Antoinette Lecky’s Journey in Sports and EntertainmentAntoinette Lecky’s Journey in Sports and Entertainment Antoinette Lecky, renowned Nollywood actress, reveals her passion for sports in an exclusive interview. Early Athletics Career Growing up in New Jersey, Lecky excelled in track and field. She was a formidable runner, winning the Freshman Cross Country championship in her state. Her athleticism and determination caught the attention of many, but she chose to focus on her academic and extracurricular pursuits. Love for Basketball and D’Tigress Lecky’s heart belongs to basketball. She openly expresses her admiration for LeBron James and her favorite team, D’Tigress, the Nigerian women’s basketball squad. In 2017, she collaborated with the team as a representative of an athletic apparel company. Influence on Future Children Lecky emphasizes the importance of sports in her children’s lives. She believes that extracurricular activities foster leadership, social skills, and healthy habits. If blessed with children, she intends to enroll them in sports to explore their interests and potential. Balancing Athlete and Actress If given the opportunity to revisit her life, Lecky would have pursued both athletics and acting. However, she acknowledges that it would have been a challenging balance. Current Fitness Routine Despite her past athleticism, Lecky admits that she has fallen out of practice due to the demanding nature of her acting career and the lack of suitable running routes in Lagos.
Nollywood actress Antoinette Lecky, better known as Anto Lecky, talks about her amateur sports career, her love for Lebron James, the basketball team D’Tigress and more in this interview with PETER AKINBO
Did you play sports as a child?
When I was in school I ran and did track. I ran outdoors, indoors and cross country. I was even the Freshman Cross Country female champion for New Jersey. I grew up in Jersey, United States.
Why didn’t you focus entirely on athletics?
You know, in the United States, to play professional sports, you have to go the collegiate route, play for a university and then you get picked up from there. So I actually wanted to try out for our college team, but I was advised by people on the team that you should only play collegiate sports if it’s for a scholarship, that it takes so much time and energy to balance the sport and your education. So unless you have to play sports to pay for college, don’t add that extra stress to your life, and that’s why I didn’t try out for collegiate sports.
Were your parents in favor of you taking up athletics?
I think so. My mother came to a few of my races, and I think also because I grew up in the US where parents understand that some people have to take sports seriously in order to study and that’s what they will do. In general they were aware that sport helps build character and leadership and it allows you to become a more social person, so I think if I was really good and I could explain to them that this thing would help me a lot can make money, I wouldn’t do that. I don’t think they would have had any problems.
Do you think you could have become an Olympian if you had done that?
Maybe, I don’t know. I mean, I enjoyed it, but I never saw myself becoming a professional athlete. I saw myself as a sports administrator, but not really an athlete myself. Even when I was in school, I ran for two years, and then I started working in the sports department of the administration. I knew I loved sports, worked at them, and watched more than being the person actually playing the sport.
What is your favourite sport?
I’m a basketball girl through and through. I don’t watch it like I used to, but I still follow it as much as I can.
What is your favorite basketball team right now?
My favorite basketball team is D’Tigress. I love the Nigerian women’s basketball team, they are my girls. I worked with them in 2017 when they won the AfroBasket. I worked for an athletic apparel company and we were the ones who provided them with their kits when they went to Mali in 2017.
Who is your favorite athlete?
My favorite athlete is Lebron James. I love everything about Lebron James. We were both born in December and the year I started high school was the year he went to the NBA. I feel like we have a connection. I watched Lebron play and because of him I signed on with the Miami Heat so many times. I lived in Florida and I even drove to the arena to try to meet people who could help me get a job thanks to Lebron. I love Lebron James, everything he says or does; he can do no wrong in my heart. I would love to spend time with him and his family.
Who is your favorite in the D’Tigress team?
I don’t think I have a favorite because I know them personally. I think they are a great group of young ladies.
Would you like to support your children’s sports?
One hundred percent, that’s a must. If I have children, by the grace of God, I will enroll them in sports, that is a fact, they have to play something, they have to play, then they will decide whether they like it or not. I’m not going to force them, but they start something and then they can let me know if it’s something they like and then we can discuss whether or not we’re going to do it professionally. I would love it if my child could use it to pay for college because I’m sure by the time we have kids, college will be even more expensive.
If you could do it again, would you want to be an athlete or an actress again?
I think I would have tried both. Maybe athletics first and see how far I got with it of course, it would help me keep fit, but I probably would have still wanted to act.
Are you still running?
I don’t, it’s really bad. I want to get back in, I’ve tried but I can’t. The roads in Lagos aren’t stable enough to drive properly.
