Junior NBA game held at Huntington High School in honor of Devin Myers

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) - The basketball court at a local high school was filled with junior NBA players in remembrance of a former teenage athlete.

Children 13 years old and younger took over the courts Saturday, April 1 at Huntington High, the Shreveport school where Devin Myers once played. He was a star athlete there before his life was taken in March of 2022, just one day before he was set to take the courts in the playoffs. The local Junior NBA competition was held in Devin’s honor.

Tasha Myers, Devin’s mother, said it’s uplifting to see kids playing on the same court on which her son once played.

“I know he’s here. He’s very proud of these kids cause Lord knows he loves those babies,” she said. “They all used to play with him, tackle him, whatever they were doing, he was always with the kids, and he always talked to them.”

Mack Jones, Huntington High School’s head coach, said the event was an amazing way to remember Devin.

“I think in the memory of Devin, it couldn’t be no better way to kind of honor him in these kinds of moments. He was always a fun guy [and] a good locker room guy, just you know, I’m sure he’s smiling right now.”

The young athletes playing on the courts Saturday said they enjoyed the game.

“It was a lot of fun. We get to shoot around; we can get more practices. We have a lot of fun here. I hope we do it again in the national championship,” one of the athletes said.

Some of the players earned their spot in the national finals, which will be held during the 2023 NBA draft this June.

Tasha Myers, who lost her son after he was shot, said she hopes the event gives young kids an outlet and helps lower gun violence.

“The message we’re trying to them let them know is that this gun violence gotta stop, and if they have friends that’s trying to take them down the wrong road, we want them to speak out. We want them to tell parents. We want them to tell any adult that’s around,” she said.

The local junior NBA game will be back again in 2024.

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