MILTON — In 2009, Kenny Lee was involved in a car accident in Pensacola. It left him paralyzed and unable to pursue his dream of becoming a basketball star.
Seven years later, the former Harris-Stowe State University point guard is making a new life in tax preparation at his Crestview office and inspiring local children.
“Mary Street, that’s where it all started at for me,” he said Sunday to a group of Men In Action boys at Fadeawayz Barbershop in Milton. “… Growing up, that’s where I spent the majority of my time; and when I say the majority of my time (I mean) the majority of my time … The brown ball was my stress relief.”
For Lee, basketball was more than just a hobby; it was a potential way to make a living. Little did he know, that would all change.
In 2009, while visiting home from Harris–Stowe State University, where he was a division one prospect, Lee got in the accident that he said “changed my life, changed my whole mental aspect in how I look at things, how I envision my life to be.”
The accident, he said, taught him the importance of persevering amid life’s unexpected changes.
Now he has a new career and ambitions. However, he said, “I haven’t watched the NBA finals and barely watched the (men’s college basketball Final Four Championship)."
He played wheelchair basketball with the Mobile Patriots but said, “It’s not the same for me.”
Still, the goal is clear: and that’s “trying to get back to regular, old Kenny,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Milton native overcomes traffic accident that stole a basketball dream