Dion Waiter’s brother Demetrius Pinckney was killed earlier this month in a shooting in Philadelphia. Waiters recounted the details surrounding the death, noting that it was on the first nice day of the year- a traditionally troublesome day in Philly. Quote thanks to The Players Tribune:
My phone is always on silent. But for some reason, I just so happened to look down and saw my homie trying to FaceTime me. I picked up, and all he said was, “You heard?”
I said, “Heard what?”“They say your brother got shot. They say he’s laying out there in the street.”
Waiters also explained how he almost suffered the same fate when he was in Philidelphia:
When I was eight years old, I was walking across the park with my mom in South Philly when I heard,Pop-pop-pop-pop! There was a shootout between some kids and we got caught in the middle of the playground. Bullets were flying by my head. I’m talking literally right by my head. The shooter was running right at us.
We hit the ground until it stopped. If I was a few inches taller, I could’ve lost my life right there. You wouldn’t know the name Dion Waiters.
I can’t imagine being in that situation. When someone that close to you dies, it changes your brain forever, but especially in the first 6 or so months after it happens. It can only be more complicated when you’re a successful NBA player and your brother wasn’t able to make it out.