When Joseph Summers was a kid, he liked to play basketball with his friends on the courts at McDowell Mountain Elementary School. Back then, he had no idea that his love for the sport would one day lead to his playing in the 2019 Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi.

The event was hosted from March 14-21, and Summers was on the Unified basketball team selected to represent the United States.

Recounting his history with basketball, from shooting around as a kid to his recent overseas trip to represent his country, a smile never left Summers’ face.

“I am 25,” Summers said. “[I’ve been playing] since I was pretty much five years old.

“It’s pretty much in my blood. I’ve always liked playing basketball, since I was a kid.”

Summers eventually got into organized play, joining the Boys & Girls Club program. He tried his hand at sports like cross country and track in high school, but made his way back onto the court to join the Fountain Hills high School Falcons.

Basketball can be a demanding sport, but Summers said he enjoys putting in the work needed to keep improving.

“I just keep my mind focused,” he said. “It’s just having a ball and keep running down the court.”

Summers eventually took part in the Special Olympics program for track and basketball out of Mesa. His coaches wanted to keep challenging his skills on the court, so they eventually recommended he play for the Special Olympics Unified team. When a position opened up, he was selected to join the squad.

One thing led to another and, the next thing Summers knew, his team was selected to head to Abu Dhabi to play in the Special Olympics World Games.

“That felt unbelievable, actually,” Summers said. “We didn’t know we were going to be picked. I just started going around, telling everybody.”

When recounting his Olympic experience, the first thing Summers noted was that he got to ride a camel, a highlight of the trip.

Oh and, of course he played plenty of basketball, too.

“It was a huge stadium,” Summers said, recalling his participation in the opening ceremony. “There were thousands and thousands of people.”

Despite all of that attention, Summers said he knew it was “just another day” when it came time to play.

“It felt good just being back on the court,” he added.

Summers said Team USA took a little bit of a beating up against the best teams the world has to offer, but he was proud of his teammates for their dedication. Along the way, they played teams from United Arab Emirates, Russia, Jamaica, Porto Rico and the Ivory Coast.

“We kept fighting,” he said. “Fighting and fighting. We kept doing our best, so we did pretty good.”

Summers was perhaps being a bit modest, as his team went on to claim fourth place overall.

On his trip, Summers and his teammates got to do a lot of sightseeing, spent time with their fellow athletes at the Olympic Village and got to take part in all kinds of fun activities. Outside of riding a camel, another highlight was trying to ride a snowboard down a sand dune. Summers said he mostly rolled and got covered in sand, but he had fun.

Summers’ mom, Deborah, is clearly his biggest fan. She accompanied Summers on the trip and had nothing but praise for the Special Olympics organization.

“Special Olympics is so embracing, and I think that’s what changed his life,” Deborah said. “That’s what gave him the chance to stay with sports for a lifetime. It’s not just for kids. There were Olympians up into their ‘60s who were still participating.”

Deborah said that Summers was able to pull off half of the fundraising for his trip, with the Special Olympics picking up the rest of the tab. She said that included flights, training, more than two weeks’ worth of food and lodging, special programs and more.

“They are an amazing organization,” Deborah added, pointing interested parents to specialolympicsarizona.org to get involved.

As for Summers, he said his plan is to keep playing basketball. When he’s not on the court or out enjoying himself, he said he has a job he loves at the local Fry’s.

Summers said he is excited for the future but, for now, the Olympic athlete offered some words of encouragement for anyone with big dreams of their own.

“Just keep your mind set and go after it.”