Heartwarming story on THE LAW!!

[Diesel]

Hawks rookie guard both a brother and parent

Acie Law has relocated his sister, 15, with him to Atlanta

By SEKOU SMITH

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 01/13/08

Vivian Law knows that big brother is watching her every move.

He's monitoring every phone call, every smile, every shrug of the shoulders and anything else the 15-year-old Woodward Academy sophomore does.

Because Law's big brother, Hawks rookie point guard Acie Law IV, made a promise to his baby sister that she would live a different life, better in some respects, than they knew before.

"Long before the draft, my plan was always to bring my little sister with me wherever I went," Acie Law said. "She went to one of the top schools in the Dallas area, but I just wanted to show her a different lifestyle. Not to take anything away from my mom or my pops, because two people couldn't have done more for their kids than my parents have for us. But there are things that Viv's never had that I knew she could see and have here, so that she would know what to strive for in life.

"And with me being in a position to make that change in her life, to be able to make sure she had the best things educationally, I had to do what was in my heart."

The promise came with a few conditions, though.

The first was going to school at Woodward, one of Atlanta's more prestigious private schools. That, of course, required Vivian to move away from her parents, extended family and friends in her hometown of Dallas and to a new home, new life and a shocking new world in Atlanta.

"I was excited at first because I thought it was fast-paced with a lot of celebrities and that I'd meet all these exciting people," Vivian said. "But when I got here, I got homesick so fast. I was ready to go back [to Dallas] so quick. I was new, everybody at Woodward was new to me. I was just really unhappy. But I started making friends and getting comfortable with everything, and now I'm OK."

The school uniform is still a bit of a struggle. "I'm just not a skirt person," Vivian said of Woodward's wardrobe choice for female students.

But she has warmed to her new environment better than anyone expected. Big brother admitted she's doing well in school, which he insists comes first.

She has a vibrant social life and is involved in plenty of activities, including playing on the basketball team and being a part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes group on campus.

The added bonus is that most of the family has been reunited. Acie and Vivian's parents, Dolores and Big Acie, moved to Atlanta last fall. It wasn't a part of the original plan, but after Dolores spent a week visiting before school started, she couldn't leave.

"When it was time for them to go back, my mom was crying, and my dad, I knew he didn't want to go," Law said. "So I told them to go back home and get everything situated and come back so we could find them a place."

Everyone pitches in

Acie, Vivian and Law's girlfriend, Tiffany Settle, share a house in southwest Atlanta, while his parents have a place near Lenox Square.

Everyone works together, Acie said, to make sure Vivian has everything she needs while allowing him the freedom needed to navigate the ups and downs of his rookie season.

He and Tiffany, his college sweetheart who recently enrolled at Kennesaw State, take turns driving Vivian to and from school, depending on the Hawks' schedule.

"We spend more time now than we ever have," Dolores said smilingly as her husband and son gave Vivian pointers on the pool table in Acie's basement Thursday afternoon.

And make no mistake about it, Dolores remains the caretaker of this tight-knit family. While everyone else enjoys a playful game of pool, she's busy on the computer, reading up on current events while narrating for guests.

Vivian's destined for a successful career in politics, Dolores insists. "She just has the personality for it," Dolores says. "And we really love this, watching Acie play and being here and just enjoying our family. We're away from all our family back home in Dallas, but we're together."

Still, it took parents with a bold vision to allow it to happen, their two youngest children moving 800 miles away to begin new lives.

"Acie and Vivian have always been close, extremely close," Dolores said. "Even when he was at [Texas A&M], everybody there always knew that his sister would be coming down for spring break to spend time and just see what college was like. Even then Acie was always talking about making sure Vivian saw what was out there and what she needed to be striving for.

"And honestly, we were always paycheck to paycheck, struggling a bit, and Vivian always went without, being the youngest one. So Acie told us a long time ago that if he got the opportunity, he wanted to show her another side of life."

Not the Hollywood, party-girl side of NBA life, though. Vivian insists that her big brother is much more strict than even her parents or anyone else.

The two staples include staying on the honor roll in school and no boys. To make sure there is no slippage on the latter, Acie takes his sister's cellphone at night, shuts it down and stores it in his room until the morning.

"My brother's not a loose cannon at all; he's so serious about everything," Vivian said. "He keeps me on point and makes sure that my business is done first — school, basketball and everything else — and then I can stretch out a little bit and have some fun."

Ready-made pals found

Both of Hawks coach Mike Woodson's daughters attend Woodward as well and have helped to ease Vivian's transition; they've hung out together, and Vivian has spent time nearby at the Woodson's home doing "what teenagers do." They attended the Chris Brown and Bow Wow concert at Philips Arena together last month, an event Vivian said remains the highlight of her move.

"My daughters were in a similar situation when they moved here from Houston," Woodson said. "So in a lot of ways I think they understood what his sister might be dealing with in terms of a new school, a new city and trying to make new friends. I think it's great that they've had a chance to get to know each other and become friends."

None of that, however, eased the initial shock for Vivian. Facing the biggest adjustment of her young life, she initially didn't have her folks around to lean on.

"I had to get used to my parents not being here," she said. "I had to get used to not being able to go in my mom's room and plopping down on her bed and talking to her. And not having my dad around to ask him for advice and stuff. But now, it's just like home."

That's music to big brother's ears. Because as tough as his transition from college superstar to NBA rookie has been, is and will continue to be, he can only imagine how tough the adjustment has been for his sister.

"You go from everything you know to being the new kid, at a prestigious school and in a city you've never been to," Law said. "Man, it takes some guts to do that and not let it whip you. I love my sister more than anything, and that's why I knew she had to be here with me. And I knew she would come through it all just fine."

[Gray Mule]

Thanks Diesel. Nice story.

This makes it easy to really root for Acie to do well,

now that we get an idea of what kind of man he is.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

[TroyMcClure]

This is typical Sekou. All I got out of the story is that Acie must think it's cheaper to do it this way. I didn't hear anything about how bad she had it. I heard they were paycheck to paycheck. Guess what, most of America is.

I don't get how it could be better for a teenage girl to be away from home living with her millionaire brother than to be at home with her parents.

Again, I really don't get it. Sounds to me like he's just saying he's the "man" in his family now and undermining his own father for selfish, personal reasons.

And to be perfectly honest, as a Hawks fan I feel he has more important things to concentrate on. Not one bad word was written about his parents. This sounds like their job. Acie already has one.

Basically, I just don't see what's heartwarming about a kid coming into some money and then undermining what I would assume to be his hard working, loving parents.

And my main point of contempt here is with Sekou. He's a terrible writer. This is a cheap attempt to be like Mitch Albom or something. Sekou doesn't know jack about basketball. He was breaking down the Hawks on Buck and Kincade the other night and I swear Linda Cohn would have been more insightful. He talks in generalities and just regurgitates information. I actually miss Jeffrey Denberg.

[Blunt91]

Well Could Acie not have found a prestigous school in Dallas to send his sister to? Sounds like he just wanted to keep his little sister close to him, not that nothing is wrong with that but he doesn't need to be too tight on her.

I also found it interesting that Acie's sister and Mike Woodsen's daughters are friends. I wonder is Mike Woodsen friends with Acie's parents as well?

[NJHAWK]

Maybe he is real close to his sister, REAL CLOSE lol. Either that or he enjoys when her 16 and 17 year old friends come over. Sorry I had to say it.

[capstone21]

I think that was inappropriate.

The man is trying to give the best for his family and thats all.

[NJHAWK]

I was jus joking. Seriously it seems like he is taking a shot at his parents. Why not just move them too and take care of them too. He makes enough money.

[DJlaysitup]

Thanks D...great article. Obviously Acie wants the best for his sister. I can also see the other side of the coin though - a bit.

Personally, I kind of made a pact with myself a long long time ago that my kids would have it better than I did. That they would see the world more clearly than I did as a kid growing up in the rural boonies. Still, there is a bit of guilt in that. My parents were great and they gave me everything they could afford to. I certainly don't feel like I'm some sort of hero just because my kids have gotten a better early education and they don't have to worry about getting a scholarship in order to go to college.

Bottom line (IMO) is you just do the best you can and if somebody criticizes you for it - phuckem.

P.S. - If Acie thinks he's going to keep his sister away from boys - he's got another think coming. All the good intentions in the world can't beat hormones...nor should they.

[Eddielives]

I'm not sure what to think about this. Acie is getting his sister out of government education which is very admirable. But at the same time, he's taking her away from her mother and father who, as he says, are great people. With his wealth, why not just send some money back home to help her out there? I just find this story a bit weird.

[AHF]

Quote:

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I was jus joking. Seriously it seems like he is taking a shot at his parents. Why not just move them too and take care of them too. He makes enough money.

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He did move his parents. Did you read the article?

[Cwell]

um he did.It said his parents moved here last fall.Acie told his parents to go back to Dallas get situated and come back so they can find them a place.

[WraithSentinel]

That is a great story.

[thesheedera]

I think it's pretty unfair to be critical of this story. This only gives us a brief glimpse into their family situation. Living "paycheck to paycheck" is different for everyone. For some that means they're really struggling, for others that means after maxing out their 401ks, and paying down debt they have very little disposable income, and everything in between.

It sounds to me like Acie's parents are all for this change in their family life, and that it's been a positive step for them all, especially for his sister.

Woodward's a great school with unique diversity compared to other Atlanta area private schools. There are some good dynamics there that promote more of a "new south" version of this great city that has such dark times in it's history.

If you feel compelled to be critical of Acie because of this brief snapshot into his family life, you're probably missing the point. He should be patted on the back for helping ease the burden on his parents' shoulders and helping his sister pursue an excellent education in a dynamic leaning environment.

[Diesel]

Quote:

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um he did.It said his parents moved here last fall.Acie told his parents to go back to Dallas get situated and come back so they can find them a place.

I took it to mean that Acie told his parents to go back...

Sell their house.

Say goodbye to their jobs/communities.

Then we'll find you something here.

There are some things to note...

1. Big City living isn't for everyone.

2. Acie is a rookie and really doesn't make a lot of money yet. After he pays for agents, fees, taxes, school, Cars, his house, his own retirement package, and expenses... He probably has less than 200k per left.

Acie seems level headed and it's good to know that he's done right by his sister and I hope things work out with his family!

[Gray Mule]

Paycheck to paycheck - - That means the family isn't

"professional" folks with money to cover expenses and

have a lot of spending money left over.

Parents have moved here, or are in the process of doing so.

They apparently didn't have great, high paying jobs that

they had to give up.

City living in Atlanta but not in Dallas? I didn't get

this - I believe this Texas town is pretty big.