Top 3 Lessons Learned From Overseas Hoops - Blog #49

Hey, I am going to do this blog a little bit different. To be honest, I did not do a whole lot off the court this week, plus my back flared up again (we are on a 3-game win streak!), so I don't really feel like doing the normal blog this week. As you can tell by the title, I am going to write about my top 3 lessons learned over the last 1.5 years. These will not be leadership lessons, but general lessons I would give to someone who is about start their pro career overseas. A little bit shorter of a blog, but it should be a good one. Enjoy!

1. Have an off-the-court hobby: Keeping your brain working on some type of activity has been really nice for me. Shoutout to all of you for reading the blogs and keeping my brain working. But seriously, doing something small like this has been important to me. It has given me a sense of responsibility and has helped me to practice getting my thoughts, sometimes trivial ones, articulated in a hopefully enjoyable way. I have also read more than I ever have (12 books in 2025, no big deal) and started to learn German this year. That has been pretty difficult to be honest, but I have still enjoyed it. I have more free time now than I probably will have for the rest of my life when I am done playing basketball, so I have really like taking advantage of this time. I have had some teammates who are just gym, apartment, video games, etc. I am happy that I have a bit healthier lifestyle.

2. Immerse as much as you can in the culture: This is something I am really proud of myself for, and definitely do a better job at this than all of the Americans I have played with. Last year, I learned some Dutch and have even learned some Polish this year. I am good at asking my domestic teammates, physios, and coaches about different cultural differences or historical instances in my two years abroad. I have learned a decent amount about European history and have also enjoyed the different holidays here. King's Day in Amsterdam is awesome. The 3rd of October in Leiden is great. Christmas Eve in Poland was unique and sweet. This blog has made me much more observant when it comes to cultural differences, and I feel like I have learned a lot that way.

3. Having someone outside of basketball: I am not writing this to kiss up to Nikki, but having her throughout this experience has been nothing short of amazing. It has been difficult at times, do not get me wrong, but having someone to lean on, who is in the same time zone, has been amazing. The best part of having Nikki here with me is that she doesn't really care about my basketball performance. Of course, she wants me to do well, but at the end of the day, it does not really matter to her. She treats me the same, win or loss. Having her is an amazing detox from the roller coaster that is professional basketball. Now, this doesn't have to be a significant other. A parent, friend, or ex-teammate who is also playing overseas could work too. The latter is nice to have because they can relate to your experiences and situation. Shared experience is a great way to bond, and it has been nice for me to keep up with some of my old teammates who are overseas.

Thanks for reading!