Life lessons

Boucher expands on personal tale that he hopes will help others

It is hard for Chris Boucher to be seen as a true role model and example to young athletes, because there are precious few people on Earth who possess the same combination of size, speed, agility and overall athleticism.

But there is so much more to the Raptors veteran, so much that he can offer: about persevering through difficult times, about seeking help and comfort and peace in non-traditional ways that can transcend basketball, and allow him to serve as an inspiration for youngsters who may never play a game.

He knows it, and it’s why he presents his life, struggles and success as an open book.

The latest example came this week in the broadcast documentary “Grind Now, Shine Later” — also available through streaming services — that details his unique journey from homeless teenager to potentially failed NBAer (in his first goaround) to a staple with the Raptors who uses pre-game meditation, chats with therapists and a steadfast self-belief that he wants to impart.

The game and his prominence in it is the conduit, and the message resonates beyond sports.

“It was more to be an inspiration for everybody, just talking more than basketball. More what you go through in your mind, what you can go through in any sport, any career … The basketball part and who I am is going to be who I am regardless.”

But who he is as a man is more important, and more transferable to regular folk. It’s why he did the show, expanding on a story many already knew.

“We had one the first year (Boucher was with the Raptors) but it wasn’t all the story; my mom didn’t want to be in it yet,” he said here this week. “(The new one) just has more content, just goes more deep down into it.

“If I can be an inspiration to somebody that went through or is going through what I’ve been, then (great).”

Boucher — his six-foot-nine frame stuffed into a lithe 200-pound body — loves to tell people how pre-game meditation, therapy sessions and simple maturity have turned him into a rotation regular on a good NBA team.

It’s been quite the journey for a 30-year-old who was almost bounced out of the NBA when the Golden State Warriors — the Raptors’ opponent Friday night — waived him in 2018, before Toronto signed him on the cheap to a twoway contract. A journey those close to him professionally can appreciate.

“For him to be where he’s at today, not a lot of people would be able to do that — it’s an amazing story,” teammate Pascal Siakam said. “I’m glad he’s able to share that with the world, and people can appreciate where he’s come from and all the things he’s doing.”

Boucher’s practice of private meditation before each game is seen around the team as something that’s unlocked his game on a more consistent basis. It’s given him a regular routine to follow and sets up a truly professional approach to his job.

“I think it’s a step in the right direction for being a pro,” coach Nick Nurse said. “Learning how to get yourself ready to play each and every minute is not that easy to figure out and it’s an individual thing, and I think he’s figured it out for the most part.”

And if that can help someone else in the game, or outside the sport, the St. Lucia-born, Montreal-raised Boucher is all for telling his tale.

“(But) you go through a career, there’s ups and downs. And when those downs are coming, you’ve got to find ways to free your mind and be able to come back to the person that you, are and the player that you could be,” he said.

“Those are when meditation came up and it helped me out, cleared up my mind. Thinking about the past and all, sometimes it creeps up and you don’t want to become the same guy that you were before.

“Those are all things that meditation did for me, and having a therapist and all that.”