When Tymir Spruel was 10 years old, his father, Gregory Spruel, took him to audition for the renowned Philadelphia Boys Choir.
“Tymir could sing, we heard it in him when he was little,” Gregory recalled. “He sounded a little like Michael Jackson.”
The audition went well, but Tymir didn’t make the cut. Still, the choir director was impressed, encouraging Tymir to work on his singing and breathing techniques and come back and audition again.
But Tymir had an even greater passion: basketball.
Even as a baby, he’d always grab a basketball and try to bounce it. By age 11, he was routinely beating older kids in his North Philadelphia neighborhood in one-on-one games. At age 12, he had already grown to 6’2″ and could easily dunk. Singing, and just about everything else in his life, took a backseat to playing hoops, and he excelled at the sport all through high school, making a name for himself in the region.
“He was multitalented and tried lots of things, he even ran cross-country to try to build his breathing up for singing, but no matter what, he always went back to basketball,” Gregory said.
Tymir was set to attend a junior college in Philadelphia in the fall of 2018, with an eye toward transferring to a Division I college basketball program after a year. Inspired by his cousin, Corey Clement—who as an undrafted free agent defied the odds to become a Philadelphia Eagles running back and Super Bowl hero—Tymir was determined to become a professional athlete. Gregory said that his son dreamed of one day playing in the NBA, and many of his coaches and trainers believed that he had the raw talent, the skills, focus and dedication necessary to succeed at the highest levels.
But all of those hopes and dreams were shattered a week after Tymir graduated from high school. In the early morning hours of June 18, 2018, Tymir was shot by an unidentified assailant while sitting in a car on the 2300 block of Edgley Street in North Philadelphia. Tymir was taken to Temple University Hospital, and family members rushed to his side. He died later that day. Tymir was 17 years old.
“It was a shock to all of us,” Gregory said. “Nobody, not his friends, his family, his teammates, nobody could believe it. Tymir never ran the streets, ever. He was the last person in the world you would ever think that something like that would happen to.”
Tymir was born at Chestnut Hill Hospital on August 2, 2000, and he grew up in North Philadelphia and Mount Airy. Gregory remembered his son as a quiet boy who liked to stay home and play video games with his brother, Shawn, or sing around the house.
Once Tymir started to play basketball, though, that was it, Gregory laughed. “He lived and breathed basketball, and honestly, I think Tymir dreamt basketball, too,” his father said. “If you ever asked, ‘Where’s Tymir?’ the answer would always be, ‘Oh, he’s practicing.'”
When Tymir was 11, Gregory recalled, an older boy on the block challenged him to a game, not believing that Tymir was as good as advertised. After the boy made a few shots over Tymir, his son knew he had something to prove.
“Tymir dribbled the ball between his legs, and then he slam-dunked on him,” Gregory laughed. “Everyone watching jumped up and said, ‘How could you let that little boy do that on you?’ The kid had to shake Tymir’s hand, and they ended up becoming friends.”
While Tymir was attending Roxborough High School, Capt. Latinya Channer-Butts, head of the school’s JROTC program, took notice of his impressive qualities both on and off the court.
“We teach leadership skills and good citizenship, and getting involved in the community, so throughout the year we’re always watching for kids who show those traits, and I noticed that among his friends and all the different people he interacted with, Tymir was always the voice of reason and a leader as far as conflict resolution,” she said. “You know how it is with teenagers, it’s always drama and conflict they’re dealing with. But Tymir was reasonable and level-headed, and thoughtful, and he was always trying to resolve various situations.”
Tymir transferred to Camden High School in New Jersey, and then returned to Philadelphia for his senior year at Samuel Fels, by which time he had grown to 6’4″. In the summers, his father said, Tymir played AAU basketball and in other leagues, and he also had jobs working at summer camps and various youth programs in Philadelphia.
Tymir had planned to attend Harcum College and play basketball there while also studying sports management, his father said, adding that Tymir had talked about wanting to eventually transfer to the University of Wisconsin, his cousin Corey Clement’s alma mater.
Channer-Butts said she was devastated to learn that Tymir had been killed. “I said ‘Noooo, you gotta be kidding me,'” she said. “For one thing, it’s another young life that’s not here anymore, another life ended, and this is a guy who had so much potential, and he was already exhibiting that. He was already living it.”
“I miss him so much,” Gregory said, pausing momentarily before chuckling at a fond memory. “I even miss him getting on my nerves in the morning, you know, him not wanting to wake up in time for school, or not making his bed. All those little things like that.”
After his death, hundreds of people came to Tymir’s funeral, including many of his coaches from Philadelphia and New Jersey. His teammates, dressed in uniform, served as pallbearers.
“People really showed love to him,” his father said. “Tymir was loved by everybody.”
Tymir is also survived by his mother, Shalease, his sister, Selena, his brother, Shawn, and many extended family members.
No arrests have been made in Tymir’s killing.
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