There's a running joke in the Fischer home about whether Maxon Fischer ever puts his basketball down.
Now, the 10-year-old will experience a unique opportunity this summer: competing in the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge finals in New York.
Fischer will receive an all-expense-paid trip to New York to compete in the June competition. He will also watch the National Basketball Association draft while there.
"I'm really excited to go and see the NBA draft, meet all of the players," Fischer said.
His favorite player is Zion Williamson, who plays for the Duke University Blue Devils.
Fischer is the second Jefferson City student this year to make it to the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge finals. Eleven-year-old Maddy Larkin, a student at St. Joseph Cathedral school, will also compete in New York this summer.
In January, Fischer placed first in the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department's Jr. NBA Skills Challenge for the 11-and-younger age group, sending him on to the February regionals in Denver. He came in first place in regionals, qualifying him for finals.
Jr. NBA Skills Challenge participants must earn points by showcasing their dribbling, shooting and rebounding skills.
"I was kind of nervous right before it started, but I got there two hours early and started practicing, shooting some free throws, all of that," he said.
A fourth-grader at Lawson Elementary School, Fischer has been playing basketball for about five years. He plays on Hype, a new basketball team that competes in local tournaments.
While he also plays baseball, he added, his top sport will always be basketball.
His parents, Valerie and Devin, along with his little sister, Hanna, said they were proud of him and what he has accomplished so far.
"When they called his name as a winner, it was just overwhelming of emotions because he did it all on his own," Valerie Fischer said. "It's a God-given talent, and he recognizes that, and he does his best at it - so to see that hard work pay off was really nice to witness."