After ESPN’s SportsCenter anchor Elle Duncan shared a personal anecdote on-air about an encounter she once had with the late Kobe Bryant, Twitter flooded with millions of photos of fathers and their daughters using the hashtag #GirlDad.
Weeks later, Texas State men’s basketball’s all-time leading scorer Nijal Pearson flooded the Twitter world with a tweet of his own— a tweet that carried the weight of 9 pounds and 7 ounces.
On Feb. 8, 2020, Pearson became the latest addition to the global #GirlDad community. Days later, Pearson still finds the feeling to be surreal.
“(Holding the baby for the first time) was big; that was big,” Pearson said. “(I was just) looking at her like, ‘God.’”
Pearson coaching his newborn to be the next all-time leading scorer is premature. In the meantime, he’s ready to support her in whatever path life takes her down.
He’s ready to be the best #GirlDad he can be.
Tune in to this episode of The Block to hear Pearson discuss becoming a father, hometown impact on his life, managing mental health as a student-athlete, Black Texas State, funny teammates and more:

Hosted by Jaden Edison
Edited by Jaden Edison
Podcast intro music by M. Pire “The Sire” & MsQuietGroove
Podcast graphic by Jaden Edison
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