The whānau — A Sunday at home in Pāpātoetoe.

The best days don't make the highlight reel. A Sunday at home: the imu going since morning, a game on mute in the lounge while three different conversations happen over the top of it, and four pairs of size-15 sneakers blocking the front door like a security checkpoint.

This is the part the recruiting circuit doesn't see. Before the brand, before the offers, we were just a family from Pāpātoetoe who loved each other loudly and ate too much. We still are. The basketball is the journey — the whānau is the reason.

Whakapapa, manaakitanga, mahi tahi, whānau. In that order. Always.