Former Boston Celtic big man Jared Sullinger has fallen in love with the game again, and hopes to find a place in the league he left the Toronto Raptors in 2017.
Waived by the Phoenix Suns after being dealt there as deadweight salary, the former 23rd overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft left the league for the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), where he rediscovered his love for the game.
As can happen with so much of life, the business of earning a living got away with his passion, and when your passion is your work, it’s not an uncommon outcome.
I talked with Jared Sullinger @Jared_Sully0 about his #Celtics days, coaching in the TBT, fatherhood and a possible NBA return.
Boston Globe Sunday NBA Notes:https://t.co/AlWpl9FGMR via @BostonGlobe— gary washburn (@GwashburnGlobe) July 5, 2020
“I want to play and, of course, the NBA is the ultimate goal,” said Sullinger via the Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn.
“The last two years I just felt like I had to find myself. I had to find something that drives me and makes me want to play. In the NBA, you kind of get lost in the shuffle because you have so many games, and when I got out there in [the CBA] it was kind of a retreat for Jared Sullinger to learn himself and fall in love with the game again.”
The ex-Celtic center has since married and had twins after weight trouble and injury ended his first stint in the NBA, believing his experience in China that shifted his attitude back to a healthy engagement with basketball.
Never forget. Life changing moment 🙌🏾 https://t.co/bjoDMRZPJ6
— Jared Sullinger Sr. (@Jared_Sully0) June 28, 2020
“Things happened real fast,” he explained. “Being in China helped me find of the passion of why I’m playing basketball.”
“I thought to myself, if I’m not ready [for an NBA return] let me go find a place where I can get ready,” he said. “I’m completely healthy. I feel good. The ultimate goal is the NBA. I’m trying to give it one more shot. Sometimes it’s a yes, sometimes it’s a no. No hard feelings. If they don’t want me I’m going to have to make a business decision and go elsewhere.”
After averaging 29.5 points, 15.7 rebounds and 3.9 rebounds per contest with the Shenzhen Leopards over the last two seasons, it’s clear the Ohio State product has found his touch again in the game he cares so much for.
And while there’s no guarantee that Sullinger will find his way back to the NBA — especially with Summer Leagues canceled — the former Boston big man remains hopeful while looking back on his opportunities in the league fondly.
“If you look back, [the Celtics] gave me four years of being in the NBA, and regardless of the situation there’s a lot of people that never got a chance to play in the NBA,” he explained.
“For me, to be one of the staple guys for four years for the Boston Celtics, one of the most storied franchises of all time and being somebody that’s important on that team, if I said I had a bad time then I’d be lying. I had a great time playing in Boston.”
“It was amazing,” he added. “A dream come true.”
Hopefully, the dream hasn’t ended for Sully just yet.
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