Story & Lesson Highlights with Adonis Watt of Maricopa County

Adonis Watt shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Adonis, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What’s more important to you—intelligence, energy, or integrity?
Out of these three integrity is the most important because people have to be able to trust you. Intelligence and energy are things you can obtain more easily. Integrity is a promise to yourself; it’s something that only you truly know. And it’s something only you can hold yourself accountable for. A part of integrity is being honest and if I can’t trust you to be honest with me, I don’t want you around.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Adonis Watt, and I am a Sports Journalism major at the ASU Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications. I am a Senior, and I graduate in May 2026. Currently I’m working on graduation while simultaneously researching how best to train for the 2028 Paralympics as a Blind Track participant. I’ve been an athlete since I was five years old playing various sports; wrestling, track and football. Ultimately, I’ve chosen to make a career out of sports as well.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
The relationship that most shaped how I see myself is the relationship I have with my older brother Jordan. When I went blind my brother was one of the first people to not take pity on me. Within the first two weeks of me being blind he gave me some trash and told me to feel my way to the trash can. He also would take me outside to play with everyone else from the neighborhood, which showed me that I might have to do things differently but I could still do them. That’s why I see myself the way I do.

If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
If I could say one thing to my younger self I would say, “No matter what remember who you are”. I would say that because when things don’t go your way it could be easy to doubt or second guess yourself. When in reality, it was just one situation that didn’t work out.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, the public version of me is the real me. I say this because I’d rather be disliked for who I am than loved for who I’m not. Also, why would I change myself for a public image? In my eyes that’s like a slap in the face to where and who I come from and represent.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I’m most at peace when I play basketball, especially by myself. There are not too many sounds that can compare to a basketball going through a net. The sound is so crisp, it’s almost like a wave hitting the shore. It pauses time for a second. When I’m in an empty gym by myself and I hear swish, it sometimes echoes throughout the entire gym. Something else that brings me peace is when I make other people feel good. Whether it’s a stranger or somebody I love, whenever I can contribute to their happiness or even just see them happy it gives me a different type of high.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @adoniswattofficial
• Twitter: @Watt_sports