I found long-lost dad living 3 miles from Rocks’ base
SAYS MAXIME DJO EBALA
Maxime Djo Ebala reckoned he’d landed the chance of a lifetime when he scored a dream deal at Glasgow Rocks last summer.
But the French basketball star was stunned when he picked up a surprise bonus – after finding out his longlost dad lives just three miles from BBL side’s base at the Emirates Arena.
The 26-year-old, born in the Cameroon capital Yaounde but who moved with his parents to Paris at the age of two, admits he was floored. They went in search of a better life for their young son – who now stands an imposing 6ft 11in tall.
But when dad Bruno split from his mum he moved away – and his relationship with his son vanished until the surprise reunion on Scottish soil.
He said: “My dad left when I was around 10. We didn’t really keep in touch. We didn’t talk. Nothing bad happened – we just lost touch.
“When I signed for Glasgow my mum said: ‘I think your father is there.’ “That was a bit of a shock. I got hold of his number and texted him.
“He replied and said: ‘Yes, I’m here.’
“He was so surprised to find out I’d be living here too.
“Now we’ve become close again. We talk every day. I see him a couple of times a week, which is incredible after not talking for so long.”
Coming to Glasgow meant Big Max gained more than just a father. Bruno, he discovered, is now happily settled here with a second family of his own.
He said: “I’ve a brother and sister who I met for the first time. They’re 12 and 15.
“My dad had told them about me and I am enjoying having a little brother and sister and getting to know them.”
It has taken Maxime on a few trips down memory lane, swapping stories about life as a new kid on the block in Paris while his family were fighting to survive.
He said: “I feel French and I really don’t remember my time in Cameroon. I went back there when I was 11 but I didn’t really know the country.
“I’ve a few family members still there who I speak to on the phone – but that’s about it. Paris is my home, other than when I’ve moved with basketball to new teams.”
But family ties have created a home from home here – with dad Bruno his loudest cheerleader in a season that saw the Rocks charge towards their first league title before action stopped due to the COVID-19 crisis. Rocks’ French boss Vince Lavandier talent-spotted him when he was younger then tapped him up for a switch to Scotland out of the blue.
Maxime said: “I’ve found Glasgow really nice.
“I like playing here because I like the team.
“We’re all pretty close.
They have been patient with me because at first I didn’t speak much English. They had to help me a lot.
“Now, I hope, I understand them and the people here are really friendly.”
Before the lockdown he said au revoir to Bruno and his team-mates and hopped on a plane back to France, with no real idea when the BBL will resume following its coronavirus KO.
Rocks bosses have come under fire from other clubs for claiming they should be awarded the championship by default.
But with a formal cancellation surely inevitable – and no real support for crowning a winner – their players will be left to wonder if they’d have gone on to convert a four-point lead at the top of the table with only five games left into a title parade.
Max said: “It’s a very strange situation. We’re all disappointed. We worked so hard and were trying to win a championship but now it won’t happen.
“But it’s not our call. There are other things going on in the world now that are far more important.”
By September he hopes there will be a new season and a new challenge.
Lavandier, who’s on a twoyear deal, could lure him back then or Djo Ebala may find himself lacing up his supersized boots elsewhere.
He said: “I don’t know if I will be back. You never know what will happen.
“The main thing is that my family in Glasgow stay safe. Then I will think about basketball. I never imagined the season would end like this.”
My dad left when I was 10 and we just lost touch. Now we’re close again – and I’m enjoying having a little brother and sis