A 12 year professional basketball player with overseas experience and recognized for over 15 years in the New York City asphalts as “da Gift” in the street ball scene, Roman Perez has been putting in work for years.
He is the founder of his foundation called Dudo Baez which is named after his father who passed away. The foundation is currently in New York and the Dominican Republic, and growing in latin America. It provides inner city communities to engage in camps, clinics or tournaments.
Roman’s purpose to to inspire and give back. Something that as a kid, was hard to reach because of the surroundings. Growing up in Brooklyn, NY was hard for him, as his early years was filled with others bullying and ridiculing him for not being such a good basketball player. He used this as motivation to push daily.
A late bloomer, Roman started his journey of training and working out at age 16. He got cut from a school team 6-12 grade and his first year of college. But his love and passion for the game, didn’t allow him to ever quit.
Being an inspiration to the youth and all those he comes across, is what he is called to do. Uniting neighborhoods through the sport and bringing positive and encouraging words to others.
It’s not how we start, it’s how we finish. With hard work, love and perseverance we can get to where we want to get in life. Roman Perez is not only a living example of a dream reacher, he is a gift to all those he influences.
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