King of the court

"My parents were devastated, but I was too young to fully understand the situation then. The only thing I knew was that I was different from other boys of my age," recalls Luo. His father was a factory worker and his mother took care of Luo and his younger sister.

On Luo's first day at primary school, his optimistic and easy-going personality saw him quickly make friends. Luo first fell in love with the sport at age 10, when he first picked up a basketball, which made him so happy, despite being unable to stand for long periods. The more he practiced, the more he loved playing, and the more he found joy and confidence in it. He also became a fan of the NBA, and its star players, such as Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

With the support of his family, Luo started training in earnest. Every day, before and after school, he stood on his left foot for hours to master his balance and did strenuous leg exercises.

"Though I knew I was different from other people, I never thought it was impossible for me to play basketball," says Luo. "I fell many times and it took me a very long time to finally score. My goal is to never give up."

When off the court, he uses a prosthetic limb, but when playing basketball, he takes it off. He doesn't want to hide anything. His honest approach has won him many admirers, as has his undoubted skill. Few players are able to match his scoring ability.

Besides basketball, Luo also practiced other sports, such as the high jump, the long jump and swimming.

When Luo was a sophomore at Southwest Forestry University, studying a major in architectural design in 2014, he won two gold medals for the high jump. He cleared the 1.7-meter bar and also won the long jump, leaping 3.5 meters during the Yunnan Paralympic Games that year. In the summer of 2018, when his hero Wade came to Kunming, Luo was able to show off his skills in front of his idol.