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Michael Jordan inspired numerous kids around the globe to play basketball, including Delson Fleurmond.
Fleurmond, a Haiti native, moved to Elizabeth, New Jersey, almost 35 years ago as a soccer player. But he traded in his soccer cleats for a pair of Jordans after watching Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, leading the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA Championship in 1991.
“I used to love watching the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan, and I wanted to be like him,” Fleurmond said.
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Fleurmond enjoyed some success as a basketball player, making his high school varsity team and playing at Division III Becker College. And while he never lived out his childhood dream of becoming a legendary NBA player, Fleurmond now helps others reach the highest level of play possible as a professional basketball skills trainer, a career that came about from simply playing pickup games at the gym.
“I would go [to] the local YMCA, and then a lot of kids, when they see me play, they would tell me they like my moves,” he said. “Pretty soon, every time I would go to the YMCA, kids would ask me to teach them skills, and, eventually, I started to build a community.”
From there, Fleurmond formed Delson Training, where he works with young players to take their basketball skills to the next level. Since starting a little over 10 years ago, Fleurmond, who is also a skills trainer for The Patrick School, has worked with numerous professional, college and high school stars such as NBA champion Jonathan Kuminga, Villanova forward Trey Patterson and No. 1 point guard in the class of 2024, UNC commit Elliot Cadeau.
Fleurmond is also growing a significant social media presence, boasting over 250,000 Instagram followers and almost three million likes on Tiktok.
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Reflecting on his success, Fleurmond credits it to long hours of non-stop hard work from the moment he began the journey.
“There's no such thing as tomorrow for me,” Fleurmond said. “So morning, afternoon, evening, late night, I'm in the gym working with kids. I'm always making days and time to work with them. It's an everyday process.”
Fleurmond said his passion for the game drives his grinding spirit, something he instills into all the players he works with from day one.
“There is no such thing as allowing the kids to give 85 or 90%, so when we work out, it's always asking for 120%,” Fleurmond said.
Looking back at his meteoric rise over the past decade, Fleurmond always believed in his ability to succeed.
“When I first created my logo, I put it on my wall in my living room, and I said to my logo, ‘the world will know you,'” he said.
While Fleurmond is delighted with the level of growth he has had in a short period, he said he is far from his goal of making Delson Training a global empire.
“I call myself the next McDonald's,” Fleurmond said. “I want to have Delson Training all over the country–all over the world.”
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Image Credit: Twitter
* Originally published on February 20, 2023, by Jesse Marsh
