Imported (2025)

[bunniefuu]

Kobe, you've been pretty

critical of the AAU system

and the way American

players are brought up.

Not pretty critical, I'm

extremely critical. I hate it.

Because?

Well, because it doesn't

teach our players

how to play the right way.

Or how to think the game, how to

play in combinations of threes.

I think everything is, uh, you

know, it's a reward system.

I think, uh, the

coaches who are...

who aren't teaching the

game and getting rewarded

in one fashion or another,

and, uh, it's just a showcase.

-Do you feel like that...

-It's absolutely horrible for the game.

So, as an American, when

you're good at basketball...

...that's the only thing you want

to envision from the time you're 12.

When you come up in America,

your goal is the NBA.

That's all you see.

That's all you want

to be a part of.

There's only 450

players in NBA.

With the first pick

in the 2025 NBA draft,

the Dallas Mavericks

select Cooper Flagg.

And there's only 60 players

that are eligible to be drafted.

It's way more than 60 players

going for those spots.

So it's really, like, you

know, a lottery in a sense.

On the women's side,

it's a little different.

So you only have one

opportunity to get drafted,

and then once that's

over, that's over.

Playing overseas is

honestly where the money is.

I gotta go overseas

and then possibly try and

make my way back over.

Everybody that

plays ball overseas

has an interesting story, because

nobody set out to play overseas.

You put all your efforts

and everything you can

into making the NBA.

I got waived, like, right before

the season was about to start.

And then I went undrafted.

My agent told me, instead,

"You've got a offer in Italy."

Detroit says, "We want to pick you.

I think a 33rd pick, a 36th pick?

But we want you to

do a year overseas."

Hell no.

That sh*t says, "Siberia."

Like, where we at? Where

did I... What the...

What did I get myself into, man?

So, off the lines,

you wait for me!

Off the line! And

all of you! Okay?!

This is the reality of life

is you gotta figure sh*t out.

We're stepping outside

of our comfort zone

to pursue a lifelong dream.

All I've ever wanted

to do since I was seven

was be a professional

basketball player.

I had a lot of success early.

You know, I was always

a really good sh**ter.

So, I knew I had a lot

of confidence early.

Now he have Michael Creppy...

There's a huge misconception

about international basketball.

I've literally heard people

say that it's semi-pro,

and that couldn't be

further from the truth.

You hear Luca, you hear Giannis,

and a lot of these

NBA players say that

the EuroLeague is much

harder than the NBA.

They're... they're

very vocal about that.

Kobe Bryant, he made a

statement a few years ago

that said international

basketball is

a better brand of basketball

than here in the States.

And he got a lot

backlash for that.

You know, and I... I got lucky

'cause I grew up in Europe.

-Right.

-And you know,

everything there was

still fundamental.

So I learned all the basics.

And I think we're doing

a tremendous disservice

to our young basketball

players right now.

That's something that

definitely needs to be fixed,

and it's going to be one of

things I definitely focus on.

I think my dream has

become my family's dream.

My mother, she didn't know

anything about basketball,

and now you can talk to

her, she can tell you

about who she thinks is a

good player and a bad player.

She can talk to you about a pick and

roll and about who doesn't play defense.

My college recruitment,

it was short.

My sophomore year,

I jumped out there,

and I said I want to go to

Louisville and play for Rick Pitino.

So, Coach Pitino was

one of the first coaches

to come visit me

during my recruitment.

So he came to my school,

he kind of spoke,

and he spoke to my family, spoke

to my high school head coach,

and that night I committed.

So, um, it... it was short

because I called out, you know,

where I wanted to go, and

it ended up happening.

The amount of

opportunities there are

to get paid to play basketball

outside of the States,

if you could think of a country

or you think of a continent,

they have basketball there.

Basketball in China probably

is the best basketball

market in the world.

Even in the States.

Somebody told me a stat,

and I believe it after

living there for two years,

there are more people that

play basketball in China

than there are in

the United States.

I lived in Shanghai,

and I lived in Nanjing.

Like, those courts are packed.

Every... every day after three

o'clock when people get off work,

on the weekends,

during the mornings,

like, it's an insane

basketball market.

They really love

the game out there.

I didn't know anything

about the Italian League.

I didn't know about...

anything about the tradition.

I just knew that, you know, Italians,

they love pasta and things like that.

I ended up signing a contract

to go play in Turkey.

I go to Iran. So I go to the

Middle East for the first time.

Then I come back to

Italy, to Lebanon.

From Lebanon, I

go to New Zealand.

I never really

looked at basketball

as one of those things I

was just really good at.

From New Zealand, I go to Italy.

From Italy, I go to France.

I did it 'cause it was

fun. Kept me outta trouble.

From France, I go to Germany.

From Germany to Egypt.

I played in Greece, Israel,

Switzerland, Turkey, and Australia.

Egypt to Iraq. And now

I'm going to Saudi Arabia.

Y'all come off the

pick tentative,

then it's gonna be hard...

Players that are coming up

that don't have the right

resources in terms of agents

and mentors in this

space get scammed a lot.

I had a contract one year where

I played in Czech Republic

where I got a bonus for

every basket that I scored.

I didn't even know

you could get that.

You know, my agent at

the time got that for me,

and that opened my

mind up to, like,

you can ask for anything.

You know, you ask for a horse

if you want one, you know,

and if the team agrees

to it, they agree to it.

If we don't do this together,

I'm talking about all of us,

then we all lose.

Let's go get it, man.

Let's get working.

Come on, man.

Vindicated Sports is my

company that I founded in 2017.

I started the company literally

to educate and advise players

on the business of

international basketball.

In this industry, if you

have a gap in your profile,

which means if you have a year

or more away from the game,

you're basically damaged

goods to the industry.

They don't care

what I went through.

"Are you able to play now

and can you produce the way

we want you to produce?"

And it sounds heartless,

it sounds inhumane,

but that's the reality

of this industry.

I essentially became

what I needed.

I'm giving more direction

to players coming up,

and I can kind of help

them navigate this,

this... this interesting

world that they're in.

So I'm Garric Young.

If you're in the DMV, you

probably know me as Ross.

I play forward, small

forward, power forward.

If you need a sh**ting

guard or center, who knows.

Wherever you need me.

One day, I was working out

with one of my close friends,

and some guy walks into the gym.

He talked to me about

what he was doing.

His name is, uh, Mike Creppy.

Takes players on tours and

does consulting for them.

I felt like I... I tried out

just to get my career started.

I wasn't hearing from any

NBA teams or G League teams.

I tried the tour.

I believe it was about a week

in Denmark, um, in

Copenhagen or Copen-ha-gen.

Don't know how you pronounce it.

I felt like I did pretty well

at the tour. I had a good time.

Showed my skillset, at

least a good part of it.

Then afterwards, just

stayed in contact with Mike,

and then an agent reached out to me

after the tour from the player agency.

The best opportunity that came

up for me was to play in Germany.

It was called Oberliga, or more...

more specifically Bayernliga,

which is, uh, in South Germany.

-Uh, can I get a caf latte?

-Mm-hmm.

With caramel?

Caramel syrup, okay.

I've known Lindsey

and her family

since she was maybe

nine or 10 years old.

She's from my area in

Silver Spring, Maryland.

She used to always come up to the

same gym that we would train at,

and her dad would ask,

"Hey, can Lindsey jump

in the drills with you?"

And she played a lot

better than boys.

They call her Pull-Up Pulliam, because

her mid-range game is so polished.

And, uh, and she had that ever since

she was AAU in high school age.

How'd you find this restaurant,

or this coffee shop?

-Mm.

-It's pretty cool.

Honestly, I was just looking

on, like, Bolt Food one day.

Uh-huh.

And I saw it, and I

saw the acai bowl.

-And that was it for you?

-Over. Mm-hmm.

And it's funny 'cause,

like, when I'm overseas,

I find myself... Like, I'll

go to McDonald's sometimes.

More... Like, I

don't go at home.

-You would never go back home. Yeah.

-I would never go at home.

But I don't know, it's just different

here 'cause you want to get a taste

of, like, being at home in

the States and stuff, so...

The last time I

saw Garric play

was literally at our

showcase in Denmark in 2023.

-You good?

-Boy!

Long time, no see.

Since then, I've been

seeing his Instagram posts

and different highlights,

but I've never seen

him play in person.

So the role I play with

Garric now is just advisor,

somebody that's like a

big brother, big homie,

somebody that has lived in

what he's trying to go into,

different places overseas.

I've seen a lot of contracts.

I know how to negotiate.

I know what the

teams are thinking.

So, just giving him perspective

and just being what I

needed when I was his age.

And so, as we're interviewing

the different players,

they're telling the camera

about their journey.

It's amazing what basketball

has been able to do

for so many players.

It's opened up the door

to... to the world,

and, you know, that's

something that, you know,

is a blessing from God because

so many people want to travel

and they don't

know how to travel.

Do you know how to pronounce

the city that you're in?

Um, I sure could try.

I don't know if it

would be spot on.

Bonska... B...

Alright. Banska? Bonska?

-Bansk.

-Bansk Bystrica?

Bystrika?

Bystrica. Yeah.

-That'll be good.

-Still learning.

-Once I do my back, it's done for.

-It's almost like...

Oh.

Okay, see, for tomorrow, it's

gonna be practice at 9:30.

It's just a sh**ting session,

okay, to warm up a little bit,

and game is at 6:00,

so please be ready.

Lot of fans will come. So...

Clearing you up?

Every time that we

have a home game,

we... we all come down

here, have team dinner.

Mandatory, no phones, none of

that. Or you're getting fined.

You didn't sit with me today.

-What?

-You're mad at me?

Um, that's my coach's

daughter. Yeah.

-That's her best friend.

-That's my little best friend.

Coach didn't speak English.

Um, my assistant coach

didn't speak English,

but there was a... there was

a couple guys on my team,

uh, that spoke English and...

and could translate to them

or could translate to me,

so that helped me out a lot.

But it was for the

first time in my career

that I played for a coach

who didn't speak English.

So, me and him couldn't

communicate, uh, verbally.

But, you know, just with

both loving the game

and just seeing what's

going in the game

just through gestures

and pointing and stuff.

The way international

basketball is broken down,

you have the EuroLeague, right?

The EuroLeague is right under

the NBA, it's the top of the top.

Then you have EuroCup,

then you have Basketball

Champions League.

And all of those teams that

play in international play

also play in the

domestic league.

So, in South America, like, some

of the more notable countries

are Uruguay, Brazil,

Mexico, Puerto Rico.

Than you have in Asia,

Australia, the Middle East.

Then, a new league

that just started,

which the NBA has sponsored,

is called the Basketball

Africa League.

The leagues that I personally

think are respected the most

and are looked at as the

best leagues are Spain,

Turkey, Russia.

There might be Italy after that.

-You know what I'm saying?

-Oh! He reaches.

This is why the Turkish

Airlines EuroLeague

is the best basketball league

in the world, bar none.

Each league has a different

style of play, too.

Like, the Spanish play a different

way than the Turkish play.

The Italians play

a different way.

Spain, you gonna play 20

minutes because it's 10, 11 guys

that's on ice.

Turkey, you going...

It's a lot of big dudes.

Strong, physical. They real

physic... Let... let you play more.

Italian league is more

of a guard league.

So, you going out

there, you get busy.

France is a super

athletic league.

Russia's a dope league,

you know, the VTB

is a big time...

That's another type of league

VTB is another type of league

So, you got a lot of

different leagues,

and it's different style

based off of where you at.

Just like, you know, you from the

DMV, you... you play a certain way,

as opposed to somebody

from New York City,

as opposed to someone

from the South.

You know, we... we all

have our different styles,

and these countries

are the same way.

No, it drops for Mike James.

I met Marcus Williams when

he was a teammate with James

in Unicaja Mlaga in Spain.

Marcus was also himself a

first round NBA draft pick.

And he also had a prolific

EuroLeague career as well.

So I played summer

league with Memphis,

and I signed with

Memphis for the season.

But on that team, it was a

few guys who played in Europe,

and they were just talking

about the teams they were on,

the cities they were partying

in, and just different thing.

And I'm like, "This is so...

I don't know what they

talking about, man."

Like, I... not my first year playing

in... in Europe, but my second year,

I started to hear

about EuroLeague.

So I told my agent, like, I was

just like, "I just want to play."

Like, my first year I was just like,

"I just want to play somewhere."

And he was like,

"Alright, like, whatever."

Like, "Alright, cool."

So he found me a team

in Russia, right?

We was there for like two

or three weeks practicing.

So they was like, "Alright,

we about to go home.

Like, get you a apartment

and everything."

So they was like, "Yeah,

we flying to Moscow."

And I was like, "Alright, and then

what? Like... Like what's our next?"

They was like, "Yeah, the next

flight is like six hours."

I'm like, "What?

Like, what you mean?"

They like, "Yeah. Like, we stay,

like, six hours from Moscow."

And I look at that sh*t

on my map, I'm like,

"Wait, that sh*t says

Siberia in the back."

And I'm looking at this,

and I'm like, "Wait,

that's the same Siberia, like

the husky and like the...?"

I go to list...

like, read about it,

that sh*t say,

"minus 30, minus 40."

And that was just

different, man.

It was... it was cold,

it was bad travels.

The basketball wasn't

hard to adjust at all.

I kind of went with the

mindset of like, "Man",

like, I should be in the NBA,"

like kind of feeling like

I was better than that.

So, the approach I took is like,

"I'm just gonna try to come

here and k*ll every day."

But then, you do get

humbled playing overseas,

because like I said,

those guys are talented.

Playing in the first

division as a rookie,

you playing against some of

the great talents of Europe.

So, I was humbled,

but I'm thankful that I was

able to hold my own as well.

There's so many players,

there's so much talent...

...and a team will put

the money out there

and they'll say like, "Well,

if you won't accept it,

someone else will."

You know what I mean?

And that's kind of like

the game that they play.

Um, but yeah, that... that's...

that's just one of the other things

you have to go through

being an overseas player.

Like, you know, in

the NBA, you know,

who you are is who you are,

but overseas it's kind of like

you have to prove it every year.

You can't understand what

everybody's talking about

on the street or in the locker

room with your teammates

when they're speaking their...

their native language.

You kind of have to be aware.

You gotta be aware of your

surroundings, you gotta be, you know,

street smart, I guess

people would call it.

Understand, you know,

what's going on around you.

-How are you?

-Good. And you?

-Doing well.

-Thank you.

Yes, sir.

I'm okay, man. Thank you.

You learn very quick.

You learn very quick.

I mean, I've done

enough traveling, too,

you know, in general

around the world where

everybody's trying to make a deal,

everybody's trying to sell something.

And it's a hustle. I mean, it

is what it is. I respect it.

You just gotta learn

how to get yourself in

and get... get yourself out.

The hardest part is getting

out once you get in,

they're not gonna let you leave.

As soon as the season ended

in Germany in April, I just,

I took a week to rest.

I packed my stuff, and I

headed straight to Canada.

And then, I ended up

in Australia by 2024.

All I knew about was, um,

EuroLeague and the CBA in China.

Um, that's pretty much...

I just thought, like,

old NBA veterans

go overseas to play

in the EuroLeague or... or China

when they're kind of towards

the end of their career,

or if they kinda

fall out of the NBA

and they want to still

continue their career.

I didn't know how vast it was.

Like, how many opportunities,

how many teams, countries

have leagues until I

started talking to Mike.

Yeah, yeah, it's

supposed to be crazy.

I didn't even know there was a

league in Denmark before the tour.

Like, that... that

was a shock to me.

Just finding out,

there's so many,

so many places to play

and leagues to play in.

When I was younger, all I...

...all I... all I knew

was the NBA and G League.

That's all I watched. That's...

That's all that kind of mattered to

me growing up playing basketball.

That's all I considered

for my career.

I thought it was NBA-slash-

G League or bust for me.

Um, call me delusional

if you will.

I thought... I thought I

was... I was gonna go, so,

I felt... I felt like I was gonna

figure out some way into it.

It's hard to get

into the WNBA.

It's, uh... like I said,

draft 36. Thirty-six picks.

If it's a good draft year, maybe

eight people will make the team.

Once you get drafted,

like, nobody's guaranteed

because spots are so limited.

You kind of have to go into

that mindset of like, "Okay",

"this is training camp,

it's a tryout for me,

and I gotta do whatever I can to

fight for however many spots it is."

Probably a bench player

that never touches the...

touches the court in the NBA

is making more than any of us.

-Shout.

-Oh my...

-Right in your face.

-How we doing? How we doing?

-We're doing good, how are you?

-Y'all got enough space?

-Yeah.

-We take coach's spot.

You know she's gonna park

right beside you, though.

Yeah, I know she will.

-She's not gonna care.

-I know.

But still, figure I'd just...

go ahead and mess

with her a little bit.

I think we'll

both be gone soon.

I can't wait to sleep

in my bed at home, home.

Oh, home, home.

It's, like, unmatched,

'cause I... I can't... Like, I

can't do it with my bed anymore.

Now just the sh**ting, okay?

It's the return of the

Mack, I'm back hunny

I just hit the k*ll

switch feel it in ya tummy

Ooh, I got the spice,

I know it right...

Just... Just to

think about it, okay?

You know what it is,

I'm a beast alright

My name is Ruth Sherrill. I'm

from Alexandria, Virginia.

And I was the starting

center here at Slavia.

In the semi-finals

game, I was posting up,

f*cked... messed my knee up.

Uh, so yeah,

I found out it was

a partial ACL tear.

But I do believe that

my impact with the team

just being a leader,

being super communicative,

being very supportive, you

know, on and off the court

is the reason why

I'm still here.

So, there's different ways that

athletes can support their teams

even when they can't play.

I was told on graduation day

that I couldn't play anymore.

So, I had like a

really bad left foot,

and, like, the

X-ray... MRI came back,

and it was like 75% black,

which it should not be.

It should be more white on

that... on the, uh, MRI.

So he's like, "Yeah we're

going to try and fuse",

"like, the Achilles and,

like, your tibia, like...

You definitely won't

be able to play."

And I was like, "Okay,

that's not an option."

And I just remember going home and

just being like, "What am I gonna do?"

I mean, my best friend is Tina Charles,

she's the number one pick in the draft.

And my mom-mom just said,

"Hey, reach out to coach,

ask him about an agent."

He got me an

opportunity in Greece,

and that's kinda how

everything took off.

The biggest thing with people,

especially Americans when we come

overseas is that we get lonely.

We by ourselves.

My first job was in Italy, a

team called Angelico Biella.

It was an experience, you know,

knowing that I'm not

about to be in the States,

and I'm by myself at the time.

So, I'm going over to

Italy by myself, you know,

I'm about to live in a

whole another country.

No family, no

friends, no nothing.

Um... interesting.

And as you can see,

I'm Mr. Everything.

I'm the manager, I'm the

agent, I'm the coach.

I'm the laundromat,

I'm the financier.

It's extremely hard because

a lot of people view it

as you on vacation, one.

Like, they don't understand

you're really working.

Like, it's work.

And so, they think that, "Oh,

you're in Athens, Greece,

"or you're in these beautiful...

Madrid, Spain, and all of these places,

why can't you answer the

phone when I'm calling you?"

You know, "Why are you taking

so long to answer back?"

And, like, you're working.

There's a time difference, there's

all of these things, right?

And obviously, if you

want to make it happen,

you can make it happen.

But it takes two people

that want to make it happen

in terms of your spouse

and whoever that is.

And then, obviously, once

you have kids involved,

they do have

international schools.

But these are all things that

you can talk to your team about,

and they'll help

you set that up.

Most FIBA, um,

teams are reputable,

and they want you

to be comfortable,

because if you're

comfortable off the court,

you'll perform

better on the court.

When I first landed

in Australia,

I landed in Sydney,

New South Wales.

What hit me first was...

was the plane ride.

That was the longest

plane ride of my life.

That was... That was

a tough one for me.

Traveling to Tamworth, like,

there's a lot of greenery.

You go through some bushland,

but it, for the most part,

it's pretty... it's

pretty beautiful.

Like, you go through mountains,

it's just, it was cool to see

how different the terrain

is in the country.

Like, how... how vast the

ecosystem is out here.

I saw my kangaroo on

the side of the road.

That was a big moment for me.

Yesterday, I went to go pick

up my mom from the airport.

That is my mom.

-That's your mom?

-Yeah. Yee-hee.

-Hi, Mom.

-Good to see you.

I'm eating good. I'm

eating good this time.

Good.

-Mm. How are you?

-Oh!

-Auntie Alba. How are you?

-Hi, sweetie.

I'm good, thanks.

Smooth flying?

-You look so handsome.

-You really do.

I had to look good when

you guys came, you know.

Okay, I'm stop... I got

it together. You know.

You guys look a little tan.

Oh, we look a little tan?

It's always a really emotional

moment when I pick her up.

We always miss

each other a bunch.

If she can, wherever

I am in the world,

she... she, like...

she loves traveling.

She misses me 'cause I... I go

long stints without seeing her.

And I'm kind of a mama's

boy, not gonna lie.

So, she just came to

see me, to be honest.

She wanted to see a

game while she was here.

I feel like that just made

the most sense, you know,

to see the reason why I'm out

here pursuing this career.

So, when you came,

was the water warm?

Yeah, it was a little

warmer, like...

-But it is the Pacific...

-It was just, it was a lot warmer outside.

- Yeah, so it was refreshing - It's

not as warm as it was back home.

Yeah, it was nice.

It felt good.

I mean the Pacific is

always gonna be the Pacific.

Just like the Atlantic is

always gonna be the Atlantic.

Yeah, exactly, exactly.

It's calm though, it's nice.

High school was like

very cultural for you.

-Because you had so many...

-True.

It was very diverse...

-Yes, it was.

-...in terms of cultures.

But also, in some of

the places you've been,

you've just been able to travel.

So, Europe, right? So

when you were in Germany,

it was a small town,

but, like, we went to Salzburg,

-I mean everything...

-Yeah, Munich.

Munich, everything

was just so close.

So you can experience so

many different things.

Even being centrally

located in one area.

That's true. And it's...

It's a lot different living

somewhere than, like,

visiting for vacation.

I think that was the

biggest difference.

It is crazy though.

I hope, like, the career

I can just show you

more and more places.

Whoever... Wherever I play next,

we'll see, somewhere crazy.

Maybe a dream destination.

I mean, it doesn't

matter really.

-That's true.

-You know this, again...

As long as you guys

are there. Yeah.

-...you go, I travel.

-Yeah.

I told you, wherever you go

in the world, I will be there.

That's true.

Hook or crook.

As a mom, you're always excited

to get the FaceTime call,

but there was a rough patch

there where I'd be like,

"Oh, my God, she's

calling again!

"She's gonna be...

She's gonna be crying.

She's gonna want to come

home. Call your father!"

Like, can you talk to her

-'cause I can't hear it again.

-I tell her, "Suck it up."

Well, I can tell, definitely,

like, haven't seen

anyone love the

game as much as her.

Um, literally puts all of

her dedication into it.

Her p... I can tell

it's her passion.

Um, been at, like,

most of her games.

Always, like, running around

with whoever had younger

siblings at her games.

I'm happy to see her living

out her dream right now

going overseas.

Rivals with a chance here

to win it at the death.

You can restart... Sosa

in the corner for the win!

He drains it!

dgar Sosa comes up

with the enormous play!

You can't get time back.

And sometimes I feel... not

that I feel a little guilty,

but sometimes I do,

because it's kind of like

I'm leaving my... my family,

my loved ones every

year to go do my job

and do something I love.

But, you know, the nine-and-a-half,

ten months that I'm not with them,

like that's... I

can't get that back.

So it's kind of like... am I

putting my dream before my family

or my job before my family?

So, sometimes I

battle with that,

um, but I have

conversations with them

and they let me... they let

me know that they know that

I'm doing the right thing by

following my dream and doing my job.

So, I try to stay as close

as I can with my family

as far as FaceTime and

text and stuff like that.

The first time I heard the

word "import" was in Germany.

It was interesting to hear it.

It's like, "What do

you mean 'import'?"

'Cause when people describe

you to somebody else,

they'll say, "This is like,

this is our American import."

I've started to understand

what it means more

'cause we're kind

of imported goods.

You know, um, these leagues have

their... their local players.

There's really no limit

on how many players

in the country can

play on that team.

If they want somebody

for a specific task

or to really elevate the team,

um, Americans are pretty much

considered the gold standard still

for basketball, I'd say.

So they kinda import us to

help elevate their team,

bring us from another

country, fly us out,

put us on a plane, and

then we get to work.

A lot of NBA

players can't play

the style of play that

they play in Europe.

They go over there, and it's

just not what they think about,

what they thought it was.

And it might not

just be on the court.

Like, 'cause you can't deny

their talent on the court,

but can you survive

off the court?

Can you adjust to the

culture, the lack of amenities

that you're used to

getting in the NBA?

A lot of teams don't have

five trainers, cryo machines,

and game-ready machines.

Sometimes, you have to

tape your own ankles.

Sometimes, you have to

go to the grocery store

and get frozen vegetables

to ice your knees.

Aaron Brooks was...

was a very good player.

I believe he got Sixth Man of the Year,

most improved, one of those awards.

So he was a really good player

in the NBA, and he went to China.

He's a multimillionaire, and

he's getting paid millions.

But his apartment that he was

staying in didn't even have a stove.

He was using a hot plate

to heat up his food.

And so, these are just

some of the examples

that if you come play overseas,

you have to love basketball.

If you don't love basketball,

you're going to be miserable

because basketball will be

the highlight of your day.

Don't listen to the cap, bro.

I'm a little superstitious.

Um, as soon as I wake up on

game day, I have to meditate.

I used to just look

it up on YouTube,

now I have this app called Calm.

Um, I saw LeBron James

use it, so I was like,

"Yeah, I might as well use it."

Before games, I definitely

need to listen to music.

Like, I'm listening to,

like, some calming music.

I like older music. Like,

I listen to Roy Ayers,

like Everybody Loves

the Sunshine or...

Searching or Isley Brothers.

I like Sade before the game.

Just smoother, chill vibes.

It helps me stay calm, not

get too antsy before the game.

Just vibing out, singing,

listening to the tunes.

It just kinda... It gets me in,

like, a... a serene head space.

Like, I... I feel

good before the game.

Will you keep on loving me

You give me, you're

giving me the

Sweetest taboo

Too good for me

There's a quiet storm

And it never felt

like this before

There's a quiet

storm that is you

There's a quiet storm and it

never felt this hot before

Giving me something...

Nobody has us

winning this game.

Nobody outside of this gym or

outside of this locker room

thinks we can win this thing.

Alright? The odds, the

payrolls, whatever...

whatever metric

you want to go to,

they're the favorites.

"James Gist, um, he's

a 6'9" power forward

with a 40-plus

vertical, um, leap.

He went to University of

Maryland, um, all ACC there.

Uh, he was drafted in the second

round by the San Antonio Spurs.

And not only is

he my best friend,

but he's somebody that

has had a great career,

a legendary career

internationally.

Now that cast is off...

Got a lot of respect for James

and everything he's done.

We've been knowing each

other for a long time,

and, um, we actually

played against each other

the first time in high school

when he was the biggest

name in the area

and was about to go to Maryland.

He's had a storied career.

He's one of those guys that

understood what he was great at

and stayed in that role

and rode that wave.

Yeah, we stayed

on the 35th floor.

So we like... There's 40

floors in that building.

We five from the top.

It took me a while to kind

of get outside that box

of trying something new.

But now, yeah, I like

to go to the more, like,

the... the

hole-in-the-wall spots.

So, you know, the

international food spots,

or you know, whatever this

place, the state I'm in,

the country I'm in right now,

whatever they specialize in.

Like, out here, they got the

kebabs and stuff like that.

I'm smashing them joints. Fire.

Yo, I was standing outside,

I seen them wild dogs.

Oh, yeah.

They out here, bro.

They out here for sure.

They out here for sure.

That's the one thing

about Boss, man,

because he's, you know, I

mean he a rottweiler, he,

you know, he commands whatever.

Like, he a alpha and stuff.

At least we got a dog park

in our apartment space,

and I don't have to

walk him on the streets

'cause you walk

him on the streets,

you mess around and go across one

of the corners where it's like

-five, six dogs...

-Oh.

...and you gonna have a problem.

They definitely will

g*ng up on you, man.

And these dogs... these stray

dogs out here ain't small.

You know, they big.

Yeah, they got, you

know them Kangals,

they got them Turkish Kangals,

their back is this high.

They be on the street

just walking around.

And it be hell a

cats out here, too.

That's the other crazy part.

Like, I hate that 'cause

I'm allergic to cats.

Just think that joint was

called a Dudu restaurant, bro.

Doo doo?

So I'd say we're probably

one of the smaller budget

teams in our league.

Sutherland, very

high respected team.

They've won the NBL1 before already. So

they have that championship pedigree.

They have a good coach.

Like, their coach is

the assistant coach

of the Sydney Kings,

They have high level

pro-professionals on their team.

Um, in the standings,

they're far above us.

Um, I'm sure every

other team is assuming

they kind of just

blow us out the water.

So, we know like this... this

would be a huge win for us.

Beating a team we're

supposed to lose to

and... and it'll push us... push

us up in the standings pretty well.

If we lose the game, we move

even further from playoffs.

So we'll probably go from ninth to

tenth to, like, eleventh or twelfth

because the... the standings

are so close right now.

The entire game

was a close game.

I'd say it was a

battle the whole time.

We knew they were... they

came to play, we came to play.

Um, it was going back and forth.

A lot of energy,

some trash talk...

...but it's just a very

back-and-forth game.

A very close game. It was for

sure a battle between both teams.

They want to make sure they

stay high in the standings.

We want to make sure

we get in the playoffs,

kind of a do-or-die game for us.

And the final

score was 90 to 88.

We won it in the

last 0.5 seconds.

So there was... there was

a real adjustment period

that I had to... to get

once going overseas.

I mean, it's... it's less time.

An NBA game is 48 minutes.

International game is 40,

you know, 10 minute quarters.

You got 12 minute quarters in the

NBA. Every possession in Europe,

you know is valuable.

We were up one, we had the lead,

and it was like last possession.

Other team had it.

Coach called a time out. He's

like, "We're gonna foul."

I'm like "Foul for what?

Why we gonna foul?"

He was like, "We want to foul, you

know, this is a European strategy."

"We gonna foul. They get two

free throws, make or miss.

At least we get the last shot.

We get to hold our own destiny."

They scored two free throws.

We come down, we don't even

get a shot. Lose the game.

I remember calling my

agent after that like,

"Yo, you gotta get me outta

here. This sh*t is crazy."

I was like, "I can't...

nah, I'm not doing this."

"We're not just about to

be losing games like this

off of some stupid stuff."

He's like, "Man, alright.

You know, I'll figure it out.

You know, give me some time."

Three, four days go

by, agent's like,

"You know, I'm making some

calls, some teams are interested,

I let you know what

I come up with."

We got, uh, my... my first

actual EuroLeague game now.

We play against

Maccabi Tel Aviv,

and they come to Belgrade,

they come to our arena.

This is my first

home game there.

I go into the arena two

hours before the game,

I got my headphones on, you

know, about to go out and sh**t,

get some warm-ups in,

and the stands are

full, like full.

It was so loud in there I can't even

hear the music in my headphones.

So, now boom, we start the

game, the crowd's going crazy.

Maccabi beat us

by 30. It was bad.

We lost a big game in

front of them by 30 points,

you know, that's crazy.

We go in the locker room,

coach is cussing us out

and he's like, "The fans want

you to come back outside."

I'm like, "For what?" So now everybody's

like, alright, we get our stuff,

you know, put the shoes back on,

we're going back outside on the court.

Nobody's left the gym. This is

like 30 minutes after the game.

I'm talking about, it's

still a full arena.

And the fans are chanting,

they're cheering,

and they just basically...

I'm asking the players, like,

"to translate what they're saying, and

they're like, you know, "We love you.

"We understand that you play with

your heart, you play with everything.

You know, we still gonna

support you to the end."

All that stuff. That's what they

singing to us and everything like this.

So everybody's

clapping, you know.

Mind you, we lost by 30,

and everybody's like,

it's like a party.

And I'm like, "Damn,

like this is crazy."

And I ended up going

out, went out to a club,

and that was the first time I got to

experience the Belgrade nightlife.

Once I saw the

Belgrade nightlife,

and after realizing the

game that we just had

and the fan base we had,

I hit my agent immediately

like, "Yo, I'm good.

I don't gotta leave."

I said, "I'll figure this out."

Nah, I'll figure this out.

This is a cool situation."

One of the best parts about

playing overseas basketball

is giving your family an

opportunity to see things

that they probably wouldn't see.

So like my kids, like, they

went to school in Russia.

My kids go to school in Italy.

Like, they have friends

from all different cultures,

all different races,

all different languages.

Like, they've got a chance to, like,

experience so many different things.

Like, you know, I... Up

until I was 21, 22 years old,

I never even rode an airplane,

never even left the East Coast

except if it wasn't for,

like, college basketball.

You know, my daughter

is six years old,

and she's been to

all over the world.

My son's first language

is Hebrew, you know.

So, just being able to experience

all the different things

that they've been able to experience,

I think is only gonna work

in a positive for them.

So, I got three kids.

...the floor. Put those...

Put the cars back.

Come on, man.

My oldest is my

daughter Maliyah.

Hi.

These boys getting big, man.

She's been

traveling with me...

a good portion of my career,

a good portion of my career.

She's been through Greece,

she's traveled through Serbia,

she traveled to

France, to Istanbul.

She came out to Germany with

me. She's a... she's a traveler.

She got more stamps in her passport

than a lot of regular people, you know.

She enjoys traveling

the world, you know.

She gets to see... She

knows that, you know,

the things that she's

getting to experience,

not a lot of people

get to experience that.

Um, so she's enjoying

it in that aspect.

Okay, okay. Slow down.

Slow down.

You ready for lunch?

Yeah, we'll sit over here,

we'll sit over here. Um...

Bash, come sit down.

Okay, you go eat and then

you gonna go go play?

I got you.

My first fear I got is when

I played in Iran in 2016,

I went out there, and

I was just scared,

like, you know, 'cause you see

all these things in the news.

You see the bombings and

all... and all that stuff.

And when you get there,

you kind of feel like

that's what their

everyday life is about.

And it... and it's really not.

Like, Middle Eastern

people for me

have been some of the

nicest, most sensitive people

that I've met, you

know, in my life.

You could find yourself in

a really good situation.

You could find yourself

in a great country.

You could find yourself

being an icon of that country.

They treat you like family.

Oh, no wind. Nothing but net.

We gotta stay safe, man.

Another day y'all hear

the sirens. Here we go.

My name's Jared Armstrong.

I'm a Jewish American

professional basketball player

that plays in Israel.

I got a offer to

play for Hapoel Haifa

in the Winners League in Israel.

I got a call, 6:30

that morning...

...rockets and missiles

with the attack in Israel.

"That was from my coach. And

I'm just like, "Come on, Coach.

It's 6:30 in the morning."

So I didn't really,

you know, take the call as

seriously as I should have.

Dozens of Hamas t*rrorists

infiltrating into Israel this morning

taking citizens hostage,

roaming around the

streets of Israeli towns

sh**ting all over.

There are still, as

we speak, shootouts

between security forces and

t*rrorists in Israeli territory.

And around 7:30, I

started hearing booms.

So, I'm, like, "Oh, sh*t."

And then the next

boom that I got,

it almost was like a hundred

feet from my apartment.

So I'm like, "Oh, sh*t,

I gotta get outta here."

So I remember going downstairs

to my teammate's place,

and I knocked on his

door and he was asleep.

I'm like, "Yo, wake up.

What the f*ck you doing?

It's bombs and rockets outside."

I had a friend from Chicago

that called me and he like,

"Yo, man, that sh*t look crazy.

What y'all doing? Like,

come to Michael spot."

So we drive about 45 minutes,

into the city called

Ramat HaSharon.

It's about 20 minutes

from Tel Aviv.

And we just crashed at his place,

you know, for the time being

until we figured

out our next move.

I've had a few moments...

I don't want to say close calls,

but like, you know, where

you kinda gotta understand

that you're not in America.

I remember we had a game

when I played in Greece.

We had a game in Israel, Tel Aviv,

Israel, and during that time,

uh, you know, the Gaza strip is

maybe an hour away

from Tel Aviv.

They lighting off missiles over

there, you know, left and right.

You can see 'em in the sky.

You know, we got a game that

night. We got a game that night.

And they're saying that, you

know, if... if the alarm goes off

because there's a m*ssile

coming in, you know,

everybody has to go underneath

the floor, which is...

they have, like, a set

bunker under the floor

of where the arena is.

You know, the referees,

officials, game players,

everybody goes under the floor.

And I'm like, "What

about the fans?"

They're like, "You

know, the fans,

they'll figure it out."

"That's their everyday life."

So I'm sitting here like, "Yo,

there's a whole w*r going on,

"you know, 50 miles away

and we still got a

basketball game to play."

I've never actually

been in... in Iraq.

And when I saw the contract,

I was a bit hesitant.

I didn't know.

Uh, but then I said, you know,

I've been so many other

places in the world,

I know what I'm there to do.

I'm there to... to do my job and

pretty much stay... stay out the way.

So I was like, as long as I

stick to just playing basketball

and doing what I do and in

my free time just being,

you know, at home, then...

then I should be fine.

Oh, I know, look-it.

Personally, I didn't do, um,

a lot of research on Iraq

as a... as a... as a

country as a whole.

I did more research on the

team I was going to play for

and my teammates and

coaches like that.

What's up?

-Hey, you good?

-How are you?

I had this pre-judgment

of what I thought

the people out there were like or what

it was going to be, and then, uh...

What was that?

That was just that, uh, like,

that there's no regard for...

for... for humans out there.

Like, you know, um, they have

this hatred towards Americans.

And... That's what I

thought before I got there.

And when... when I... when I got there,

I noticed that it wasn't like that.

You definitely

should do research

on wherever you're gonna

play anywhere in the world

because, you know,

you might go somewhere

thinking that what you're

doing is normal or it's okay

and it might not be to the... to

the people of those countries.

Yo.

Personally, my team

went kind of AWOL.

Like, other...

outside of my coach,

none of us heard from

the general manager.

None of us heard

from the president.

Everybody was just

kind of on they own.

I mean, I understood

the situation,

but it kind of was f*cked up 'cause

it left us in a tricky situation.

You know, we 5,000

miles away from home,

and you know, we never been

in this situation before.

We ended up finding out our

GM, he had lost family members,

you know, in the w*r.

And I understood

it was a, you know,

un-circumstantial situation.

But for us, it was

kind of just f*cked up.

When you're overseas,

you have a lot of people

that are just die-hard fans

and will come to every...

every single game.

Be there screaming at

the top of their lungs

and... and cheering for you.

When I first

signed my contract,

and let's say the... the

club would post like,

"Welcome, Lindsey" or

whatever to the team,

you'll start getting DMs and

things like that on Instagram.

"Like, " Welcome to

wherever you're coming.

We're so excited to have

you." And things like that.

There's just people that are really

invested in the... in the teams

because sometimes if you're in a

small city, that's all they have.

You know, that's...

that's what really is

at the center of

the... of the city.

And people are invested in that.

And that's something that they

look forward to every week

to go to a game.

The intimacy between you

and the fans becomes more

because they build a

relationship with you.

So they go crazy, they passionate,

they jumping up and down.

Their families have

the same history

in terms of the teams

that they're rooting on.

So, you get a different

kind of appreciation.

The NBA is entertainment, man,

it's a family environment.

You just going to

have a good time.

You know, it's like a party.

That sh*t is like a lifestyle.

I got stories for days

when it comes to how rowdy

and hostile fans can get

when you're on the road.

They love basketball

more than we do.

They just can't play it. You know?

So they want you to play it for 'em.

They want you to play it

with the same emotion,

the same passion, the same

everything that they feel for it.

They want that.

It's a game to us.

To them, it's life.

To them, it's life. And in some instances,

I've been in the arenas that, yeah,

you really had to worry

about your well-being.

You had... had to

run off the floor

to get to the locker room

before the fans got to us.

I had to wait in the locker

room for two, three hours

so that they can evacuate the gym

and the parking lot so we can leave.

I've been on buses

where we got...

police escorts on both

sides, you know, this high,

so that nobody can throw

anything in the bus

or anything like that, you know?

And it's a sport

to us, to them...

they... it's more

than just a sport.

Go to one of them Greek games,

you know what I'm saying?

Go to the Panathinaikos

and Olympiacos game.

That's like a real,

true experience.

Like, you know. Here, it's

more of an entertainment,

which is cool, both

sides are cool,

but it's more of an entertainment,

it's more of a party.

You got the kiss cam, you got this,

you got this going on, you got...

They sh**ting things in the

air. They got all type of stuff.

Overseas, it's just

straight up chants.

You got the fire going,

they got all types.

They booing every

team, you know.

So it's a whole different...

it's two totally different vibes,

two totally different energies.

Its Olympiacos versus Panathinaikos,

they're playing in the Greek Cup.

So, you have on one end

zone is the Olympiacos fans.

The other side of the basket

is Panathinaikos fans.

And in between are

police officers.

Like not just, like, one or two. I'm

talking about the whole police force.

So I'm just out there

casually not paying attention,

trying to like... you know, trying to like,

you know, be in the game and be focused.

So all my teammates leave.

I don't notice they

leave, you know,

I'm just out there sh**ting

and doing my normal routine.

So, I'm on the free

throw line, sh**ting,

all of sudden something

goes, "pew, boom!"

A flare knocks me in the

head, knocks me down.

My pants is on fire.

So I'm over here

brushing my pants up.

Two security guards

come take me in.

I'm, you know, looked like I

just got knocked in the head,

I'm half conscious or whatever.

My teammates, they just knock

it off like nothing happened.

They're like, "Ah, Malaka,

that's... that's nothing.

That just... that's

just normal basketball."

The coach looks at me,

keeps drawing on the board.

I'm thinking in my head, I was like,

"Yo, I just almost lost my life,

"and we just gonna continue

to play the basketball game

like... like nothing

is happening."

When somebody thinks

about Kyle Hines,

they need to think about

somebody that has persevered,

that has known how to be a

consummate professional, right?

He knows how to play the

game inside the game,

being a good teammate,

sacrificing individual

statistics for team goals.

And he's been rewarded

handsomely, you know,

through opportunities

and intangibly

through... through achievements

and awards for that sacrifice.

And he's somebody that

every young player

that's considering playing

basketball overseas should study.

This, this right here

carries a lot of weight.

It carries a lot of

pressure when you wear it,

but it's something

that you want,

um, you know, all

players want it.

The first American to win

four EuroLeague titles,

Hines' place in history

is already secure.

What's a misconception

that people have about

overseas basketball?

A misconception that

they have is that,

that there's bad players

and there's bad basketball.

That's just on the

basketball standpoint.

I feel like people

who don't follow it,

don't know the talent

that's out there.

And I would say

another misconception

is outside of

basketball, you know,

because maybe people think

just because you're

a basketball player,

you're getting it easy or

you don't have it as hard

as... as someone who

works nine to five.

And that's totally

false because, you know,

for a lot of us, we have

to move to... to countries

we've never been to,

adapt to cultures that

we've never been a part of.

Maybe something that's done

in our country as a norm

is not a norm in

another country.

So, that's stuff that you

definitely have to adjust to.

I don't know if many

people seen The Godfather,

but the town where,

you know, Michael,

when he's... when he's leaving

and he's kind of on exile,

that's what Veroli looked like.

Literally, people

were walking goats

and chickens and horses and...

And people were... you know,

when they wanted to do laundry,

they would all go down to,

like, the big watering hole,

and they're filling up their water

to take it back to their house.

Like, that's

literally what it was.

It was like, you know, coming

from South Jersey, Philadelphia,

to kind of going back into time.

So, for that first, like,

month, I was homesick.

And then I go to, you know,

Russia, Moscow, where it's like,

you don't see the

sun for 10 months.

Like, you get there,

nobody's talking to you

'cause, you know,

everybody's very, you know,

in Russia, everybody's

very stoic.

I was like, "Man, what...

What decisions did I make?

Why did I come here?"

But then, I kind of

flipped my mentality,

and I started

realizing, I was like,

"Man, this city is beautiful."

Like, the Red Square is

one of the most, you know,

beautiful things that

you can ever see in life.

Like, you know, the way

that the architecture,

the different things that

they have there in Russia.

Like, the... the

culture, the history,

the subway.

Every subway station

is a... is a museum.

You go there, and they have

these beautiful tapestries,

this beautiful artwork.

The players who have had

the most success overseas

are the players that

really embrace the culture

and really embrace the lifestyle

and really embrace what it is.

I'm on a team, I

think... They quit. No...

These are my brothers, right?

This is my younger brother,

Abbas. We call him Kobe.

That's Kobe.

Jassim, say hello to the camera.

-Yes! My brother.

-This is Nico, the captain.

-Hold on, don't go nowhere.

-Okay.

This is Latif. Young Latif.

Don't be a k*ller...

This is Young Turkey right

here, this is the family.

This is the masked

man right there.

-What's up?

-Hey!

-This is Khalid, my brother.

-What's up, fam?

And this is Wes. My

boy and my brother.

This is the best trainer

in the Middle East.

These are my brothers.

That's my family, man.

These are my family...

As Americans, when we

go over to these places

and go over to these countries

and start learning these

people's customs and cultures,

you have to be aware of what's

offensive and what's not offensive,

and what can force someone to

dislike you or try to harm you

or try to push you and

jam you up, you know?

'Cause sometimes, we

can dap each other up.

If I dap you up,

it's a cultural thing

on how we shake hands.

It's a cultural thing

on how people shake

or... or greet each

other in Italy,

they kiss on both

sides of the cheek.

Now, if you're not

familiar with that,

that sh*t can throw you off.

It's a cultural thing,

you go to Turkey,

that if you with your son

and you with your child,

someone will walk past, say

"inshallah," and take your baby

and just walk off and

just be... and hold them,

and-and-and just walk

around like it's nothing.

They'll take him to sit with...

at their table with them

and... and feed them food.

Now, for us, that sh*t is wild.

But for them, that's a normal

because of their

appreciation for children.

So with... with... The same

thing goes with basketball.

You have to understand

the natural customs

and the cultures

of whatever country

or whatever gym you going into.

You know, you can't... even

if you here on the street,

you can't just walk

up in somebody's house

and go in they refrigerator

and just act like it's yours.

Nah, you gotta ask, "Can... May I

do... What can I do? Da, da, da."

It's a certain type

of courtesy and, um...

and rules that go along with it.

So, my first year, we

was playing in Varese,

a team, uh, out in Italy,

and I hit a game winner.

We beating them all... all game.

They make a run, they, uh,

make a shot, I get the ball,

eight seconds left, I

go down, I hit a pull up

and I take my jersey off.

You know, in college, you

know the thing you do,

you pop your jersey, you show

yourself to the... to the stands.

So, I took my jersey off and I

pointed my jersey at the opposing...

the home team's fans,

we was on the road.

And I just see a mob

of people coming towards me

like they wanted to k*ll me.

Like, I had to be escorted

out by police that day.

Like, I had to be brought out

and put onto the

bus just myself.

And the whole time, I'm like,

"Man, what did I do that's so bad?"

But it's just like, that's

something you don't do over there.

There've been a lot of times where

I've gone to different countries,

whether it's travel for

vacation or for playing,

where I'm asking, "Do

you speak English?"

And then I had to catch myself.

I'm like, "I'm asking them if

they speak English in France"

"or in Greece, you know,

"I should be making the effort

to speak their language.

And if I see that they speak

English, then I adjust."

But, uh, you know,

that's not how we think.

We think because we're the

greatest country in the world

that everybody just

abides by how we think

and how we operate.

Obviously, you guys have

been in Europe before,

but in a smaller town like this where

there's not a lot of diversity...

-Yeah.

-...like, do you guys feel that like as...

-You know, the stares?

-The stares?

-The stares is crazy. Like, and...

-Uh-huh.

And... and people will

stare and not say anything,

and it will just be like 100%...

We can go over to... Uh...

will just continue to

stare and not look away.

I'm like, "Wow, this is

like... this is bold."

-But...

-So do you feel like it's...

Is it, like, malicious

or are they just curious?

No, I think it's like,

it's like curiosity

and it's kind of just like,

"Wh... Like, what are

you guys doing here?"

Because it's such a,

like, a random city.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-But now we're getting

the stares of people

recognizing...

-Right. True.

-...because we're in the finals.

-Yeah.

-So now it's kind of different.

It's... They're kind of

afraid to approach us.

-Yeah, yeah.

-Like, "Oh, you play basketball?"

-Yeah.

-And... 'Cause, like,

after you guys left,

uh, in the restaurant,

-someone noticed us like, hey...

-Mm-hmm.

He's like, "Finals tomorrow."

I said, "Yeah, are you coming?"

He's like, "Yeah,

yeah, I'm coming."

You go to places

and you gotta...

you can't walk around with

certain... certain body parts showing

and you know, things

of that nature.

So, you don't want to go

there and get caught up

'cause rules are different over

there than they are over here.

We might say, "Hey, this is

more lenient so you'll be okay",

or it's just a slap on the

wrist," but you go over there?

You're American, you not... you don't

have anybody fighting for you like that.

So you gotta make sure, like,

you know what each country

kinda wants and

expects from you.

And then you gotta...

you gotta carry it out.

When I'm having

discussions with my agent

about where I'm going and

I'm talking with my parents,

it's like, "Okay, what's the

situation in the country?

Like, what's going on?

Is it a safe area?"

Things like that.

My parents, they will

always have those questions,

and I think they'll always be

concerned and worried about me

no matter where I go.

One of the things we... I

said to Lindsey, you know,

my pet peeve, don't get

involved in politics over there.

You're there to focus

on basketball, enjoy,

learn about the culture,

but don't... don't get into

protests or whatever it is.

Because the political environment

is very sensitive right now.

And seeing what happened

to Brittney Griner

was a huge concern.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist

and WNBA star Brittney Griner

has been detained in Russia.

Under Russian law, Griner

could face 10 years in jail.

People were wondering why

Brittney Griner is going to Russia

being the star that she

is here in the states.

It's because she's

getting paid millions.

Now some people might

think $100,000, $200,000

is good money, um, for...

for a normal citizen

working a conventional job.

But, if you put it in the

context of professional sports,

it's well below what most

people are getting paid

for being a high level talent.

You know, people

always think, "Okay,"

"when Americans come overseas

"that they're automatically

going to dominate

and carry the team."

But that's not always the case.

So that definitely could

be a... a misconception.

If they sit on the, uh, side...

She really brings

a lot of energy.

She's able to score

in all position

and, uh, you know, I like her

game and I like her personality.

Uh, you... She can, uh, she

can make a lot of joke with me.

So... so I'm really

good with her.

Now she's able to score,

uh, uh, 20, 25 points.

So, she needs just to continue

in these, uh, in these things.

Uh, what she is doing now

and we can be successful.

You think by myself?

You said you had it at home.

I'm gonna get annoyed

with you. What is that?

What happened?

'Cause she said she still didn't eat

hers. She got it at home. She said...

Oh, so you were gonna

get another piece?

-Yeah.

-So you're gonna eat two tonight?

-Worth it though.

-No, I'm just going to have one tonight.

-You're just gonna save them, like...

-I respect it.

I rather, you know... I

keep that thang on me.

Little bit of cheesecake.

So you're going to put it...

-It's the princess.

-Right?

Okay, but if I'm

walking first...

But you gotta walk through,

like, the narrowest...

I mean, honestly, like, for me,

I... when I first get there,

I'm thinking, like, about my first break

where I can go home like in November.

No, like, real talk, I'm

thinking about that like, "Okay,

I just gotta make it to then."

Then, by then, I kind of just,

like, try and break it up

like, "Okay, we're in the

middle of the season."

Like, okay, just

trying to break up like

how many games we got

or things like that.

Using basketball instead

of letting basketball

just use you or use your

body, like it's better.

I think... I'ma say it. I

think it's different in Canada

compared to the States.

One, just because there's

so many schools out there.

-Yeah.

-There are so many athletes graduating,

-trying to get to WNBA obviously.

-Yeah.

But, like, in Canada, like,

-we don't have that same opportunity.

-Mm.

Like, if you're good

enough in Canada,

-yeah, you'll go D1 in the States, fine.

-Yeah.

But other than that, like,

the goal is overseas.

-Okay. Mm-hmm.

-Like, that is the goal.

Like, I want to play

professional basketball.

There's no professional

league in Canada.

-Or women's at least.

-Okay.

And then, men's, it's

only in the summertime.

Mm.

Um, and that's only for

like a couple months.

And then, yeah, other than

that, like, it's like,

"Okay, let me just

try to get something."

-Yeah, where...

-People...

Like, I know a couple people

that were pretty good in college

that are making like

less than $1,000.

-I believe it.

-Mm-hmm.

And I'm like, uh...

-You... What can you do with that?

-Yeah.

Like, you really have

to, like, love...

-Less than $1,000?

-Love the game.

-You have to love it.

-You have to love the game.

And that's... that's so many

factors. That's your agent.

That's who your agent

knows. That's the team.

Like, a team is gonna

low-ball you for real, like...

-For sure.

-If you worth a certain amount of money,

they're not gonna give

it to you from jump.

Your agent has to

work for that. Yeah.

-Exactly.

-But people are taking it so it's like...

Because they don't

know though, like...

Diana Taurasi, she played

in Russia to the point

where her team one

season in Russia,

paid her not to

play in the WNBA.

Like, that's how important they

are to these teams in Europe.

They have to go play overseas to give

themselves the lifestyle afforded

to a professional

basketball player

simply because the

WNBA doesn't pay them

the amount of money

that Europe does.

I was getting major attention from

a lot of high level teams in Europe,

and I was getting a lot of

attention from NBA clubs,

then I got diagnosed

with multiple sclerosis.

Now, to a story of

commitment and persistence.

Chris Wright was playing

professional basketball overseas

when he noticed an unusual

tingling in his right foot.

After the sensation started to

spread, Chris went to the doctor

where he was diagnosed

with multiple sclerosis.

But rather than marking the

end of his playing career,

it actually marked a

new beginning for him.

A year after his diagnosis, he

became the first person with MS

to play in the NBA.

Chris Wright and his

neurologist Dr. Heidi Crayton

join us now to discuss the

condition and Chris's treatment.

MS is a condition that affects

the central nervous system,

which is any part of the brain,

any part of the spinal cord.

And how people experience MS really

depends on where they're affected.

So, people can have visual

issues, they can have sensation

or balance issues, weakness.

I told the head coach,

I was like, "Yo, coach,

I don't know what's going on."

And you know that whenever

a rookie say something,

they looking at you

like, "Whatever."

I'm like, "Nah, for real. I'm

not... I can't feel nothing."

So they told me to

take the day off.

I went to the doctor,

and when I went to the doctor,

they did all the little testing,

"Can you feel this?"

"No, I can't feel this."

"Alright, well,

take the day off."

Drink some water is what

they told me. Mm... Alright.

Um, so I went home and

kind of forgot about it.

You know, I'm walking around and

stuff, but it just feels weird.

Then I go to sleep. The

next morning, I wake up,

go to get out... get out of the bed,

I fall and collapse to the floor.

No feeling, I can't lift my legs, I

can't lift my arms, nothing like that.

I had to crawl to text my

teammate to come help me

in the... in the apartment

and all that stuff.

And then I went back,

this time in a wheelchair

because I couldn't move.

Again, they told me nothing was wrong

even though I came in a wheelchair.

So, I had some choice words,

you know what I'm saying?

It got a little...

Got my point across

and they sent me to a

specialist in Istanbul.

And that's when I was diagnosed

with multiple sclerosis.

And at the time, I ain't gonna

lie, I wasn't even tripping.

I wasn't even like... like

devastated, nothing. I just... It...

'Cause everything

happened so fast.

I was like, "What you

mean?" Like, what... what...

"I can't play no more? I was just

running and dunking and jumping,

"and flying around yesterday...

"...and now you gonna tell me

because of something

that just happened..."

I don't even know what it is.

I didn't... had no clue

what multiple sclerosis was.

"...that I could never

play basketball again?

Nah, you got that wrong."

Chris Wright

fancies his chances,

and why not?

I don't think people truly

understand, you know,

how significant it's

for Chris Wright

to be playing professional

basketball in general,

let alone the NBA with

multiple sclerosis.

He not only battled

through that in Turkey

but subsequently ended

up making it to the NBA

with the Dallas Mavericks

and playing in a NBA game

with this same disease.

The league is made up of around 400

players every year, give or take.

And there are tens of thousands

of American basketball players

that are trying to play

professional basketball.

So, for him to get one

of those coveted spots

while being diagnosed with

that debilitating disease,

it's nothing short of a miracle.

Seven doctors said, "No, you

can never do this again."

And I kept saying, "Alright,

well, I'ma go find somebody else."

Yeah.

I had to teach myself how

to do everything again:

walk, I had to teach myself how to

run and teach myself how to sh**t,

had to teach myself how to jump.

Now, fast-forward eight months,

nine months later, I was in NBA.

I had an opportunity

to go... go to the NBA,

um, specifically when I

was leaving Olympiacos.

Um, it was either go to CSKA or go to...

at the time it was the Atlanta Hawks,

and I chose to stay overseas and not

even like... throughout my career,

not even necessarily explore

those NBA opportunities

because I really enjoyed

playing basketball overseas.

Kyle said something

that was very profound.

He said that American

basketball players

are signed overseas

but set up to fail.

And I never thought about it

like that, but it's very true,

because when you play overseas,

you know that there's

a cloud over you,

and you have a very short

leash to make mistakes

because you will always be the scapegoat

and the first person they look at,

because they're paying the

most money for you to be there.

It costs a lot to

bring an American

to a team, internationally.

You have to pay for visas, you

have to pay for the housing,

you have to pay for

round trip flights,

you have to pay for cars,

you have to obviously

pay a salary, insurance.

There are a lot of

things that come

with signing an American

in these countries

because they're not... you're not just

signing them as a basketball player,

you're signing them as a

working citizen in the country.

The NBA is the NBA. Like, that...

There's no substitute for that.

But for me, like, you

know, I found my niche,

and I was like, you know, I'm just

gonna stick with it and stay with it.

And-and-and like I said,

I think it's... it's worked

out for me just a little bit.

In terms of what the...

the negatives are overseas,

not getting paid on time,

not getting paid at all.

Um, and that's a

big issue overseas.

So, I would say that,

because you can't really

have a union over there.

It's tough 'cause it's so

many different countries,

so many different rules.

So there's no... And FIBA's

going to side more with the clubs

because that's where they

getting their money from.

You know, so it just

makes more sense

that we will have some...

we don't have as much

leverage as we want.

"2007." Yeah, 2007 Pan

American Games, USA jersey.

That was a dope experience.

I consider FIBA, which

is the governing body

of international basketball,

it's organized chaos.

And so, obviously

everybody has contracts,

and there's, you

know, stanzas in place

where if things go left,

then you go to

arbitration in Switzerland

because Switzerland is neutral,

and all of these

things are in place.

A lot of times, the teams

know how to work around that.

So, for instance, like a country...

like a market like Greece,

they're infamous for not

paying their players.

They have outstanding debts

throughout the league.

Teams have that,

and myself included.

That was the first and only place

that I didn't get all of my money.

I went through a economic

crisis when I was in Greece.

You know, it got to a point,

uh, where you could only

take out 400 Euros a week,

you know, out of the bank.

You could swipe your

card as much as you want

but only 400 Euros a week.

My thing was, I get that the

Greek citizens, you know,

they can't take their money out

the bank and stuff like this

but for the players

that are over here,

like, between basketball,

football, all the sports

that aren't Greek citizens, we

should be able to take our money out

and send it back home.

And Greeks no... uh,

voted against it.

So, everybody kinda had to

leave their money in the banks.

You couldn't take it out.

Uh, and this went on for

probably like two years.

So. when you go to

arbitration, one, as a player,

you have to pay for

that out of your pocket.

That whole process. That

meeting, it's expensive, right?

And it... They can

draw it out, too.

The team can draw it out

and things like that.

And that's... In that same breath,

you're looking for your next contract.

So, what they bank on is the

players saying, "Hey, well..."

"Yeah, I know I'm owed this money,

but I have my next contract coming up

and they still might

not rule in my favor."

You know, that's...

that's the risk,

and that's the reality

for a lot of players.

So teams know that. And

there's really little recourse

that you have to get your money.

I've been in games where I've

been three for five from three...

...and I'm thinking to myself,

in the middle of a game,

"Alright, if I sh**t

above 50% this season,

I'll get more money next

year on my next contract,"

in the middle of the game. So

I'll turn down wide open shots.

I'm no longer

playing basketball,

I'm making business

decisions on the court.

Thank you.

Just kind of like packing up,

trying to get myself

organized, um, to pack up

as the, like, the season's

kinda coming to an end,

trying to figure out

how I'm gonna get all

this stuff back home,

and what I can kind of leave and

maybe give... give away here,

uh, and what I can

take back home.

It's kind of like a

bittersweet feeling

of knowing the season is ending

and I get to go home,

see my family, um...

but also knowing

that, like, basketball

is... is kinda coming

to an end for this year

is a little bit...

is a little bit sad,

but also very exciting

for me to go home.

'Cause you're... you're here

for majority of the year

and it gets tough.

Like, you... you spend a

lot of time by yourself

without seeing people that you

see on a day-to-day basis at home.

So this... it's kinda

exciting for me,

besides the stressful part of, uh,

just trying to pack and everything.

For my career, I

definitely have...

I definitely have some huge

decisions to make very soon.

The season ends, the regular

season ends in three weeks.

If we have playoffs, the season

ends in five to six weeks.

So, I'm pretty much getting to

the near... near the end of it,

and it's time to figure

out what my next steps are.

I don't really want

to stay idle too long.

I'm just gonna have to

talk to... to my agent,

gonna have to talk to

Mike, and see what...

see what the market is saying,

or what my... my new value

in the market would be

as a basketball player.

Will I come back to Australia

and play for the same team?

Will I play for a different

team in the same league?

Will I go to one of the

different NBL1 leagues,

like the south and

north in Australia?

Will I go to Europe,

South America?

I'm not sure if there's a country

that I can think of right now

that I definitely

wouldn't play in.

Um, I'd be open to...

to plenty of markets.

Um, I'm very adventurous.

So even if it's a... a

country that seems weird,

I feel like I'd end up

going to the country

just to see what it's like.

As I've gone

through this career,

getting to know some players

that played in the EuroLeague.

When I was, uh, training

earlier this year, for example,

I got... I got to train with

somebody named James Gist,

who's... who I heard played in

EuroLeague, which was pretty cool.

He was telling me

about his experiences,

and it's... it's just amazing to see

people live their life, you know?

I'm first generation in my

family doing something like this.

I never had somebody lay

out the blueprint for me.

Now I have the blueprint.

I feel like it would be a sin

to... waste the gift

that God blessed me with,

to not give back to the next

generation that's coming up.

To not teach the game, to

not help them understand,

you know, what this game

can really do for you.

And not just the game of basketball,

but how it correlates to life, you know?

Overseas basketball

is a grind,

but what he went through

to get to where he is now

in the NBL1 in Australia,

is beyond a grind.

Like, he was subjected to things

that most people

couldn't handle.

When people think of

professional basketball,

you don't equate it to struggle.

He truly had to

struggle and adjust

and... and change

his life, literally.

You know, when you see

him sitting here today

playing in the NBL1, what

he truly had to sacrifice

and go through just

to get to this point.

That's one of the biggest things I

want people to get from his story.

Even when... if I

retire from basketball,

I'm still gonna play, you know, you

still gonna see me playing everywhere.

That's just... I mean,

that sh*t, it's in me.

I don't... I don't have to get paid

necessarily to play basketball.

I ain't get paid

for a long time,

and I was playing that sh*t,

you know what I'm saying?

So, when I stop playing, uh,

professionally, who knows?

What I've learned

from my career

is that you don't know

what tomorrow's gonna bring

as far as a

professional athlete.

You don't know if

next season is when

you're gonna get your big...

big break and make the league.

You don't know if you're

gonna get a raise.

You don't know if you're

gonna get injured.

About Saudi Arabia, I'm

excited about the team

that I'm gonna be playing on,

but for me, I'm just thankful

overall that, you know,

I'll be turning 36 this year.

I'll be going into

my 13th season,

and I'm still able to do this.

So, that's how

I'm looking at it.

I'm just thankful that at 35

I can still do what I love

and still get signed and

play to do what I love.

So, I'm thankful.

I know a lot of guys get

discouraged off that,

like they need the

nice apartment,

they need the... the... the

nice car to drive, or whatever.

I'm just there to get the job

done, you know what I'm saying?

I'm there to get the job done,

be the best player I can be,

be the best teammate I can

be, the best person I can be.

And with the understanding

that... that that's not my home,

that my home is

here with my family.

I want to squeeze every bit of

juice I can out of my career.

So when I'm done, I

will never be like,

I could have done this,

I could have went harder.

Like, I'm real... I'm... I'm

trying to go as hard as I can

and live with whatever happens,

live with however my career played

out knowing that I did all I could.

That's why I go hard.

To go places and... and... and

shake hands and meet people

and then people are

like, "Yo, who are you?"

Like, "'Cause why is everybody

coming up to shaking your hand?"

And I'm like, I'm just, you know, just

a... just a overseas basketball player.

I've won four EuroLeague titles,

which I'm the only American in the

history of EuroLeague to do so.

People would say that

I'm the most decorated

or the most

accomplished American

in all of overseas basketball.

I still pinch myself, you

know, every single day.

To get respect from

your peers, you know,

means more than any accolade

or any individual accomplish...

or any, you know, team

accomplishment I can ever have.

If I need to go clear my

head, I'm going to the gym.

If, um, I'm upset,

I'm going to the gym.

If I'm happy... Like,

it doesn't matter.

That's just something

that... that just...

It's like my... my safe

space and my happy place.

So, um, I don't see myself

stopping anytime soon,

even though it is a

grind and it is tough.

I didn't know how

good she was gonna be,

but being able to be there

every step of the way

-and watch her evolve...

- Here we go!

...with the type of

basketball player she is now,

and even a sister, like, how

much growth I've seen in her,

it's amazing, really.

She can still go way

higher than she already is.

I'm like, "Hold up, overseas

ain't that bad" for one,

and two, like, you could

really come over here

and live like Kemba.

I'm sure he just got off the

plane the other day in Monaco,

and was he just like, "Damn, man,

I'm... it's better than Charlotte."

I mean, if you in the NBA, yes,

you are, but you in Monaco.

You talking about James Bond,

007, like you Formula One.

This is the dream.

We get paid to play basketball,

we get to travel the world.

I feel like chasing

this dream is worth it.

I remind myself

of that every day,

how far I've come in

a... a short time,

the experiences I've

gotten to travel the world,

experience cultures,

still playing competitive

basketball, it's worth it to me.

I went to Greece, and I

played there for seven years.

I played in an arena

that at one point had

30,000 people in there,

you know, for one of our

playoff games, 30,000,

and, you know, they're

all screaming my name.

"Gist, Gist, Gist, Gist, Gist."

Why would I give that

up... to go play in the NBA

and not be the main guy?

Why'd you think that

I bruck this weight?

Tagging it into

different shapes

Supply and demand,

I got deals all day

Really take trips

pulling up on estates

But I ain't seeing

not one familiar face

Feds in the rear,

fully gas, no brakes

I'm in a blacked-out

ding dong with no plates

I'm tryna see how

much bread I can make

Why'd you think that

I bruck this weight?

Tagging it into

different shapes

Supply and demand,

I got deals all day

Really take trips

pulling up on estates

But I ain't seeing

not one familiar face

Feds in the rear,

fully gas, no brakes

I'm in a blacked-out

ding dong with no plates

Dots came long,

chopped it shorter

Numb to the fact death's

around the corner

Masked up, creeping

around like a stalker

Tryna put somebody's

son on my bora

Six shot spin parked off

and it's greased down

Weak in the knees now

he's seen this, yeah

Slap more than one, I

ain't inna no beat down

This ain't tables,

ladders and chairs

I'm tryna better

my circumst...

Uh, playing with the

Maryland Flames, um, my team.

And then, this is also another

poster with just our team.

So, it's cool to just look

back at stuff like this

when I come home,

um, and just, like,

just take it in

and realize like

how... where I started

and where I'm at now is crazy.