Short men can't jump?
We met up with Porter Maberry to see for ourselves if this was true...and believe me- believe us- it's a fib!
I think it is official to say that there is a new Spud Webb in town.
The 22-year-old, also known as 'What's Gravity?', stands at 5-foot-5 but his nickname explains it all- the man can fly.
This past week, Porter decided to visit Los Angeles, CA to seek his options and look for opportunities to make a name for himself. Besides from the sunny California weather which he found to be a plus, compared to back home in Michigan, Porter now plans on officially moving to LA to further his career.
"I do plan on moving to LA because of all the opportunity. I mean, I've only been here for a week and so much has already come out of it. But most of all, it's all the networking and the lifestyle that I experienced here is what seems to motivate you to be something. To be who you want to be."
When asked about his past, Porter shared memories about how he first started dunking and made his first Tip Dunk at only 5'2, which encouraged him to keep going.
"I remember being younger and wanting to dunk so bad. So I would grab a stepping stool and jump off of it to dunk. Now I don't need it."
And he sure doesn't!
Porter has now come a long way from his stepping stool, as he is now in the final stage of signing a product deal with AND1 as well as joining the 2013 AND1 Live Streetball Tour.
To top it all off, being featured in the LeBron James 'Samsung Galaxy Note II' commercial, has motivated Porter to also look into furthering his career by putting his acting skills to use as he now has his SAG (Screen Actor Guild) certification.
The Samsung commercial was released on Tip-Off day for the 2012-2013 NBA season, summarizing a day in LeBron James' life with the Samsung Galaxy Note II, which also shows his reaction to Porter Maberry's dunking skills.
"When I finally move to LA, I do plan on taking some acting classes so that I can branch off into the commercial industry or even acting in general because as much as I'd like to, I know I won't be able to dunk forever."
Beside his passion in dunking and his interest in acting, Porter really emphasized on how much he enjoys giving back and reaching out to people- especially kids- that are in the same shoes that he once was.
Starting early next year, Porter will be involved in an Anti-Bullying campaign in the East coast, starting with New York, to travel around to speak to the youth and share his story.
"I remember when I was about 12, I signed up to play in a tournament with the guys that were in their late teens, but no one would pick me up because I was so small." Porter shared.
"I really just want to reach out and talk to the kids and let them know that you shouldn't let anything or anyone discourage you from going after your dreams. Just keep pushing, stay in school, stay away from drugs, and just be as positive as you can be. You never know, there might be someone that's looking up to you."
Porter will be in our Ballislife 3-on-3 tourney dunk contest this upcoming Saturday, November 10th, held at the American Sports Complex in Anaheim, CA, as well as performing a halftime show, December 8th, at the University of Louisville.
If you haven't done so already, here is your chance to check out Porter from when we met up with him earlier this week as well as the Samsung Galaxy Note II commercial that his dunk was featured in.
What's Gravity?