Less than a year after surviving four bullet wounds at a Jacksonville, FL Madden tournament last August, Tim Anselimo, better known by his online tag, oLARRY, finished his first season earlier this week for Cavs Legion, the Cleveland Cavaliers' NBA 2K eSports team. One of the bullets struck Anselimo in his hand. Doctors doubted the possibility that he would be able to maintain his status as a pro gamer, but through an incredible amount of perseverance and courage, he was able to pull off a remarkable comeback and return to doing what he loves.
August 26, 2018, was a tragic day in Jacksonville, FL, as a man returned to a Madden tournament with a pair of handguns after being eliminated from the competition earlier that day. The man killed two people and injured ten others before taking his own life. Anselimo was one of the injured victims, escaping a few doors down to a nearby Hooters, where the restaurant's employees tended to his wounds.
In an interview with Cavaliers beat writer, Joe Gabriele, Anselimo explained that if it weren't for a man named Jordan, who worked at the neighboring Hooters, he's unsure if he would have survived the incident. "He took his shirt and wrapped it around my hand to slow down the bleeding and applied some pressure to my chest and hip wounds," explained Anselimo. Soon after, he was rushed to a hospital where doctors told him that he would be able to get very little feeling back in his thumb, if any. After feeling hopeless at first, Anselimo began to see progress in his recovery, allowing him to slowly build hope and courage over time that he might be able to continue his career.
After receiving a plate and a dozen screws in his hand, Anselimo taught himself to adapt to a new way of handling a controller in order to continue his career. No longer being able to use his thumb, he sat a controller on his lap, and gradually taught himself how to use his index finger to take over those actions once belonging to his thumb. After about three or four months of practice, Anselimo felt like he had mastered the new grip, and was ready to make a return to his pro career.
While playing at center this year, Anselimo finished the season averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds. Cavs Legion just barely missed the playoffs, but Anselimo's comeback effort was recognized by gaming and sports communities alike. The Cavs' senior director of eSports, Jonathon Sumers, exclaimed, "Tim defines strength and courage. To overcome what he endured in Jacksonville is remarkable, and a reminder to us all that anything can be achieved with hard work and an unshakable self-confidence." The courageous gamer was also awarded with the 2019 ESPY for "Best eSports Moment." Anselimo's story serves as a great reminder of just how powerful the human spirit can be when it needs to be, and how our passions can help us accomplish things that might seem impossible to others.