Joey was born in a family of four. He had two sisters and a brother that were older than him. His parents Vincent and Kelsey were hardworking doctors who raised their children in Orlando, Florida. When Joey started elementary school his oldest sister had just graduated college. His other sister was a junior in high school and his brother was in eighth grade in middle school. As Joey grew into a man he discovered something about himself;he loved the game of basketball.

His family loved the Orlando Magic, the local NBA team in Florida. They went to see many games even when Joey was young. But not until second grade would he realize how much he actually liked to play basketball. He kept begging his parents to go see the Magic play, but they were only able to go on his birthday. His family was not good at sports and expected Joey to become a Doctor or a Lawyer.
In fourth grade he decided to play basketball. He was short for his age. For the first three games of the season he was put on the bench and watched the other kids play. After a while the coach decided to put Joey into the game. In his first game Joey had three turnovers, scored no points, and ultimately lost the game 30-23. Game after game Joey kept causing costly turnovers that resulted in a loss. At the end of the season Joey said that he was done with basketball. Towards the end of fourth grade Joey didn’t play any sports; he just studied.
In fifth grade, his best friend Randall Gerold played football and asked him to play. Joey didn’t know much about football. He trusted his friend, and went to practice. After the practice, the coach called his Mom and Dad and told them that he signed up for football; he got into a lot of trouble.
“Do you know what happens to people who play football? They get concussions” his mom proclaimed.
“When we raised you we kept you away from football for a reason, you know. We wanted you to grow up safe and not end up in the hospital,” his dad added.
“Can I play for this season, just to try?  I promise I’ll stay very safe,” said Joey.
“You can go to two more games, but that’s it,” his mother said finally.
“Thank you Mom and Dad,” Joey said. Joey attended practice and participated in two games while staying safe. He then returned home after the second game and said he will stop playing football and find a different sport.
In two weeks, one of the worst disasters struck Florida. There was a mixture of flood and tornado which struck the town destroying everything it touched. One of the worst damages to encounter was his school gym. The school itself was fine but Joey wasn’t. The school principal announced that there wouldn’t be any physical activities for the next year until they can fix the gym. His Mom and Dad tried to comfort him but for the first three days he was too rattled. After a while Joey did start to focus on his education, and his parents were proud. They told him that he could go to an Orlando Magic game with Randall. But little did Joey know, this game would change his life.
Randall’s parents drove them and watched the game with them. Twenty miles from the arena a hurricane was expanding and Joey didn’t know about it. The game was fun and the Magic won, but as it ended there was an announcement for everyone to stay inside and wait out the hurricane. Even after the game, Joey still didn't like basketball. When Randall, his parents, and Joey arrived at Joey’s home they noticed something, his home was gone. There was a pile of rubble, and his family's belongings were scattered. Joey’s house was one block away from his neighbor, but his house was somehow the only one that was severely damaged. Joey ran out of the car and noticed his 2 older sisters trying to help their brother out of the rubble. As soon as Joey reached them his brother was out of the rubble. His oldest sister told Joey,
“Mom and Dad left 30 minutes before this happened because they were going to celebrate their anniversary.”
“At least everyone is okay.” Joey whimpered.
The Denell's turned around because Randall shouted,
“ We called 911, the police are on their way. Also we called your parents are they are coming home.” Within five minutes of that announcement, the police, ambulance, and fire department were there. Soon after, their parents came all worried and destroyed. The police provided the family with an apartment with little mortgage. They said it would take nine months to rebuild their house.
Joey entered sixth grade with four more months until they could move back to their house. In middle school the gym teacher's name was Coach Chuck, and he wanted to meet with Joey after school. Joey ventured after school and coach said that basketball tryouts were closed but he was able to squeeze him onto the team. Joey was now average height for his age, so the first day of practice he asked Coach Chuck if he could start. Coach Chuck obviously said no, but that helped Joey learn. Coach noticed something different about Joey. He had a certain passion, and was encouraged to expand it. Every game Coach noticed that Joey was getting better and better at basketball. Coach allowed Joey to start the final game. In the final game against their school rival, Tampa Bay, Joey scored three fourths of his teams points, but ultimately missed the game winning shot. This was the first year that Coach Chuck has been to the final along with his team. After the game Coach said,
“We started the year very shaky, and kept working, but it wasn’t good enough. But next year we will have a different story to tell.” With that in mind the players thanked the coach and left with their families. Joey didn’t play any sports besides basketball, and spent most of his time studying. One day he got a phone call from Coach Chuck during the off season,
“Hi, Joey.” Coach said.
“I was wondering if you would like to do some individual training? I feel that you are a gifted young man and I want to expand on your potential,” the Coach added.
“That sounds great! Can we practice on Tuesdays?” asked Joey.
“Sure, I'll see you then,” Coach concluded.
On Tuesday Joey met Coach Chuck after school and they ran some drills. Week after week Joey kept coming to extra practice and becoming more and more skilled as a basketball player. Eventually the school year ended and summer began. Joey signed up for a basketball camp that was very famous all over Florida. As he arrived he saw some enormous kids, who were almost twice his height.
As the camp started Joey was sat on the bench because he was underestimated as a player. After a while Joey was put in the game. Everyone on the team was surprised at what Joey could do. After one week he became a starter and the ball always ended up in his hands.

One week before the end of summer Joey and his family got a call from Jacksonville Basketball Academy, the best basketball school in the south east. The told Joey and his family they were offering him a free scholarship after all they have heard from his camp. They explained that he would still get education, but would play basketball daily. After that day Joey just kept getting better and better at basketball until he was a senior. He was the best player the school had ever seen, and he had high expectations for his future. One year earlier in his Junior year, Joey received a free scholarship to play on the Villanova Wildcats who won the championship the year before.

After graduating from the Basketball Academy he went on to play as a backup for the Wildcats. His first two years they were not as successful as before, and Joey didn’t see a lot of time on the court. In his third year he was played a lot, but they won very little games. In his senior year, the team took one more shot with him and it paid off. Joey along with the rest of the team went all the way to the finals and pulled off an upset against Duke.
That year during the NBA draft Joey was selected by the Boston Celtics. He had heard of Larry Bird and the success he brought to the team a while back. Once again Joey played as a backup, but not for long. One of the players  had a devastating injury that caused him to miss the entire season, and Joey filled that spot. The Celtics won many games, but fell three games short in the playoffs. In his final game as a Celtic, his family took the trip to Boston to watch him play, and they saw on his face that he didn’t belong there.
During the off season he was traded to the Miami Heat, which surprised him, but made him very happy along with his family. Before every game day he made sure to stop by at his parents new home and check up on them.  During their home games Randall and his family were watching because they now lived in Miami. Before one of Joey’s games Randall along with his family got a tour of the stadium by Joey. The two friends haven’t seen each other in twenty years so it was a special reunion.
Another tragedy happened, the head coach of the Heat was fired. The new head coach was Coach Chuck and that made Joey extremely joyful. Joey wasn’t sure if Coach Chuck knew how to coach in the NBA, but he was wrong. Coach made an excellent impression and quickly became a favorite amongst the players. After every practice coach asked Joey to stay a little later so he could get better. As the season began, Joey noticed that the Heat played as a team more than the Celtics. Very soon, the team was doing very well. At the end of the season the Heat made the playoffs as underdogs. Their first game was against the Detroit Pistons. The Miami Heat beat Detroit and moved on to play the Orlando Magic
That night as Joey was driving back to his house, he accidentally bumped into another car. In that car sat Daisy Jones. As soon as they met eyes, it was love at first sight. Daisy at first was angry because of her car, but then became relaxed. Daisy had light brown hair with shiny green eyes. Daisy went to every single Heat game that Joey played in. Joey learned that Daisy was a musician and played at all kinds of musical concerts all across Florida.
For every game Joey’s family or friends would come to watch the game because he was playing in his own town. He remembered what it was like to sit in the crowd and watch the Magic play and to actually play the Magic.
Once they beat Orlando, they went to the semifinals to play his old team, the Boston Celtics. His teammates and their fans were not pleased to see him. They booed him as he entered and whenever he scored a basket. The Heat was able to slip away from the Celtics in the 7th game, and went to the finals.
In the finals the Miami Heat faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. Playing on the Heat, Joey heard the stories of when Lebron James played on the Heat and then on the Cavs and won Championships for both. Lebron James was Joey’s hero when he was growing up. The Miami Heat lost the first two games and won the next two. During one of his games his mom and dad flew from Orlando to watch him play. The Miami Heat won the fourth game and were one game away from winning the Championship. After the game Coach Chuck said,
“Men, we have fought a good fight, we have wrestled every opponent, but this is the hardest moment of your basketball careers. We will fight, we will not give up until we have won the game”
The next day Joey came to the Cleveland stadium ready to practice. Inside he saw Lebron James. Joey himself, was forming into a basketball legend, but he wasn’t Lebron. He walked over to him and said,
“Hi, Im Joey. It’s a honor to meet you Mr. James.”
“Please call me Lebron. I've been watching you play, and I think you have some real potential here in the NBA. Here let me show you a few tricks,” said Lebron James.
That night as the Heat were trailing the Cavs. 85-68 with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Joey started to play. With his family in the audience and Lebron as well, he felt a power that made him score 25 points in the last three minutes. The Cavaliers had the ball with ten seconds left, and the point guard took a three, which could have tied the game and sent it into overtime. But, out of nowhere came Joey jumping up and snatching the ball out of the air and with one second left taking a half court shot that went in.
That was it, The Miami Heat won the NBA finals. The Cavaliers fans were very disappointed, but the fans who traveled from Miami were feeling something else. As the small, yet unending pieces of confetti came flying down Joey ran to Coach Chuck to thank him for all that he has done. With much surprise, he was named the game's MVP. He first looked at his family and then to Lebron James. Joey was so grateful for all they have done, to prepare him for this amazing experience he had.
During the off season, Joey got married to Daisy Jones in New Orleans, Louisiana. For their honeymoon they traveled to Australia and stayed there for two weeks.
Two years later, Joey and Daisy had their first child, and named him Kobe after Kobe Bryant. Two years after that, they had a second child, and named her Pamela.
Over the next 15 years in the NBA, Joey Denell still played on the Heat, and led them to 6 more titles before he retired. Once retired he decided to focus more on something that meant a lot to him. He became a gym teacher. Also, five years after his retirement, he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield MA.
Joey lived a long and happy life with his wife. Kobe became a basketball player like his father, and Pamela became a musician like her mother. A lesson that Joey kept telling his kids was, “Life will be challenging. There will be many obstacles thrown at you. Once those tragedies occur, I need you to remember one thing. At the end of an eclipse there is a shining star.”