Recently, when I was watching “A Kid from Coney Island,” a documentary about retired NBA player Stephon Marbury, one scene in particular made me think of Maryland Governor Wes Moore. While sitting in a barbershop in Brooklyn, Marbury strikes up a conversation with an eight-year-old boy named Xavier, who is getting a haircut. Xavier, like Marbury, is coming of age in Coney Island, and like many before him, he envisions basketball as his way to help his family.

Marbury isn’t surprised by Xavier’s desire to play basketball but challenges him to think bigger. Ironically, Marbury encourages him to pursue a career like someone he used to play against in summer camp and who aspired to be as good as Marbury, someone who seems destined to be a 2028 presidential frontrunner: Gov. Wes Moore. Marbury says, “If you are president, you can help the whole Coney Island,” meaning the boy could reach beyond helping just his family. When Marbury asks him if anybody ever told him he could be president, Xavier says, “No.”

Marbury then sheds a tear, not because Xavier wants to be an NBA player, but because nobody told Xavier he could become president. Marbury was frustrated with the system and mentality of life in Coney Island and other underserved areas. From when Marbury graduated high school in 1995 to when the film aired in 2019, it was the same struggle and mentality. Marbury was someone who made millions of dollars in the NBA, was able to help his family and lived independently wealthy. But for this young man, he wanted more.

In the 1990s, Wes Moore was an aspiring basketball prospect, essentially aspiring to be like somebody he played with in camp: Stephon Marbury. As noted in a 1996 New York Times article , Wes Moore attended the NBA draft to see the likes of fellow camp-goers like Marbury get drafted. But as the Times’ interview with Moore showed, his mind had shifted beyond just basketball. He was also interested in the military and politics, both of which he ended up pursuing.

Moore chose the military over playing college basketball and then became an author, investment banker, nonprofit executive and governor of Maryland. Even though he decided not to pursue basketball collegiately, the competitive sports drive still runs through his veins. He went on to play football at Johns Hopkins University, and as governor, he participated in football practice drills with the University of Maryland and the Baltimore Ravens and physical training activities with the Naval Academy.

Over the years, Marbury has been extremely charitable, giving $250,000 to 9/11 victims, $500,000 to Hurricane Katrina victims and $4 million to New York City for the police, fire and emergency management departments and the teachers’ fund. However, his most significant and most impactful contribution came through something he sold: his shoe. In 2006, he famously sold his Starbury shoe for $15, making it an affordable option for underserved communities like his home community of Coney Island. He hopes to reintroduce the shoe in 2026.

Thus far, as Maryland’s governor, Moore has had significant impacts by implementing tax credits to fight poverty, raising the minimum wage and helping form the Enough Alliance with a $100 million investment to end child poverty. He did this all while managing the disaster cleanup of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.

Moore’s influence and ability to help underserved communities would be even greater as a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate. Marbury challenged Xavier to be more than an athlete — to be president so he can help all of Coney Island. Moore has the chance to become president and be an example for other hoopers interested in making a difference beyond the hardwood. President Barack Obama introduced the Affordable Care Act to make health care more accessible for all Americans. As president, Moore can have an equally impactful initiative and, in the process, help Marbury and Xavier’s home community of Coney Island.