At the time, going to lil Tech was a big, big deal for him. Manhood was probably a very difficult thing for him to sort out. Not having a father can be very tough in that situation.

He seems to have turned out pretty good, though. Yes, he turned his back on stuff that most of us find heartless & despicable, but that's typical life for a lot of simple folk in the deep South (& elsewhere too). Truth is, most men w his raw talent --coming from his sorta place-- don't ever find the vision & work ethic to make it like he did. Or they crack hard trying.

That he did it as a bball player I find truly remarkable. (If he'd made it as a NFL TE or DE I'd be much less impressed, as I think he coulda more easily found a clear path to domination in either or those roles).