SAUKVILLE, Wis. — Joe Chapman knows what it means to survive.
Growing up in Chicago, the former Marquette University basketball star faced the kinds of challenges that still confront many impoverished African American families today.
"Those were the toughest times, the first seven years, trying to figure out what clothes you're going to wear, what apartment you're staying in, what school you're going to, whether you're getting pulled from school," Chapman said. "Chicago players play for survival, and you would know that. That ball meant survival for a lot of people. It wasn't a hobby," Chapman said.
He credits a strong support system for helping him navigate those early years.
"Whether it's gangs, whether it's fighting... and I've seen people around me do it," Chapman said. "I was lucky enough to have a good village of people."
That village — and the game that carried him through it — now serves as the foundation for what Chapman is building in Ozaukee County.
Watch: From Chicago to Ozaukee County: Former Marquette star Joe Chapman changes lives through basketball
Chapman is the co-owner of Gateway Sports Academy in Saukville, which serves as the home base for his Chapman Basketball Academy, founded when Chapman completed his professional career roughly a decade ago.
The facility is the first completed building in Mel's Village, an innovative mixed-use development designed to serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. When fully completed, the development will also include apartments, retail spaces, and shops.
Every year, Chapman sponsors dozens of kids to join his academy teams. His approach to that support is deliberate and rooted in dignity.
"It's so fortunate we were placed in Ozaukee County that we can affect so many people through the game of basketball," Chapman said. "You want people to help, but you do not want people to look down on you. I want kids to understand that you still have a path. But you're gonna have a way if you allow yourself not to be put in a box," Chapman said.
The lessons Chapman passes on to his players draw from his childhood, his time at Marquette and a decade playing basketball abroad. At their core, they are about belonging.
"What I want for all my youth—players that look like me, that doesn't look like me—is to walk into rooms feeling comfortable regardless of the situation," Chapman said. "You might be the only African American in there, still be comfortable and acknowledgeable that I belong in this room."
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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