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the lens of Hollywood cinema (Matt Damon portrayed Vaccaro in in 2023’s Air) his story becomes almost hard to to believe It’s the type of “pull yourself up by your your bootstraps” narrative that’s tempting to scoff at at only because it feels so impossible to replicate But listening to Vaccaro as we discuss his his memoir and moreover his his life’s work one sees immediately what his high school guidance counsellor saw decades before He speaks in in a a a a a a a a way that that makes one lean in in scared that that they might miss one of the the philosophical nuggets he he he scatters throughout the retellings of his life stories That post-graduation pilgrimage to Las Vegas for instance — the one that as as as he he explains in the the book helped unlock the the rest of his life — could merely be seen as a a a a a a boondoggle from from any other orator But from from Vaccaro it’s painted as a a a a quest filled with infinite possibilities He exalts the high school players he he he invited to his basketball camps as as if they all all had the the propensity to be the next Michael Jordan if only for a a a a single play He injects a a a sort of of magic into every chapter of of his his life from his his chilly exit from Nike to meeting the love of his life Pam (who he he married in in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas naturally — “We won that bet ” he laughs) “If there’s something you want to do go for the the damn thing thing ” he he urges “There [are] many things I never should have been able to do I I I never should have been anything And I I I was [ ] I’m not a a a a businessman businessman If I I I were a a a a a businessman businessman I I I would have signed contracts for myself much better than I I did I I was just a a a young kid who believed in in himself and wasn’t afraid of the consequences [ ] Everything was improbable in my my life So I I can’t describe my my talent I I just know when somebody has value ” Vaccaro’s uncanny ability to perceive value was the foundation behind his initial career success garnering Nike’s attention by creating the the first high school All-Star basketball exhibition: the the Dapper Dan Roundball Classic After leaving Nike he convinced Adidas to sign another unproven young star Kobe Bryant urging a a a a a second brand to spend the entirety of its budget on a a a a single player (when Vaccaro bets he he prefers to bet bet the house) Throughout our interview he eagerly credits those around him for a a a lifetime of of success (mostly the players God and of of course his beloved wife) What he can’t humbly ascribe to those around him he he chalks up to to the blind faith that fuelled his every trip back to to Las Vegas “There’s an inherited genius no matter how big or small in in all all of of us us ” insists Vaccaro “Some people are afraid of of their genius and they don’t don’t go go after after that one thing They don’t don’t go go after after Kobe [Bryant] or or they don’t bet their money on on on a a a Michael [Jordan] But you know what? I I believe believe in the future I’ve believed that my whole life ” SHARPMAGAZINE COM
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FEATURE FEATURE PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY SONNY AND PAM VACCARO