André Stefanelli Martins, also known as Dedé Stefanelli, has shared with us from STREETOPIA how basketball has made a difference in his life ever since he was a child, from his days back when he was a professional player and currently as one of the creators of the One Basketball project, in a partnership with NBA Basketball School.
At the age of nine, through the encouragement of his father, who was a sportsman, André had the opportunity to try out different sports: “My father played football, and since we were kids, he always encouraged us to do all kinds of sports, such as judo, tennis, swimming. I was never pressured, my family gave me all the support I needed, it was always very natural...” – In addition, at the school he studied, André started attending a basketball school motivated by one of the physical education teachers, who soon after recognized his potential also thanks to his height.
It kind of seemed like it was written in his destiny, because his intimacy and quick adaptation to basketball was clear from the get go, until he decided to be tested at one of the most traditional and prestigious basketball clubs in São Paulo, the 'Esporte Clube Banespa', at the time led by head coach João 'Padola' Monteiro: “I took part in the Banespa tryouts with Padola, I passed the test then I stayed, adapting, training and improving every day. I have great affection for him, for his training methods..."
Three years passed and his new home would also be the Esporte Clube Sírio from São Paulo and later, at the age of 16, he signed his first contract as a professional player on the team led by the late coach Tom Zé, from Uniara/Araraquara. Despite still being in the youth category and participating in the training of the adult team until actually being in it, Dedé did not feel the weight for having left the youth category and becoming a professional, he dealt with it very naturally.
Perhaps because he enjoyed so much what he was doing, because also he wanted it so much and was certain that his career would be built through basketball, it was a much more pleasurable process than an arduous one. The difficulties and challenges were naturally part of the package.
Still focused and inspired by figures like his father and his older brother who was also a basketball player, Dedé has the late formula 1 race car driver Ayrton Senna as a competitive reference:
Throughout his successful career, André also represented the teams of Clube Atlético Paulistano, Franca, São José, Rio Claro, Franca, Vasco da Gama from Rio and an intense experience in the Brazilian Basketball Team 3x3 in the Men's Pre-Olympic Championship in Graz, Austria in 2020.
It's impossible not to talk about his performance as a player of STREETOPIA Team in the biggest street basketball tournament in the world in Paris, the Quai 54 which was also an emotional moment as he was about to retire: “I didn't know clearly what it was, but the staff, the support that STREETOPIA gave us, it’s really unique. What they did for us, players, was something surreal, just different. I really respect and hold STREETOPIA to the highest standards possible..."
Managing his post-career phase, understanding and planning a new moment is what many athletes ask themselves how to do, and the best that André could have done in this new stage was precisely to share all his experience and learning aspects in projects like One Basketball , positively impacting so many young people as a coach and giving back in some way what he has achieved: “Basketball is my life, I owe everything to basketball, everything I am is connected to basketball. I have nothing to say, I am just thankful..."
