The southside of Chicago has a well-earned reputation for gang activity and youth crime, both of which Keith "Chief" Cortado is familiar with.

Borne in the summer of 1995, Keith's upbringing was typical for the environment. Raised by his mother Angela (father William spent most of Keith's youth in prison on a robbery charge), most of Keith's time was spent roaming the streets with his friends. The group called themselves the "Big Tyme Boys", making raps and playing basketball at the neighborhood court. As well as petty crime.

School was, unsurprisingly, not one of Keith's passions. Although he showed some intelligence when he could be motivated to put effort into his work, he was a generally mediocre to poor student, coasting along with a C average. Rarely talking and generally avoiding eye contact, Keith mostly blended in with the furniture in the back row of desks. Gym class, however, was where Keith got his chance to shine, and it was on the basketball court where he first earned the nickname "Chief Keef".

Keith's mother was first told of his natural skill when he was still in elementary school. A latchkey child, Keith often came home to an empty house as his mother worked afternoon shifts, and so the school offered an after-school program so he would have some supervision. Angela agreed, and it didn't take long before Keith's skills in basketball were apparent. From then on, Angela did everything in her power to foster this. His occasional brushes with the law on small, and when Keith's cousin Marlo was shot down one night after a house party, only strengthened her resolve.

On the court, Keith's lack of analytical mind turned out to be an advantage, offsetting his lack of physical size. Lightning reflexes and a sharp eye for opportunity made him a natural guard, able to read the defense and make plays faster than teammates who had to think consciously through their moves. Coaches in middle and high school saw Keith's potential and managed to convince him not to drop out, assuring him that, if he kept out of trouble and worked hard, he could go to college on a scholarship, or even land in the pro leagues. Then, he could get his mom out of Chicago, somewhere where they could sleep without one ear perked.

With that fire lit beneath him, Keith put all of his effort into his game. Not a flashy player by any means, the Chief isn't one to be seen making big dunks or slapping shots out of the air, but his ability to set up his teammates and steal the ball out of opponent's hands helped lead his inner-city high school team to more tournaments than they ever had, and the awards he earned with them finally gave his mother something to proudly display in the living room. He may lack the intellect for higher learning, but he has the skills and discipline for professional sports.

Though quiet in most interviews, much to the annoyance of anchors who have tried to interview him, Keith is quite the social butterfly, complete with a posse that follows him around wherever he goes, and always the type to invite all of his friends over, and his friends' friends, to his house for the kind of parties that wind up in the newspaper (occasionally in the police blotter). His agent is part manager and part life coach, a family friend who has taken up the task of guiding young Keith along and keeping him on the straight and narrow. Without his father around, Keith has taken to their relationship as one as close to father and son as he's known.

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Draft idea for the FBA. Sketch by pac