FC Bayern Munich guard Cassius Winston and his family have always had close ties with basketball. Winston regularly played with his father and his two brothers - Khy and Zach - during childhood, and the three brothers had a very close relationship growing up together in Detroit, United States, with a strong bond reinforced by their love for the game.
"[Basketball] is a part of me, it's a part of what I do, it's a part of who I am, it's a part of me growing up, it's a part of my story," Winston says. "It was more than a game to us, it's part of life."
Basketball was one of the main drivers behind the close relationship that Winston had with his brothers, as they all shared the same passion for hoops. In fact, Cassius, the eldest brother, was able to play at Michigan State University before embarking on a professional career, while his two younger brothers played high-school ball at the University of Detroit Jesuit High.
However, tragedy struck on November 9, 2019, when Zach Winston decided to bring an end to his life.
"Zach was, honestly, the person who was holding us all together," Winston recalls. "In our family, everybody has their own thing; everybody is different in a way. Zach was the one who would always come through and make sure that everybody was laughing, everybody was relaxed, everybody was not stressing too much. He was always going to be there to put a smile on your face, always going to say something goofy, off the wall; just something you're not expecting to keep us levelheaded.
"You don't really notice it until it's gone, which is the crazy part. But once it's gone, you kind of just feel that void is kind of missing all the time, so that is what he was for us. He was the glue guy. He was the one who kept everybody together, he's the one who kept everybody smiling, everybody laughing, everybody in a good mood.
"He was my brother, he's still my brother, he's always going to be my brother. He's with me. As long as I'm still walking, breathing and talking, he's going to be right there with me, and it's always going to be that way."
As a way of keeping Zach firmly in his thoughts, Winston goes through a ritual before each game in which he shakes hands with his brother.
"Before every game, I do a handshake with my brother. I pray and talk to my brother, just to check in," Winston explains. "These 3-4 minutes before the game, everything is still. I've got time to clear my head, I've got time to talk to my brother. I know we're connected; I know that he's still watching; I know that he's still there with me."
Winston still finds sanctuary in basketball when the going gets tough. And his connection to his little brother remains one of his most important moments when focusing before the start of a game, even if it's not easy sometimes.
"I slip and probably will slip again and slip again after that. It's just part of growing and a part of healing," Winston comments. "Some days I don't want to fight, some days I want to give up, but I think about it, I think what they want from me and how he would want me to keep pushing [...] so I make sure that my brother's proud."