WIIKWEMKOONG—World-class Nehiyaw (Cree) basketball player Michael Linklater visited Wiikwemkoong this past weekend to offer a motivational talk and a hands-on basketball workshop during Noojmowin Teg Health Centre’s Mino-Bimaadiziwin conference.
Mr. Linklater told the audience that both his grandparents attended residential school and his mother was taken in the Sixties Scoop.
His mother couldn’t provide the parenting he needed and instead placed him in the care of his great aunt and uncle in Thunder Bay when Mr. Linklater was only 10 days old.
Mr. Linklater said he doesn’t think of his great aunt as a residential school “survivor,” but rather as a “warrior.”
“She instilled in me a fighting spirit,” he said, adding that she encouraged him to speak his mind and follow his own path.
He soon moved to Saskatoon and attended an inner-city school. He befriended some other children with whom he’d play basketball. However, by Grade 6 his friends were already experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
Mr. Linklater decided that he wanted to play for Canada’s national basketball team. To make it to that level, he would first have to play in a professional league and before that, he would have to play at a university. To get into a university, he would need to take the right courses, focus on his studies and pass high school with good marks.
It was a tough choice, but he thought about his own family’s struggles with addiction. His birth mother battled alcoholism and both his grandparents died of the same condition.
“Growing up in Thunder Bay, all I heard was ‘all Indians are drunks and they won’t amount to anything’,” Mr. Linklater said. “And the toughest thing for me as a kid was that I was unable to defend myself, because all the people I knew had been drinking, too.”
At the young age of 11 Mr. Linklater vowed to never touch alcohol or drugs, a pledge he has kept to the present day.
He told the audience that doubters can either break someone’s spirit or make their passions grow even stronger than before. In his case, Mr. Linklater used others’ negativity to fuel his desire to go professional and prove them wrong.
“The only person who can stop you from achieving your goals or dreams is you,” he said.
Historical moments were soon to follow. He brought the University of Saskatchewan to its first and only national basketball championship in 93 years as team captain.
He soon started playing in the International Basketball League and found a love for three-on-three basketball. He formed Team Saskatoon and became the only Indigenous player in the league. Soon, he was the highest-ranked basketball player in Canada and the sixth-highest in the world.
“Visualization is so important. If you can’t see the thing you’re working toward in your head, it won’t be a reality,” said Mr. Linklater.
Three-on-three basketball makes its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 games and Mr. Linklater is working hard to qualify for Canada’s team. After that, the 36-year-old’s professional sports career will be drawing to a close.
“It’s important to remember that it’s you that’s living your life. You have to be happy with the decisions you make in your life,” he said.
Mr. Linklater launched Prime Basketball Development, a small business that teaches Indigenous youth basketball skills and the importance of a healthy, sober life. He also launched ‘Boys with Braids,’ an international campaign that encourages Indigenous boys to be proud of their heritage and customs.
He referred to the medicine wheel and its mental, physical, spiritual and emotional components. He said if even one piece of the wheel is missing, it will never roll properly.
“It’s difficult to know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’ve come from,” he said. “What you think about yourself is always 100 percent correct … you have to stay true to your thoughts and beliefs.”
After his keynote, Mr. Linklater moved over to the Wasse Naabin Youth Centre where he offered a basketball skills workshop in the gym.
“I like the hands-on workshops, it lets me share some of the knowledge I have from on the court,” said Mr. Linklater. He has presented to people of all backgrounds, including doctors, business leaders and especially youth.
He showcased proper hand placement, warmup drills, dribbling drills and shooting techniques.
“Losing the ball is actually a good thing, because it means you’re pushing yourself,” he said, sharing practice advice from a former coach.
Bryce Recollet said he found the demonstration interesting and that he’d gladly take part again.
“He’s really inspirational. I like that he goes around spreading his messages in communities,” said Bryce.
“I’m really grateful for the invitation to come,” said Mr. Linklater. He posts updates about his basketball career and advocacy work on Facebook, Instagram and his website, MichaelLinklater.com.
