@JohnPonBui -If you read the “Ask the Dean” column at the start of this thread, you’ll see that sports essays are VERY overdone and are usually to be avoided. BUT … if you can write about your basketball transformation in a way that is HUMOROUS, then it could work in your favor. Although I’m reluctant to stereotype, I have found over the years that essays from international applicants are far less likely to be funny than those from their US counterparts. So if you have a sense of humor and can show it off in your essay (perhaps giving some examples of why you claim you were a “nerd”) then this might help you stand out in the crowd.
If, however, humor doesn’t come naturally to you, I would pick another topic to write about. Keep in mind that one big reason that US colleges accept international applicants is because of the “diversity” they bring to campus. So if you can come up with an essay topic that highlights how your background is different from the that of they typical domestic applicant, it could be a plus.
Because writing about sports–and basketball in particular–sounds typically American, your basketball essay probably won’t help to highlight your international background unless you find a way to point out how playing basketball in your country is different than playing in the US. For instance, when my husband and I lived in the UK in the 1970s, he played on a basketball team there, but many of the gyms that his team played in were not heated, So there were actually times when he started the game wearing a wool hat and–once–even gloves! So that’s the kind of detail that might make your basketball essay memorable.