It’s my time right now. Right now, right now.

The lyrics, written and performed by KingCamRoyalty, are more than words in his aptly titled song, “My Time.” They serve as a mantra for Cameron Ford, a reminder to live in the moment as he continues chasing his dreams.

“You don’t get this opportunity twice,” the Magic Gaming forward said. “I feel like you should never wait until the next day. You should go and do what you want to do right now.”

Right now, it’s hard to argue that Cam isn’t living his best life.

The 20-year-old Cleveland native is a budding hip-hop artist, a financial planning major at the University of Akron, and the spark plug behind Magic Gaming’s resurgence that has them in the thick of the playoff hunt.

While playing NBA 2K has been a longstanding hobby of his since childhood, being a musician is an endeavor less than a year in the making.  

“Growing up, I wasn’t the most talkative person,” he said. “I was quiet, I stayed about my business. So I never expressed myself entirely, I feel like. Music is a great way to express yourself. And do it in a respectful manner.”

His foray into music began last October at college, with Cam simply recording and mixing his own songs. It’s progressed since moving to Orlando, as he’s frequented a local recording studio in crafting songs with the aid of a professional production staff. He currently has three tracks, including a song called “Never Tucked” available on Spotify.

His musical passion has been aided by Magic Gaming’s weekly plane trips to New York City for league games, with the countless free hours in the sky giving him ample time to write new material.

“My style is more so positive, being self-positive,” said Cam, who has his first mixtape in the works for upcoming release. “Believing in yourself, being confident, not worrying about what other people think. … I like to uplift people, I don’t tear down anybody. It’s just all positivity.”

That positivity extended to the 2K League, where Cam patiently awaited his opportunity to become a regular contributor. He was selected in the sixth and final round of April’s draft and appeared in just one game as Magic Gaming opened the season with five straight losses.

Cam was re-inserted into the starting lineup for the team’s doubleheader in Week 3. He responded with a team-best 37 points over the two games and, most importantly, helped get two much-needed wins. That weekend the league was introduced to Cam the player and Cam the style icon.

In wanting to have some fun, he made it point to add neck chains as an accessory to his attire for each of Magic Gaming’s wins during the regular season. The chains representing his vision for the future, more so than the actual material itself, he explained.

“It’s something to represent me,” Cam said. “I love the flash, I love the glitter. I like chains, I like fancy things. It’s just something to keep on my mind, to try to get to the next level where I can have that stuff.”

Cam is currently up to seven chains to match Magic Gaming’s win total. The team has three games remaining in the regular season. Which begs the question, might we see double-digit chains?

“If we come through with all three, I’ll be happy to wear 10 chains,” he said.

Magic Gaming is riding a four-game winning streak as part of their turnaround, and sitting at 7-4 have moved into fifth place entering Week 11. Cam attributes the success to the new lineup that brought more balance offensively, adding an additional interior dimension to a squad he believes was overly reliant on 3-point shooting early on.

Personally, Cam has more than outplayed his draft position as the 95th player selected out of 102. He ranks second on the team in scoring (14.2 PPG), first in rebounding (8.5 RPG) and first in blocks (1.5 BPG).

“I feel like I’m pretty dominant inside,” he said. “Our team was lacking it a little bit starting off the season. Our defense was great, we just couldn’t get the easy buckets we needed. I gave them easy buckets in the paint. I love passing the ball and was able to kick it out when they were double-teaming down low.”

Even with their recent rise, Cam believes Magic Gaming’s best is yet to come.

“At the moment, we’re very confident,” he said. “I feel like there is always room for improvement. We’re not at the top of where we could be or how good we could actually be. For us to be in this situation, we feel like we haven’t even been playing our best basketball.”

Much like his team, the self-described shy, nervous kid has come a long ways. Especially in the last year. He’s balancing being an esports athlete, musician and college student.

And his journey is just beginning.

“I want to be at the top of whatever I do,” he said. “Music, I want to be the best I can be. Make the best music I can make. 2K, I want to be winning, win championships. School, I want to hold that down as well, just so I have options in the long run. If one takes off, that’s great. But I feel like I’m a well-balanced person. I can venture into a lot of different aspects with doing all these different things. It’s been working out so far, so hopefully it just continues to improve.”

After all, it’s his time right now.