Zevi Samet | "No High School Wanted Me"
4/11/20261 hr 22 min
From struggling to sit still in class to becoming one of the most impactful voices on and off the court, Zevi Samet's journey is anything but typical. In this episode, he shares how sports gave him confidence, how failure fueled his growth, and how a relentless work ethic during COVID completely transformed his life. What started as a drive to become a better basketball player turned into something much deeper,discovering purpose, discipline, and a connection to something bigger than himself.
But the real story goes beyond basketball. Zevi opens up about building a platform to inspire others, creating a movement within his team, and using every moment, wins, losses, and everything in between, as an opportunity for impact. From emotional Shabbos experiences to leading teammates toward something meaningful, this is a story about growth, identity, and what it means to use your talent for something greater.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsNachi Gordon· Host0:00
A lot of people got to know you from this stage that you've been on, being this incredible basketball player and using the platform to make Kiddush Hashem, which is awesome. You probably would have never thought you'd be who you are today.
Zevi Samet· Guest0:09
Hundred percent not. I was in three schools before I got to high school. I just had so much energy, and I couldn't- Right ... control myself. And then I was looking for a high school. My parents went to them and said, "Listen, can he take off twice a week and go play in sports leagues?" And they were like, "We can't do that." So my parents finally heard about this school called TABC. It's in Teaneck. I went, and I barely make the team. Freshman year, I don't touch the court. I was so ashamed. I was so, like, embarrassed that I put so much work in, and I'm a bust. COVID was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life. I was working out five to seven hours a day.
Nachi Gordon· Host0:35
Where do you get that discipline, that drive, especially at such a young age?
Zevi Samet· Guest0:37
I just wanted to get good, so I played all over New York City. And then one game I went, I hear, like, a big boom. Next thing I know, everyone says, "Run." I hear a guy yell, "I got hit." Someone got shot [claps] on the court that I was playing at. Can't breathe. I call my coach. I'm like, "I'm not gonna call my parents. They're gonna have a heart attack." I'm like, "Never coming back here again."
Nachi Gordon· Host0:52
Did you?
Zevi Samet· Guest0:53
No. So I get to YU, and I'm just so confused. Red hair, afro- [chuckles] ... earrings, another guy, tattoos. I said, "I have two options right now. I either go to my chevrusa and learn by myself, or I show these guys more about Yiddishkeit." Come championship game, we go down sixteen with fourteen minutes left. A guy came over to me and said, "Zevi, if anybody could promise me that we will win this game, I will keep Shabbos for the rest of my life." And I said, "Hashem, if we win, I promise I'm gonna use my platform to inspire as many people as I can." We go back in. I started making some crazy shots. Other guys on the team started making shots. We're down about one with twenty seconds left.
Nachi Gordon· Host1:28
Twenty seconds.
Zevi Samet· Guest1:29
I let it fly.