Former Baylor star Isaiah Austin stays active with community projects
Isaiah Austin has had more than his share of hardships that has derailed his dreams.
On Sunday, he announced he plans to make someone else’s dreams come true.
In conjunction with Habitat For Humanity, the Isaiah Austin Foundation announced that it is building a home — as part of its Dream Again Home project — in Waco for the less fortunate. Austin played basketball at Baylor from 2012-2014.
“In a partnership with the Waco Habitat for Humanity, this Dream Again home will be allocated for a family who has had not only a medical hardship, but also a financial hardship in their lives,” Austin said at a news conference inside American Airlines Center. “Basically what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to take a family who needs help and we’re going to put them in a house that’s going to be very low maintenance for them — the cost of living there is going to be low.
“It’s basically just going to put them back on their feet. I think that’s very important to us, it’s very important to me, it means a lot to my heart just because it’s something really dear to my whole life.”
Austin was poised to be a first-round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. But shortly before the draft, the 7-foot-1 center was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue.
In short, Austin’s basketball career ended abruptly because the arteries in his heart were enlarged. He also is blind in his right eye.
But in an emotional moment, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver invited Austin to the draft, then “drafted’’ him between the 15th and 16th picks of the 2014 draft.
“It was just surreal for our whole family,” said Austin’s mother, Lisa Green. “I knew that this has always been his dream, and then for his dream to come true even though he could never actually physically play basketball again, I think that was probably the biggest thing that’s ever happened to him in his life so far.
“We knew how hard he had to work to get there and it was just accomplishing his goal and his dream, even if he couldn’t play basketball again.”
Austin, who has a book out titled Dream Again, played his high school basketball at Mansfield Legacy as a freshman before transferring to Grace Prep Academy in Arlington and was the Star-Telegram’s Super Team Player of the Year.
He is scheduled to graduate from Baylor in May, and from there he might take that front office position that Silver said he’ll give him upon his graduation.
For now, Austin is all-in as far as building homes for the less fortunate.
“In addition to providing the funding for the construction, the Isaiah Austin Foundation will also help coordinator volunteers to help build the Dream Again Home,” Austin said. “It’s going to be built in Waco, Texas, and we’re going to be planning several events throughout the year to help people raise funds and raise the awareness for the new Dream Again Home.
“I’m so blessed and thankful that we will be able to help in this effort in inspiriting families throughout the country and families throughout Waco’s community to dream again.”
Dwain Price: 817-390-7760, @dwainprice
This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 4:40 PM with the headline "Former Baylor star Isaiah Austin stays active with community projects."