FREELANCE SPORTS COPYWRITER MELBOURNE

The NBA's Global Talent Search: From Africa to Australia

I wrote this article in partnership with the NBA to document their search for the next international champion. Head of global talent Chris Ebersole was kind enough to fill me in on the details. The league has tapped into recruits including Toni Kukoc, Enes Kanter, Marc Gasol and Joel Embiid. It was also interesting to discover who Ebersole’s favourite player is, what they look for in recruits and how committed they are to giving any person an opportunity. 

“Sport is a human pursuit. The quest for athletic mastery slices through border, regime and financial status. Whether post-soviet parish or emerging megalopolis; talent should be the only obstacle to ballin’. If you’re good, you’re good; no matter where you live. The NBA understands this. Their vast network trains and discovers hoopers from 100+ countries. With eyes on Africa, Asia and Australia, they want to reach every player, in every corner of the map. 

When the talent pool widens, the NBA only gets better. Imagine the court-pummelling contest of a league that fully scours the globe. Bol Bol and Nikola Jokić are just the beginning. There’s a trove of extraordinary swagger and strategy waiting to add horsepower to an already kinetic league. 

Far from an imperialistic crusade; the NBA’s offshore activity is people-first. They pour considerable resources into altering lives off-court. Going pro is merely a potential destination on the express-lane to upskilling mentally, emotionally and physically. NBA camps have reached more than 3000 participants, they also build facilities and support impoverished communities.

With a towering occupational title like “Senior Director of International Basketball Operations and Elite Basketball,” Chris Ebersole knows hoops. He commands a squad which consults in every major league and demographic you can think of. 

Like asking a cobbler about shoes or a cop about crime, when you speak to the head of the world’s leading basketball network, you have to ask: What makes a player good enough for the NBA?” 

Full article here

Latest Basketball Article - An Interview with a Jordanian MVP

This piece is the first in an ongoing series I pitched to tell the story of the NBA’s global influence. With help from FIBA Asia, I spoke to Jordanian basketballer Mahmoud Abdeen.

Just like every other kid in the world, Abdeen practiced Allen Iverson’s famous crossover in his backyard and stayed awake far past his bedtime so he could catch NBA games in a Middle Eastern timezone. Mahmoud is a perfect example of the globalization of a formerly American sport and he’s now using his own unique career to change the face of sports locally.

“The bustling metropolis of Amman sits within Jordan’s sun-scorched hillside. Pharaoh Ptolemy II dubbed the region “Philadelphus” after his own alias. A millennium and multiple dynasties later; a stateside settler recycled the title for a Pennsylvanian colony. He christened the future home of The 76ers; “Philadelphia,” due to its translated meaning “brotherly love.” 

Amman’s basketball ruler Mahmoud Abdeen continues the historic exchange. The MVP of Jordan’s premier league, Abdeen forged his gameplay on Philadelphia royalty. His signature crossover into step-back three was defined by hours of mimicking durag don A.I.

“[As a kid] I remember I was watching Allen Iverson,” Abdeen recalls. “I [would] go to my garden and I was trying to make his move. I had a video of him crossing over, stepping back, like repeating the shot again and again.”  

Trained via NBA highlight reel, Mahmoud’s heat-seeking jumper is a crack-shot. A hardwood sniper, the 32-year-old Jordanian meditates to the sound of swishes. He repped Jordan in the FIBA world cup twice and proudly carries the nation on his back.”

Full piece published here.