One lucky, loud, and unforgettable moment turned Alfie Smith into an internet legend
On an ordinary driveway in Upton, something extraordinary happened. An 11-year-old named Alfie Smith lined up a backwards, overhead basketball shot from a jaw-dropping 27 feet away and let it fly. The ball arced through the air, kissed nothing but net, and made its way straight into family folklore.
The moment wasn’t staged, rehearsed for the camera, or filmed by a proud parent with a phone. It was captured by chance on the family’s Ring Video Doorbell — the kind of accidental magic you can’t plan.
Alfie had been practicing for around 30 minutes and had already made a couple of backwards shots from closer range. This one, though, was different. Even his dad brushed it off as “quite lucky” when it went in, but Alfie knew it was special.
So special, in fact, that he sprinted inside to see if anyone had witnessed it.
His mum, Ellie, was in the garage and missed the shot itself, but she definitely heard the celebration. “It was hilarious. I was in the garage, so I didn’t see it happen, but I had the door open, and I could hear him screaming and shouting.
“He couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it, and then it dawned on me that it would have been recorded on the Ring app. We went inside to check it, and when he saw the footage, he was so excited.”
That grainy doorbell clip turned into proof of backyard greatness.
Alfie was so proud of the shot that he asked for the video to be shared with family and friends — not to go viral, to make sure everyone knew what he’d pulled off.
What makes the moment even sweeter is that Alfie isn’t even on a basketball team. He just ice-skates on the drive, sometimes plays at school, and has had that hoop set up for about five years. Football is actually his main sport, but like many kids, he’s happiest outside with a ball and a dream.
And if he ever got the chance to test that shot against a pro? He already knows who he’d pick: LeBron James — not just because of basketball fame, but because of LeBron’s connection to Alfie’s favorite football club, Liverpool FC.
His advice to other kids chasing their own driveway miracles says it all: “Practice, practice, practice and don’t ever give up.”
Moments like this are why youth sports matter — not for trophies or rankings, but for the joy, confidence, and unforgettable memories that grow from a simple hoop, a ball, and a kid who refuses to stop trying.
Source:
- https://youtube.com/shorts/-n_WSYHku2U?si=UQ7B4FqJrgrOxh3h
- https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/ring-doorbell-footage-captures-11-33290414
- https://chatgpt.com/
- https://aistudio.google.com/
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