--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I was 13 years old, that's when my…" description: "\"When I was 13 years old, that's when my team assigned me - and I wound up living, like, six hundred kilometers from my home to play basketball.\" — Jose..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/jose-calderon-9089_basketball_when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-t_542512.jpg" --- # When I was 13 years old, that's when my team assigned me… ![“When I was 13 years old, that's when my team assigned me - and I wound up living, like, six hundred kilometers from my home to play basketball.” quote by Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/jose-calderon-9089_basketball_when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-t_542512.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/jose-calderon-9089_basketball_when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-t_542512.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/jose-calderon-9089_basketball_when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-t_542512.jpg) > “When I was 13 years old, that's when my team assigned me - and I wound up living, like, six hundred kilometers from my home to play basketball.” [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A young athlete was relocated far from home to pursue basketball, highlighting sacrifice for sport. **In simple terms:** Moving far for sport required sacrifice. Key Takeaway Embrace opportunities despite distance. Themes sacrifice sports youth determination Mood reflective inspirational Type personal anecdote motivational When to use this quote - college recruitment - professional training - family relocation Key Concepts career development personal growth team dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How did distance affect your performance? - What support helped you adapt? A Different Perspective Challenges include homesickness and cultural adjustment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Play basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play-basketball/) [Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/team/) ## Related quotes > [Don't judge me until you have walked 4 kilometers in my shoes and then if you don't like it? You are 4 kilometers away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/don-t-judge-me-until-you-have-walked-4-kilometers-in-my-shoes-and-2/) [Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/) > [I left my home when I was 13 years old, I was a professional at 17, and I've been playing basketball since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/i-left-my-home-when-i-was-13-years-old-i-was-a-professional-at-17-and/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [My dad played for... the Villanueva de la Serena, so I guess that's why I play basketball instead of soccer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/my-dad-played-for-the-villanueva-de-la-serena-so-i-guess-that-s-why-i/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [I just want to be myself, just be healthy and play basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/i-just-want-to-be-myself-just-be-healthy-and-play-basketball/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [I came to this country when I was 13 years old, I couldn't really speak English, and I had an accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-o-yang/i-came-to-this-country-when-i-was-13-years-old-i-couldn-t-really/) [Jimmy O. Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-o-yang/) > [I was only 13 years old when I was forced to face the fragility of my own life. A routine surgery landed me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-wineland/i-was-only-13-years-old-when-i-was-forced-to-face-the-fragility-of-my/) [Claire Wineland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-wineland/) > [That's why I play basketball. To play a lot of minutes, and to help my team win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zion-williamson/that-s-why-i-play-basketball-to-play-a-lot-of-minutes-and-to-help-my/) [Zion Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zion-williamson/) > [I lived to play basketball. Growing up as a kid, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics were my favorite team. The way they played,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walton/i-lived-to-play-basketball-growing-up-as-a-kid-bill-russell-and-the/) [Bill Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walton/) > [It's a blessing to play basketball, man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-caruso/it-s-a-blessing-to-play-basketball-man/) [Alex Caruso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-caruso/) > [Over the years Ive learned that just because you follow God, it doesnt mean you win every game or get what you want athletically.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-lin/over-the-years-ive-learned-that-just-because-you-follow-god-it-doesnt/) [Jeremy Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-lin/) > [I really didn't want to play basketball for the longest time, but I just wouldn't stop growing. But I always wanted to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luol-deng/i-really-didn-t-want-to-play-basketball-for-the-longest-time-but-i/) [Luol Deng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luol-deng/) > [I'm living my dream, getting to play in the NBA, getting to play basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-george/i-m-living-my-dream-getting-to-play-in-the-nba-getting-to-play/) [Paul George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-george/) > [I wanted to have a career in sports when I was young, but I had to give up the idea. I'm only six feet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/i-wanted-to-have-a-career-in-sports-when-i-was-young-but-i-had-to/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [I play basketball hard-nosed and if you're not on my team, during that 48 minutes we're enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/i-play-basketball-hard-nosed-and-if-you-re-not-on-my-team-during-that/) [Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/) > [I just started growing. And everyone said, 'You should probably play basketball.' So I said, 'All right. I'll give it a shot.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-bennett/i-just-started-growing-and-everyone-said-you-should-probably-play/) [Anthony Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-bennett/) ## More by Jose Calderon > [At some point, everyone who is playing, their dream is to be in the NBA, because that's where all the best players are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/at-some-point-everyone-who-is-playing-their-dream-is-to-be-in-the-nba/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [When guys work and they put the time in, it's always good to see them have success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/when-guys-work-and-they-put-the-time-in-it-s-always-good-to-see-them/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [If I have to play 5, I'll play 5. That's what we've been doing for years in the Spanish team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/if-i-have-to-play-5-i-ll-play-5-that-s-what-we-ve-been-doing-for/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [Every little possession and every little detail can help you win a game or that possession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/every-little-possession-and-every-little-detail-can-help-you-win-a/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [I left my home when I was 13 years old, I was a professional at 17, and I've been playing basketball since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/i-left-my-home-when-i-was-13-years-old-i-was-a-professional-at-17-and/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [It will be my fourth Olympics. I don't know if I'll have a chance to play more. I think four is a good number.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/it-will-be-my-fourth-olympics-i-don-t-know-if-i-ll-have-a-chance-to/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [I don't care about my shots or my points or my assists. It's about playing the right way, trying to get everybody involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/i-don-t-care-about-my-shots-or-my-points-or-my-assists-it-s-about/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [I watched zero NBA basketball growing up. It was available but it was too late and I had school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/i-watched-zero-nba-basketball-growing-up-it-was-available-but-it-was/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [Anybody that we can get here or would be interested, I'd be willing to talk to, to try to make them come to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/anybody-that-we-can-get-here-or-would-be-interested-i-d-be-willing-to/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [Find the open guy. If you're open shoot the ball. Just try to make it as easy as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/find-the-open-guy-if-you-re-open-shoot-the-ball-just-try-to-make-it/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [That's the key - there is no secret. Just trust your teammates and play together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/that-s-the-key-there-is-no-secret-just-trust-your-teammates-and-play/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [If I'm on the bench, it's the bench. If I'm playing five or 30 minutes, I'm good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/if-i-m-on-the-bench-it-s-the-bench-if-i-m-playing-five-or-30-minutes/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [At the end of the day, maybe I'm not like the other guys. Maybe I'm not as fast as them. I cannot jump as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/at-the-end-of-the-day-maybe-i-m-not-like-the-other-guys-maybe-i-m-not/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [Sometimes you play better with some teammates than others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/sometimes-you-play-better-with-some-teammates-than-others/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) > [The problem is when you start comparing numbers to other point guards. The league is about numbers, and it's crazy. You make those comparisons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/the-problem-is-when-you-start-comparing-numbers-to-other-point-guards/) [Jose Calderon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) [Explore all 75 Jose Calderon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/) ## More Basketball quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-krzyzewski/i-don-t-look-at-myself-as-a-basketball-coach-i-look-at-myself-as-a/) [Mike Krzyzewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-krzyzewski/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I learned so much from Sue about the Xs and Os of the game of basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-summitt/i-learned-so-much-from-sue-about-the-xs-and-os-of-the-game-of/) [Pat Summitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-summitt/) > [ I failed, I think, seven \[or\] eight times before I finally got my first \[championship\]. It was just, you know, just about me growing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/i-failed-i-think-seven-or-eight-times-before-i-finally-got-my-first/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [It's not how big you are, it's how big you play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/it-s-not-how-big-you-are-it-s-how-big-you-play/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [Basketball isn't just a sport to me ; it's my ecstasy !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamira-robinson/basketball-isn-t-just-a-sport-to-me-it-s-my-ecstasy/) [Jamira Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamira-robinson/) > [It's similar to basketball: when you go to different gyms and win or lose, you learn something new. So when kids get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-iguodala/it-s-similar-to-basketball-when-you-go-to-different-gyms-and-win-or/) [Andre Iguodala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-iguodala/) > [If a Coach is determined to stay in the coaching profession, he will develop from year to year. This much is true, no coach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-rupp/if-a-coach-is-determined-to-stay-in-the-coaching-profession-he-will/) [Adolph Rupp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolph-rupp/) > [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/) [Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/) > [Practice to beat the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-bennett/practice-to-beat-the-best/) [Dick Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-bennett/) > [I'm a competitive person. I love the game of basketball. I'm a gym rat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-pierce/i-m-a-competitive-person-i-love-the-game-of-basketball-i-m-a-gym-rat/) [Paul Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-pierce/) > [I am both humbled and honored to receive the Honda Sports Award for women's basketball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brittney-griner/i-am-both-humbled-and-honored-to-receive-the-honda-sports-award-for/) [Brittney Griner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brittney-griner/) > [What I've talked about the entire series and throughout this playoffs is about intensity and effort, desire and will of our players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-laimbeer/what-i-ve-talked-about-the-entire-series-and-throughout-this-playoffs/) [Bill Laimbeer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-laimbeer/) [Browse all 5,387 Basketball quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I was 13 years old, that's when my team assigned me - and I wound up living, like, six hundred kilometers from my home to play basketball.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jose Calderon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-team-assigned-me-and-i-wound/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Basketball" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-team-assigned-me-and-i-wound/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/jose-calderon-9089_basketball_when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-t_542512.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/jose-calderon-9089_basketball_when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-t_542512.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f41/jose-calderon-9089_basketball_when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-t_542512.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I was 13 years old, that's when my team assigned me - and I wound up living, like, six hundred…” — Jose Calderon", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jose Calderon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-calderon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When I was 13 years old,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-team-assigned-me-and-i-wound/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-calderon/when-i-was-13-years-old-that-s-when-my-team-assigned-me-and-i-wound/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```