Ta'Quan Zimmerman Uses His Platform for a Better Purpose With Anti-Bullying Initiative 'Be a Baller, Not a Bully'

Zimmerman from a young age was bullied and believed one day he wanted to inspire the next generation so other kids wouldn't have to deal with what he went through. His message is "Be a Baller, Not a Bully."

Twin Vizuals

Ta"Quan Zimmerman started out his basketball journey as a freshman in high school after being cut from his middle school team, all three years.

Eventually, he became a Hall of Fame legend at Putnam Science Academy (CT), truly embodying that it doesn't matter how or when your start. If you put your mind to it you can achieve anything.

After continuing his basketball journey and playing professionally, Tootie embraced using his platform for a better purpose and began sharing his knowledge and talents with the younger generation where he created the Ta'Quan Zimmerman Invitational and the "Be a Baller, Not a Bully" Camp, a message that goes beyond basketball. It's an anti/bullying initiative that he started when he first turned pro.

Growing up he was bulled and wanted to give back to the community, so he made a vow to give back with his anti-bullying message. Recently, Zimmerman shared his thoughts in a Q&A with High School On SI.

Q&A with Ta'Quan (Tootie) Zimmerman, from high school to the Pros, uses his platform for a better Purpose

Myckena Guerrero: Basketball has been part of your life forever and still is but where did this whole basketball journey begin for you?

Ta'Quan Zimmerman: This whole basketball journey began for me in high school. My freshman year was the first time I ever played organized basketball for a real team believe it or not. I was cut from my middle school team all 3 years in a row because I was overweight which were some of the reasons why I was bullied and laughed at and other reasons but I was never selected to be a member of my school team until high school and even then I didn't look like your typical high school basketball player with the weight I still had on me.

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MG: You started your anti-bullying initiative, “Be A Baller Not A Bully,” after experiencing bullying yourself growing up. How did those personal experiences shape the leader and mentor you are today?

TZ: The experiences I've faced and been through as a victim of bullying shaped me into the leader that I am today because I turned my pain into power. The way I felt about myself wasn't great. My father passed away when I was 9 years old leaving my mother to raise 5 boys on her own in a drug infested neighborhood. I thank God that he had his hands and mercy on me and my family because there were times when I questioned myself about who I was as a person until one day I had a enough and I set goals and aspirations out for myself and the main goal was to prove people wrong who doubted and laughed at me but to also to get division 1 scholarship in basketball & be a professional basketball player. I knew it wasn't going to be easy but I was fully committed to the grind and it taught me to be persistent and resilient.

MG: You’ve made it a vow that every giveback effort you do carries this anti-bullying message. Why was it important for you to tie your platform to a purpose bigger than basketball?

TZ: It is very important for me to tie this message to my giveback because I feel like it's my purpose it's my calling right now I sit on a social media platform which has over 100k followers. I can use that to promote positivity and impact people around the world. I believe I went through that and came out on top for this reason because I could've used that as an excuse to give up and come up short of my dreams but I used it as fuel and motivation to push through whatever challenges were ahead of me. That's what makes me a leader and a mentor to some people. I feel like I can lead from experience and can really walk them through their hard times and use my story as a sign of hope because if I can do it then they can do it! I didn't have the typical 5 star athlete career but I made it work and took advantage of whatever I had and I feel that is the position of 90 percent of athletes trying to make it and that's why I can relate to them Physically, Mentally and Emotionally. So from starting my playing career as a freshman in high school in a small city (Waterbury, CT) to signing my first professional contract with the NBA's Utah Jazz organization is inspirational in itself and when you see me and hear my story I want you to believe that God is real and to be inspired and motivated .. That's it and BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

MG: Your youth camp gives young athletes direct access to you both on and off the court. What life lessons do you hope kids walk away with beyond just improving their game?

TZ: When kids come to my camp I them to feel safe and to know that they're around someone who actually cares about them as a person first and foremost before pouring into them about how to increase their basketball skill set. I feel that sports is a direct correlation to life.
It gives you team strategy, social skills, work ethic, confidence, character and many other qualities and characteristics and that's what you need to succeed in life. All the qualities that I developed through sports as a player I still to this day use them daily in the business side of the game. I put my hard hat on and go to work with CONFIDENCE & Belief everyday trying to grow, expand and impact the world.

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MG: The Ta’Quan Zimmerman Elite 20 Invitational brings together top 4- and 5-star boys and girls in a high-level All-American style event. How do you use a stage like that to push a message about character, respect, and standing up for others?

TZ: I feel like the elite 20 invitational is a great way to push our message because in today's world you're a celebrity and influencer in high school. There's a lot of high school athletes with major social media following 500k on Instagram, Tik Tok etc. and that's awesome. So l feel like if you have a following of that sort, then there's a reason. So whether you like it or not, that kid is already a role model, an influencer and a leader because people wanna follow you and look up to you. You have kids like Pauldo Twins Mia & Mya who played in my event who are small guards playing at University of Tennessee who played in this game they are very Personable and I look up to them and their father Dj Pauldo because he did it his own way they stuck to their plan and made it work didn't matter who agreed.

They're stars and they're heroes, also kids like Oliviyah Edwards who's former MVP of elite 20 game who was a victim of bullying herself and she came to play to take a stand against it and to stand up for other victims! Abdou Toure who's a 5 star high school phenom from my hometown CT who's signed to go play at Arkansas for Calipari next season. He played in my elite 20 invitational. Everywhere he goes he's ambushed by kids asking for pictures and autographs and that's amazing. Someone like him is inspirational because what he's accomplished, you don't see that often! So I thank him for taking the time out of his busy schedule to Care and to pour into the youth. He uses his platform to impact & to stand up for others and for that he's loved and a HERO! Another kid is Taylen Kinney "6 7"! He has every kid around the world screaming "6 7" that's how impactful he is and he has over 500k followers on Instagram alone and he took time out of his schedule to fly to Connecticut and help push our message. He is a 5 Star athlete who is Signed to Kansas next year and his is truly a HERO! And that goes for all the athletes that participated in my event over the years. They are all HEROES I truly appreciate them from the bottom of my heart.

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MG: What does it mean to you to see these athletes using their platform not just for exposure, but to promote kindness and accountability among their peers?

TZ: It means the world to me to see all of these athletes to use their platform to promote kindness, accountability and leadership amongst their peers! The NBA as well, for them to support our mission and initiative is remarkable and we are truly grateful. This message needs to be amplified and I feel that it goes hand in hand to give these high level athletes a high level platform to push and promote a high level message!

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MG: When it’s all said and done, what legacy do you hope to leave not just as a player, but as someone who inspired the next generation to use their voice and platform for a greater purpose?

TZ: When this is all said and done I just want God to say well done! One thing I've learned going through all of this and striving to be great is that you have to be willing to be Hated, Mocked, & Misunderstood. Not everyone is going to believe in you and what you're trying to do and not everyone is going to understand but it's okay because if God give you vision & purpose your thanks back to him is to attack it with everything you got. Be a good person, fear no one but respect everyone. If you have a voice, influence or platform, then use it to help, save and protect others. Protect our children & protect our culture. Special thanks for you guys at High School on SI for helping us amplify our message across the world!