When Tim Martin was growing up, his family was moving around quite a bit. At an early age he found comfort with basketball.

What You Need To Know

  • Tim Martin fell in love with basketball at an early age

  • Was out of work and homeless at one point

  • Put all of his efforts into being a basketball trainer

  • Now works with top NBA players such as Victor Wembanyama

 

“That ball became my best friend,” Martin said “The relationship I built with that ball saved my life in a lot of ways to be honest.”

Martin played basketball in high school, but said he wasn’t the biggest or most athletic guy on the court and knew he wasn’t someone destined for the NBA.  His nickname became "Coach" early on, and he eventually got into to training young players through his cousin, Fred Campbell. 

“So you telling me I got paid to work on layups,” Campbell said of working with Martin early on. “And that’s where it started at.”

While his training career may have started many years ago, Martin also had many years of struggles. There was a time when he was without a job, homeless and sleeping in his car near the Farmers Branch Community Rec Center, in Farmers Branch, Texas.

“I would wake up early at like 5 in the morning and I was usually one of the first in the rec center,” Martin said. “I would go into the locker room and take a shower and brush my teeth.”

“I could sit there and have a sob story and cry about, which I did plenty of times,” Martin continued. “I looked at it as an opportunity to pursue my dreams or die trying.”

He eventually wound up staying at a friends house, sleeping in his living room for three years. He put his focus back on basketball training and his career began to take off.

“I never thought in a million years I be in this position of working with some of the greatest athletes in the world," he said.  

Martin has become one of the go-to guys for top players to train with. He’s worked with NBA players such as Tyrese Maxey, Myles Turner, Dwayne Wade and now Victor Wembanyama.

“Really just trying to network is what got me into the position to learn, not just about coaching but creating a business,” Martin said. “Putting those two together allowed me to work with the guys I saw on TV.”

“I never thought that we would turn something as far as doing layups with elementary kids to doing layups with Victor Wembanyama,” Campbell said. “Whoever would’ve imagined something like that happening?”

Martin continues to grow his business in the Metroplex, hosting camps and training athletes at the lower levels along with some of the best in the world. He pushes forward with the perspective of someone who truly appreciates the position he is in.

“That’s why I call it the beautiful struggle, because it’s always gonna have both,” Martin said. “Some beauty throughout my day and some struggle.”