Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Donate today to give back in celebration of all that #PublicMediaGives. Your contribution will be matched $1 for $1.

VIDEO: A 4-Year-Old With A Crossover Dribble

Basketball player Josiah Brown can dribble with either hand; he has a spin move and he regularly drains shots from outside the lane. But Brown, who lives in Wilmington, N.C., isn't a hot high school prospect, because he's only 4.

"People are asking me what AAU team he's playing for," Josiah's father, Demetrius Brown, tells local WWAY ABC TV with a laugh. "I'm like, yo: He just graduated preschool."

We came across the Browns' story as we were looking for details about Hurricane Arthur; we had to share a video showcasing his skills.

Demetrius Brown says his son really took to basketball after he got a kids' goal as a toddler. Both of his parents have long played the game — his mom, Joy, played college ball at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington.

And in basketball-crazy North Carolina, Josiah Brown is already becoming a celebrity, with spectators filming his exploits on the court.

"People always recognize him," Demetrius Brown tells ABC News. "It really is amazing, in all honesty."

Josiah Brown recently went to a summer basketball camp for kids 6 to 9 years old, where he won a free-throw shooting contest.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.