ROANOKE, VA – Jakolbi Taylor’s friends and family tell 10 News you could always find him with a basketball in his hands - and now, his little sister Kennedy is following in his footsteps.
“I will keep playing basketball until I can’t,” Kennedy said.
She’s only nine years old and is experiencing unimaginable loss.
“I’m still going through it but I’m still trying to get justice for Jakolbi,” she said.
But with her big brother’s jersey on, Kennedy is leaving her emotion on the court.
“My favorite part was getting to spend time with my brother.”
She’s a part of Next Level Hoops - a youth basketball program started by Tymon Smith.
Smith tells us Jakolbi helped get the program off the ground.
“The beginning stages of my program started with him. He’s the one that gave me a buzz, or got my name and got the program out there. Got guys to bring guys into my open runs, so he was a part of my journey from the beginning with Next Level,” Smith said.
Jakolbi’s friend Demarcus Brown is involved with Next Level Hoops too - and has played with and against him.
“You could feel his presence on the court,” Brown said.
He says the basketball community in Roanoke is keeping his memory alive, even through the pain.
“We’re gonna try to keep our heads high. Try not to be down, because I know that’s not what Kolbi would have wanted for us. He would want us to keep pushing and try to fulfill his dreams for him,” Brown said.
For Smith - helping Kennedy thrive as a player and a person, means the world.
“It’s rewarding to see what the game of basketball can do. Jakolbi’s death, it made me sad, but it also gave me fuel for what I’m doing,” Smith said.
And as for Kennedy - she’ll never stop working on her jump shots, just like she did with her brother.
“It doesn’t feel great without my brother beside me like he was every other day. He helped me play basketball and he helped me do my jump shots,” she said.