There’s nothing the King brothers enjoy more than playing sports together.
Corey, Xavier and Justyn King are three of Plant City High School’s top athletes, playing key roles on the football, basketball and track teams. Whatever they do, on or off the court, they prefer to do it together.
It’s a luxury they didn’t have until just four years ago. Before then, the brothers were living in different parts of the state.
“When we all were in middle school, we were all separated,” Corey King Jr. says. “Me and Justyn were with our mom, Zay was with his mom.”
Living in Tallahassee, Corey and Justyn King couldn’t play sports with Xavier, who lived in Tampa, very often. The brothers kept in touch, talking frequently, but it wasn’t the same.
The Kings wanted to live together so that they could play sports and enjoy their brotherhood. The opportunity to do so came up around 2012, when they considered moving in with their father — Corey King Sr. — in Plant City. After giving it much thought, the brothers decided to go for it.
“My eighth grade year, Justyn’s sixth grade year and Zay’s seventh grade year, we just came together and were like, ‘OK, let’s move in with our dad and be in the same spot,’” Corey King Jr. says. “We said, ‘Let’s just play sports and see how everything goes.”
That year, the brothers got to reunite on the Turkey Creek Trojans’ playing field. All three suited up for football, and got the full support of their father.
“I remember my first touchdown for the Trojans,” Xavier King says. “He met me on the field. It was a penalty. They were like, ‘You can’t do that!’ He ran through the cheerleaders to meet me on the field for the touchdown. I was just looking like, ‘Dang, you beat me down there!”
As good as the Trojans days were, the brothers say things improved once they got to Plant City.
“When we got in high school, that’s when it started popping,” Corey King Jr. says. “When Zay and Justyn came, it was better.”
Corey and Xavier stuck with football, becoming a vital part of the Raiders’ offense: Corey played quarterback through 2016, his senior year, and Xavier starts at wide receiver. Justyn focused on basketball, which Xavier also plays, and is averaging 15.7 points and 11.7 rebounds per game.
The youngest King brother says he’s learned valuable lessons from his older brothers.
“If I do bad stuff, they’ll keep my head up and tell me what positive things to do on and off the court,” Justyn King says.
Things are going well for the Kings. Corey is getting ready for track season and is in the process of choosing a college football program to commit to before National Signing Day. Xavier and Justyn are enjoying a good season with the Raiders basketball team, which sports a 5-2 record.
And they know that, no matter what, they have an unbreakable support system should anything ever go wrong.
“You seem to be stronger when you’ve got a brother or somebody that you can fall back on if you’re down,” Xavier King says. “Not a lot of boys in Plant City got another father figure or brother they can fall back on. If I’m down, I can fall back on Corey or Justyn and know that they’ve got my back.”
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.