[Weiss] Carter Bryant is a GODA (grandchild of deaf adults) who grew up in a household that spoke ASL… Bryant learned defense by playing pick-up with deaf kids, where there was no verbal communication… Bryant explained how deaf players, more than most, understand basketball as a sport of trust
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7043788/2026/02/13/carter-bryant-spurs-deaf-dunk-contest/
Bryant is a GODA (grandchild of deaf adults) who grew up in a household that spoke American Sign Language (ASL). The first word he signed was “ball.” His mother is an ASL interpreter. His father coached the girls basketball team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside (CSDR). While Bryant himself is not deaf, the deaf community is his community.
It’s why the 20-year-old San Antonio Spurs rookie forward developed his game in a way few NBA players have: without a word. Bryant learned defense by playing pick-up with deaf kids, where there was no verbal communication.
“If I’m guarding the ball and I have four other people behind me, you kind of have no idea what’s going on,” Bryant told The Athletic. “So being able to check out your peripherals, use your feet and just have a sense of natural feel for the game, it’s different. We take it for granted as players, and we don’t use our other senses as much, but we don’t have to.”
Bryant explained how deaf players, more than most, understand basketball as a sport of trust and dedication. That’s the only way to play when you’re defending the ball and can’t hear what’s behind you. They have to communicate in the moments between action, then trust their teammates to be in the right position.
To compensate, they learn to move through ball screens because their other senses are so enhanced. And they learn to play all out.
“I promise you, if you go watch a deaf basketball game, they play a lot harder than you would. They play their ass off. I try to adopt that mentality and that mindset.”
Growing up, Bryant had a consistent routine throughout his week. He played at CSDR after school every day with deaf students, then went to the Grove in Riverside to play pick-up with hearing kids around his age. He spent half the day speaking ASL, then the other half speaking verbally. He grew up around the Valencia and Biskubiak families, both revered for their impact on the deaf community.
“For the longest time, I thought half the population was deaf and half the population was hearing,” Bryant said. “Because, just how I was brought up, half my day was spent with deaf people. Half of my day was just walking around, and I would come across so many deaf people.”
Bryant tried to stay connected to his younger self, taking time to seek out and interact with members of the deaf community. He has participated in several events with deaf schools in Texas since joining the Spurs. He often sees deaf DoorDash delivery drivers and offers to help translate when he walks by the front desk of the team hotel. He’ll say a warm hello to a deaf family walking through Target, just to fortify the sense of community hiding in plain sight.
“I see being deaf as a super power,” Bryant said. “They find a way to just survive and advance.”