Jalen Adaway’s basketball journey has taken him around the globe.
He’s now again in the USA after signing on Sunday with the San Diego Clippers – the G League affiliate of the NBA Los Angeles Clippers.
As Adaway explains, he’s blissful to be again in his dwelling nation enjoying skilled basketball.
“I at all times thought I needed to play right here in the USA and I needed to get to the NBA,” he mentioned. “Having to go overseas for a yr was undoubtedly an expertise and I really feel like I received essentially the most out of it. However being again right here now feels good.
After a standout school profession at St. Bonaventure, the 2017 Indiana All-Star from Logansport performed within the NBA Summer time League for the Miami Warmth in 2022.
He then joined the Austin Spurs, the G League affiliate of the San Antonio Spurs. He performed in 11 video games with the crew, averaging 5.7 factors in 21 minutes per sport in the course of the 2022-23 season.
Since leaving Spurs, he has performed professionally in Slovakia, Canada and Mexico.
It has been a whirlwind expertise for Adaway enjoying basketball in three completely different nations. He did not have a lot of an offseason throughout that point.
“Arriving in Slovakia final season, it was undoubtedly a tradition shock after I received there,” he mentioned. “Being in a spot the place nobody actually speaks English and having to take out my cellphone and use Google Translate in every single place I went to purchase groceries or order meals and simply talk with individuals generally, it was actually attention-grabbing . Humorous at instances, however I am grateful for that have there. After successful that championship in Slovakia, I got here again the subsequent morning after we received, flew to Chicago, met my grandparents, after which the subsequent morning I flew to satisfy my crew Canadian in Winnipeg. So I spent possibly lower than 12 hours in the USA between Slovakia and the Canadian League. I went there and performed till mid-August. So I used to be in a foreign country for nearly a yr and a half, one thing like that. Even after that, I went dwelling for 3 weeks after which went to play in Mexico.
“I went to play in Mexico from mid-September to the top of November, so I used to be away for fairly a very long time. I have been away from my household, away from my son and all that. It will get to you generally and eats at you slightly, however I do know what my finish aim was. To be right here, signed in San Diego now, it’s wonderful and I’m undoubtedly going to capitalize on this chance.
Adaway’s son, Draven, 7, lives in Logansport and attends Fairview Elementary College.
Now 26, Adaway mentioned he has continued to enhance his sport since being chosen to the All-Atlantic 10 first crew throughout his senior season at St. Bonaventure in 2022.
“I have been fairly locked in and attempting to execute my plan, to come back again right here to the USA and simply proceed this journey to get to the NBA,” he mentioned. “I really feel like my first yr with the Spurs, I used to be doing nice issues whereas I used to be there and I clearly stubbed my toe. Nevertheless it was a studying lesson and issues occur, you simply should develop from it.
“I didn’t actually have an offseason. I discovered time to relaxation after I wanted it, however I did not actually really feel the necessity to utterly step away from basketball for an prolonged time frame.
He mentioned he expanded his sport by enjoying in several skilled leagues. He mentioned he’s now a 6-foot-5 combo guard who can do some little bit of all the things on the courtroom.
“Simply with the ability to accomplish a few of the issues that I really feel like I’ve on the sphere, that simply comes from simply being a health club rat,” he mentioned. “If it would not be lifelike for me to come back again right here and take this path to attempt to get to the NBA, if I did not actually consider in myself and my work ethic, after seeing the development in my sport general, I’ve undoubtedly seen myself enhance.
“Final yr I used to be requested to be level guard and I had by no means performed level guard, so I generally play level guard. As a result of each of our level guards had been injured in Slovakia, so the ball is in my arms and now I am making all types of reads. I am controlling the move of the sport and simply beginning the offense. I feel it is little issues like that that actually helped my sport elevate final yr. then I discover myself in one other state of affairs the place they want me to be a lockdown defender in the summertime and the ball is not in my arms as a lot I am blocking the opposite crew’s finest participant and simply pulling down my open pictures. wanting to mix all these various things collectively, it actually improved my sport rather a lot.”
