At 7-foot-3 and having the ability to score in different ways, it is not hard to consider New York Knicks‘ forward Kristaps Porzingis as someone who was born to play basketball.

During his rookie year, the 21-year-old Latvian international turned a lot of heads because of his impressive play and made a name for himself in the NBA as a star of the future. He may still be young, but he has already played the game his entire life and was raised by his mother and father who both know how to play it too.

Born to parents who both played professional basketball before, it was not surprising to find out that the first word Porzingis uttered when he was still a baby was related to the game.

“It’s true. My first word was ‘ball.'”

After his successful stint in Spain and playing for Casajol Sevilla, Porzingis tried his luck in the NBA and was selected fourth overall by the Knicks in last year’s draft. His selection proved to be a good move for the franchise as he has been a solid contributor to their team and has proven that he can co-exist with his superstar teammate, Carmelo Anthony, on and off the court.

If he continues to further develop his game, it could spell bad news for opposing coaches as he will become one of the toughest matchups in the league. More importantly, he can also prove to himself even more that what he is doing now as a living is what he had always wanted, even when he was still an infant.