Tyanne, Heaven, Gloria, Chiquita, Aziz, Carlo, Lucy, Caleb, Tyrone, Omar, Trent Goode, Lynasia Rhym, Erica Edwards, Jackie D, Torry Broom and Vernon Jones for being GREAT FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS. An Extra Special Thank You to the team at the Publishing Company. Thank you to ALL the people that have made this book possible that I may have overlooked in naming them – Thank You one and ALL.

Be Blessed…

Peter Giant Bowleg

writer/dreamer…

…LISTEN…ENCOURAGE…INSPIRE…UPLIFT…

A very Special

Thank You to the many strangers that stopped by

The Locations and FedEx Office on Windy Hill as I was

working on my books and writing… Thank you…

Thank you for all the encouragement, support and passion

to get me to finish what I have started.

I am truly Blessed to have met each and every one of you…

Especially Mrs. Bratton, Erica Edwards, Trent, Vernon Jones and My Baby Sis - Judith…

THANKS A Billion… Have an Amazing Day…

May ALL Your Dreams Come True…

A Special Thank You to …The Mystery Lady….

Thank you for the INSPIRATION…

Thank You To The One That I Love…

A Special Thank You to the Lady that inspires

me to Be the Best that I can be Each Day…

Thank You for inspiring me to give my best

to everything I do each day…

You are the center of my world and I hope that you know and believe that… Have an Amazing Day… Thinking of You…

Be Blessed…

May ALL your dreams, wishes and plans come true…

The Life Mantras of Julian

The Mystery Dunker Baxter

"…Make Your Haters Your Motivators…

…The Best Revenge Is To Live The Good Life…

…Never Give In, Never Ever Give Up…

Fiction:

This book - Most Valuable Player (I See GREATNESS In You) is entirely fiction and is not based on any story, book, person, TV series, another person’s idea or movie. This book was created by Peter Giant Bowleg – alone. The story and characters were created as a direct result of the imagination of Peter Giant Bowleg. None of the characters are intended to resemble any living or dead persons. Any resemblance by name, description, or in any other way is strictly coincidental.

The book, the story, the characters were and are never intended to offend, insult, mistreat, deride, negatively impact, harass, humiliate or be derogatory, humiliating or condescending towards any person, group of people, association, organization or corporation. The book and characters that were created, named and originated are not intended to express hate, animosity, hard feelings or negativity towards any one, individual, person, organization, team or group. Any character resemblance to any person with a similar name, skills, look, athletic achievements, basketball player or professional living or dead is strictly coincidental. This book is ENTIRELY FICTION.

…Looking Back…

Julian Baxter felt as though he was going back in time as he recalled what had happened earlier in the day in Perimeter Mall. He had spotted a lady that had the same outline and walk as his high school crush; Samantha White. For some reason or another before he knew it; he had caught up with the lady and tapped her on the shoulder. She had spun around surprised by the touch and with a look of shock on her face. Shock that someone had out of the blue touched her person. She was about to give him the riot response but she recognized immediately that he was Julian JB Baxter star of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team and multi-millionaire. She had smiled and extended a hand. Julian Baxter was equally surprised because it was not Samantha White. He had shaken the young lady’s hand and they had exchanged numbers and made small talk. The number that he had given her goes to the front office for the Atlanta Hawks Basketball team he did not have to worry about hearing from her again. However, he was a little disturbed that the memory of the incident that night and Samantha White stayed with him from so long ago. He had used the incident as a driving force. It had become a big chip on his shoulder and his heart. He used it to power his name and statistics up the rankings in Men’s College Basketball and into the NBA as a first-round draft choice.

She had become his energy drink to power him up whenever he felt too tired to work out or he was having a rough game. He would think of her and the incident and then he would get an extra surge of energy and drive to score, play defense, rebound shots that were not even within his area. He became a madman whenever he thought of the incident with her. She probably only now (due to the internet and news stories) knows why he stopped calling, texting, writing and saying nothing beyond Hi to her. She probably did not find out until after he became the Mystery Dunker and the stories came out. Julian Baxter would never forget the incident as long as he lived.

Samantha White and her partner Ron Highland had not even seen Julian Baxter as he had watched from the shadows as the two of them had made out behind the gym on the back of Ron’s car. Julian Baxter had had a crush on Samantha White from the beginning of middle school. He had finally built up the courage to speak with her after a whole lot of encouragement by his older brother, mother and father. He had spoken with her in the library foyer. A small hi had ended up with the two of them sitting on the steps of the library talking about everything. They had shared their hopes, dreams, likes and dislikes in a couple of hours. It was one of those rare times when she was alone and not surrounded by her usual entourage of other girls who tried to dress like her, act like her, walk like her, talk like her or want to be her. For some reason the two of them had connected as he had long hoped that they would. After talking for what seemed an eternity; they had visited the Library snack machines and then agreed to study together. As they sat side by side Julian Baxter felt as though he had died and gone to heaven.

The two of them had studied late that Friday night. They had missed their bus time. Julian called his mother and asked her to pick him and Samantha White up at the school library. His mother had said to him on the phone THEE Samantha White that you were always talking about. The Samantha White on the cheerleading squad? Julian had calmly told his mother yes Mom she needs a ride home. His mother had dropped everything at the house and raced to the library to pick them up. She had always told Julian and his brother Randall that they could be, do or achieve anything they set their minds to do. She and her husband had encouraged Julian to speak with Samantha and give it his best shot instead of pining away over her and not making an effort to speak with her.

Mrs. Angela Baxter had picked up Samantha and Julian as quickly as she could. She had offered to take them for ice cream; but Samantha had declined stating she had already overstayed at the library. Mrs. Baxter drove her home and made sure that she got inside. Julian had walked her to the door and Samantha had asked him to call her when he got home. They shook hands and said good night. Julian waited until Samantha had closed the door to her home and floated/raced to his Mother’s car. Mrs. Baxter loved seeing her son so happy now that he had finally spoken with the crush of his young life. His mother drove away from Samantha’s home. A short distance away Mrs. Baxter pulled into a small strip mall parking lot to speak with Julian. She told Julian to take things slowly with Samantha. Talk with her about her day, her clothes, her dreams, her desires. Speak only of yourself if she asks you a direct question. Do not be too aggressive or expect too much right-away. Remember always, You are not married to her and she is not married to you.

People will speak with Samantha when you are around respect that. Mrs. Baxter also cautioned Julian to not take it for granted that the way you feel about someone means that they feel as strongly about you. If the relationship fades out remember that there are other fish in the sea. Julian was listening to his Mom; but he was only listening partially. He was on top of the world. He had finally spent time with the lady of his dreams. He was on cloud 9,999,999,999.

His Mom hi-fived Julian when they got out of the car at home and headed into the house. She took her time and reminded Julian that he had to make a phone call. He quickly raced to his room to call Samantha White. They picked up right where they had left off at the library. Mrs. Angela Baxter was very happy for Julian, but she did not want him to get too high over the relationship in case things went sideways. Samantha and Julian were a couple until they hit the end of their sophomore year in High School.

In high school freshman and sophomore year Julian was on the bench for the basketball team and he would watch as Samantha White became head cheerleader. She was also one of the most popular girls in the high school. She and Julian stayed true to each other. Samantha would go to basketball practices and watch Julian work with the team. He had a growth spurt and was nearing 6’ 8" in High School but for some reason he was not on the starting five. She thought he was a good basketball player, but the coach kept him on the bench. Julian would play with his brother Randall Baxter in the nights and on the weekend to work on improving his game. Randall Baxter was a wide receiver on the football team at a top five High School football team.

Randall was considered one of the top 10 football players in the state of Georgia. He also was a better than decent basketball player. He would feed Julian the ball when he practiced his jump shots and free throws.

Their dad; Andrew Baxter had been a track star. He had run the 100 and 200-meters races. Their mother was the true athlete in the family. She had starred in basketball in high school, college and the WNBA for a short time. Angela Baxter had torn up her knee and after recovering well enough to walk again she had called it quits from sports. She joined SunTrust Bank. She had quickly moved up the ranks. After college and some pro track and field time Andrew Baxter had begun to use his engineering degree from Georgia Tech and joined the Lockheed Martin Corporation. The two boys; Julian and Randall had inherited their parent’s sports genes. While Randall had quickly blossomed and become a star in high school with the football team Julian could play basketball but was not the top scorer or the top rebounder. He played well in practice but in the games; he was not the same player. He was tall and still growing. He was strong when he rebounded the ball. He could ball handle better than most and had a smooth shot. He just did not play the same in games as in practice. The coaches spoke with him about it. His brother, his mother and his father, friends and teammates tried to help; no luck. Freshman and Sophomore years in High School while his brother starred across town Julian sat on the bench. Julian continued to play well during practice times, but he was not playing the same once the games became real. His coaches kept encouraging him and telling him that things would change one day. Julian kept wondering to himself when things would change for him.

The brothers went to different schools because one had a strong basketball team and the other had a strong football team. The only consolation for Julian Baxter was he was going out with Samantha White. Julian and Samantha were inseparable.

Then The Incident happened and Julian Baxter’s life was changed forever. He only told his brother Randall Baxter about it. He just stopped speaking with Samantha White or about her. He removed all of her photos, posters and cards from his room and put them in a box in the basement.

Julian took all the presents that she had given him and packed those in a box in the basement as well. Samantha for a while would call the house to speak with Julian but he would not answer or when he did; it was always to tell Samantha he had to practice. Julian would go to the court in the back of their house and practice and practice. Layups, Free throws, Jumpers, Trick shots, Long shots, basketball dribbling drills and he would practice dunk shots that he had seen on TV or on the DVD’s. When Julian saw Samantha at school he was always late for class. When she called usually Julian would let it go to voice mail and then deleted them.

What had happened (the incident) was the school had had an end of year dance at the new gym. The whole school had pretty much turned up. Julian got separated from Samantha. He had been talking with some classmates about their upcoming junior year, their college goals and dreams. After a while Julian noticed that Samantha White was no-where to be found. She had been beside him but had disappeared. Julian immediately began looking for her all over the building.

Julian looked for her all over the gym. He had gone to the second floor where a lot of people were occupying tables. Julian had even gone to the third-floor patio. One of the guys on the football team named Eric Moore had pulled Julian to the side. He told him to hurry up and find his girl as he had seen the quarterback for the football team; Ron Highland talking with her earlier. He said that guy is a backstabber. Julian told him thanks and went to the front of the gym where other people were gathered; no one had seen Samantha. He headed over to the main school building to see if the library was still open. He decided to take a shortcut by going behind the gym. And that was when he witnessed the incident.

Julian thought he heard grunting and groaning. He moved towards the sound and the sight made him rub and scratch his eyes as if he was seeing things. The sight also made him question his sanity.

There was Ron Highland, quarterback of the school football team having sex with his girl; Samantha White. Samantha was on the back trunk of Ron’s Camaro with her legs spread wide. Julian and Samantha had had sex more than a few times but not out in the open like this.

Julian was too stunned to move. He watched as if hypnotized as Ron pounded away at Samantha White and she pushed back just as hard from the trunk of the car. Finally, Ron came. He collapsed on top of Samantha. A Short time later he stood up and Samantha kneeled down to pull the condom off Ron. She tossed the used condom; then turned and gave Ron a long passionate kiss.

Samantha White and Ron Highland locked lips for the longest as Julian silently watched, and his heart shattered into a billion pieces. Julian’s stomach turned as he watched the events unfold. Julian’s eyes began to pour out tears. He wanted to move but was frozen in place. He could not even speak. How long had this been going on? Julian thought he would end up married to Samantha White. Julian watched as Ron got some hand towels from the trunk of his car and cleaned up. Samantha did the same. They sprayed body spray on each other and headed around to the front of the gym. Julian followed in the distance. He watched as they walked around to the front of the building arms around each other until they were near the front. They kissed again for a long time and then Samantha left Ron there to go back into the gym first. Ron gave her a quick pat on the ass as she walked away. Samantha White turned and smiled at Ron. Julian’s first thoughts were to obliterate Ron from the face of the earth. He would not see him coming as he was already distracted watching