Twelve-year-old basketball player Ámbar Baleani learned to play by watching online videos with borrowed footballs and has since earned the support of NBA star Kyrie Irving, infobae reported.
Baleani began her basketball journey at age six or seven after watching her older sister play matches, she told infobae.
“At first I practiced with two footballs that belonged to my neighbor and had fallen into my yard, and I learned by myself, watching videos to improve,” Baleani said.
Her family experienced severe financial hardship, losing their home when Baleani was two years old, according to her father, Fernando Baleani.
“There are moments that are better than others. Today we live in two small rooms and a kitchen. We always keep going, but it’s not easy,” Fernando Baleani told infobae.
Baleani posted videos of her backyard training sessions featuring an improvised hoop, which drew widespread attention online.
Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving noticed her posts on Instagram and sent a private message, in addition to leaving a public comment.
“Keep going, little sister; I am very proud of you,” Irving wrote to her on the platform.
“It was incredible, I tagged him in a post and then people helped me so that he would see it. That’s when he followed me and sent me a private message, which was in English and I had to translate,” Baleani said.
Baleani eventually received a scholarship from Club Obras Basket to train with the youth squads, though she previously played at Club Boulogne.
Argentine singer Mauro Lombardo, known as Duki, also sent her basketball gear, clothing, and trainers before inviting her to one of his shows and a subsequent basketball event.
“He saw her on social media and the team invited us to a concert he gave. Before that he had already sent her some trainers, a ball and clothing,” Fernando Baleani told infobae.
Baleani attends school in the mornings and travels from her home in Garín to attend afternoon training sessions at Obras, frequently returning home late at night.
“I always train in the afternoon, I have a long trip because I live in Garín. I get home around 23, but it’s nice. I like how they train me, my teammates are very good and my coaches teach very well,” Baleani said.
Baleani identifies Diego Armando Maradona as a major inspiration due to his humble origins and direct personality, alongside basketball idols Allen Iverson and Michael Jordan.
“I dream of playing for the Argentine national team and if one day it can happen, which would be very difficult, to reach the WNBA,” Baleani said, adding that “nothing is impossible.”
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