Black Student Without Legs Makes His Middle School’s Basketball Team

Nationwide — Josiah Johnson, an 8th grader at Moore Middle School in Louisville, Kentucky who was born without legs, has become a part of the school’s basketball team.

For Josiah, basketball is “something I had to do,” he told WLKY. “I don’t want you doubting me because I don’t have legs. I want to show you that I’m just as human as you, and just as good as you are, if not better.”

Since he was in kindergarten, Josiah has always loved playing basketball. He tried out for the Moore Middle School basketball team and he made it. This is his first year on a team.

“I acted like I wasn’t excited in front of coach,” Josiah said. “When I went in the gym, I was excited.”

Since then, he has been proving himself worthy of the spot he earned in the team.

“He shows up every day,” coach Daquan Boyd said. “If we have to do sprints or something like that, he runs them too. That’s very exciting to see him go out there and do what everyone else does, as well.”

Moreover, Josiah helped his team defeat another school team in the first game he participated in.