Knoxville third-grader makes national name for himself

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) - The phrase win or learn isn’t just a play for the basketball court. The motto also applies to a lifestyle for one East Tennessee father-son duo.

“I love playing the game of basketball. It’s just, it’s just fun. And it teaches about life a lot,” King Peace, a 9-year-old basketball player, said.

When King Peace isn’t home-schooled by his mom, he’s clocking in at least five hours at the YMCA downtown.

“It’s mind-blowing a little bit, like if we have a three-point shootout right now. He’d probably win. And it’s tough because I’m a ballplayer and I’m a good ballplayer,” Penny Peace, King’s father, said.

It’s like a part-time job with a full-time payoff. Some scouting sites rank him as a top-ten player in the country.

“In dad’s opinion, he’s number one,” Penny Peace said.

While King has too many championships and winning titles to count off-hand, there are moments that stand out more than others, like the time a close win was also a lesson.

“We play basketball to teach us how to be successful at life. So, the same type of hard work that had to take to be successful on the court. If he wants to run a business or whatever he wants to do later in life, it’s going to take that same dedication, focus, hard work to be successful at that,” his dad said.

King Peace isn’t putting any limitations on his dreams, either. The third-grader said he might own his own basketball league one day.

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