Donta Hall, a 2015 graduate of Luverne High School, has made it big in the game of basketball. The standout, a Luverne native said while growing up never knew he would one day make it to international basketball stardom.
“There wasn’t much to do growing up in Luverne, but we figured things out,” Hall said. “We had the skating rink open at one point and the bowling alley, but it closed down, so, we had to play outside in the yard, find somewhere to throw a football or play a little basketball.”
Following graduation, Hall attended the University of Alabama, finishing college in three years and staying on a fourth year to take some electives. He earned his bachelor’s degree in epidemiology and kinesiology.
“It was some of the best times though, to be honest,” Hall said. “School was great; during that time before Covid, football season was insane, then basketball season, it was an all-around great experience. There were some big days at UA.”
Hall’s love for basketball came later in life; baseball was his first love.
“I was thinking baseball would be what I did for a long time, but then when my dad passed when I was 13 was when basketball came more in to affect.”
At that time, Hall said he felt like basketball was for him, and it was what he should do going forward.
“I was having some great basketball seasons at UA,” Hall said. “Following my time [there], I ended up getting picked up by the Detroit Pistons. I then got pushed onto the Exhibit 10 with Detroit.”
Hall said pro-basketball leaders like Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond, really made that time a stellar experience for gaining life skills and managing his athletic career.
“[I was] just picking their brains about things, living life with them for a while was great.”
He then moved on to the Toronto Rafters in 2020.
“Because of Covid, we all had to go to a bubble, but I ended getting traded during the process,” Hall said. “I [signed] with the Brooklyn Nets. We had playoffs and everything but lost in the first round to Toronto.”