My mother, Cathy Mercer, on her wedding day.

Mom and her sister JaNean, who looked out for me when Mom couldn’t.

Wasn’t I cute?

Surrounded by those I love best.

(Photos courtesy of JaNean Mercer)

Eighth grade graduation. (Courtesy of JaNean Mercer)

Here I am dunking in high school. Love those old Nikes I’m wearing. (New York Daily News Archive/Contributor)

Liza and I in 2000. My Terrell Davis jersey fit her perfectly. (Courtesy of Liza Morales)

Threading the needle. I wasn’t a Rhode Island Ram for long, but I was able to develop my game in my one playing year there. (Rocky Widner)

LJ knows who’s king! (Courtesy of JaNean Mercer)

Destiny and I take a welldeserved nap. (Courtesy of Liza Morales)

Destiny and LJ with baby Jayden. (Courtesy of JaNean Mercer)

Shaking NBA Commissioner David Stern’s hand during the 1999 Draft at the MCI Center in DC. (Nathaniel S. Butler)

Draft night with the family. That’s Grandma Mildred in the red sweater. (Courtesy of JaNean Mercer)

Soft touch at the 2000 NBA Rookie Challenge Game at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, CA. (Andrew D. Bernstein)

All love. I never had another teammate quite like Kobe Bryant. (Stephen Dunn)

Two kings from Queens. Ron Artest and me receiving our championship rings before the start of the 2010 home opener. (Gary Friedman)

Dunking against the Suns during Game Five of the 2010 NBA Western Conference Finals. (Jeff Gross)

Always the center of attention. Kim, Khloe, and me in 2011, at the Hugo Bar for the launch of the Kardashian Handbag Kollection in Sydney, Australia. (The Sydney Morning Herald)

Chip off the old block. My dad and me in 2008. (Noel Vasquez/Contributor)

That smile. Sometimes it’s all I got. (Power Sports Images)

The two lights of my life. (Courtesy of JaNean Mercer)