THE GAP BETWEEN SEASONS AND WHAT ATHLETES ARE DOING WITH IT

Let’s just call it what it is. July is awkward as hell.

You’re not in season, nor are you signed. You’re home, technically on a break, but there’s no actual relaxing happening.

Some athletes are in the gym every day like they never left. Some are traveling. Some are sleeping in. Some are spiraling quietly while pretending everything’s all good.

The offseason is weird like that. One guy might be grinding like he’s got a camp invite tomorrow. Another might not have touched a ball since his plane landed. Both of them could sign a contract next week. Or neither. You never know.

This part of the year exposes your mindset. If you’ve got structure, people around you, and some goals, it’s manageable. If you don’t, it fucking sucks.

I’ve had both.

SOME YEARS I CAME HOME MOTIVATED

The season ended and I was ready to go. I felt strong and confident and was ready to level up.

I was doing three-a-days and watching my old game film. I was trying to fix whatever held me back. Some years it was my shot, other years it was body comp or mobility. I had stuff to work on, and I actually wanted to work on it. I was extremely locked in because I believed I was on the verge of something. But not every summer was like that.

SOME YEARS I CAME HOME BURNT OUT

I didn’t want to train or talk to my agent. I’d sit at home for a few weeks feeling stuck.

Everything that made the overseas life hard would pile up in my head. The travel sucked. The food was hit or miss. The money wasn’t always there when it was supposed to be. Some games I flat-out played like shit. And the second the season ended, the contact stopped. You go from being important to forgotten real quick. 

The contract stuff was broken too. You never know when or if the next deal is coming. You don’t want to bug your agent every day, but you also can’t stop checking your phone. 

And unfortunately, the offers start getting worse. The money drops and the teams get younger. Your name doesn’t carry the same weight anymore. You’re not old, but your body doesn’t bounce back the way it used to. You try to stay in shape, but you’re rehabbing more than training. You keep going, but the grind starts to feel heavier. You’re supposed to be ready, but you don’t even know what ready is anymore.

That’s when the mental part of this career gets really real. And for me, the lowest point came when I was hurt.

THE YEAR I GOT INVITED TO A SIXERS TRYOUT

It was 2009. I had no cartilage left in my knee…just straight bone on bone. I already had surgery and was trying to get by with what I had left.

I didn’t tell my agent how bad it was. I thought maybe I could fake my way through another year or two. I thought if I could just train around the pain, I’d be alright. But the pain held me back.

Then I got a call…The Sixers wanted me to come in.

This was four years after I left the D-League. I had already believed the NBA dream was over.

But now here it was again.

I wasn’t healthy. I wasn’t in shape. I hadn’t trained like I normally would. But I couldn’t say no.

So I went.

AND THEN REGGIE EVANS DESTROYED ME

I detailed it in Overseas Famous, but here’s the short version…Reggie Evans embarrassed me.

He played hard. He played physical and exposed the fact that I wasn’t healthy or in shape. I couldn’t move like I used to. I just wasn’t myself and I had only myself to blame. 

It was extremely humbling and extremely painful, both physically and mentally. But that moment taught me something that I still come back to every summer.

THE WINDOW DOESN’T CLOSE THE WAY YOU THINK IT DOES

I never thought the NBA would come calling again. Not after the knee and after the overseas route. But it did, four years and one surgery later.

It wasn’t the movie ending I had hoped. I didn’t make the team. But it reminded me how quickly things can shift.

You might feel like nobody is watching. Then somebody calls.

You might think your career is slowing down. Then a team loses a big and you’re on a flight the next day.

You might feel like all the training and waiting isn’t worth it. Then it is.

SO WHAT ARE YOU DOING RIGHT NOW?

Are you resting or are you grinding? Are you searching for the next deal or are  you thinking about quitting?

All of that is fine. You just need to be honest about it.

What doesn’t work is acting like everything’s great when it’s not. Or isolating yourself. Or wasting the summer thinking it doesn’t matter…because it does.

This is the time when opportunities pop up for the guys who stayed ready. Or at least didn’t disappear.

IF YOU’RE HOME AND YOU’RE FEELING LOST

That’s normal…but don’t sit in it too long. Get connected. Share where you’re at. Ask for advice. Talk through it.

The whole point of our platform is to make sure athletes don’t go through this part of the year alone.

You’re not the only one trying to figure it out.

Cheers,
Kevin Owens

Founder, OverseasX
Author, Overseas Famous