You can do anything if you put your mind to it, just ask 26-year-old Jonathon Simmons. “It wasn’t a smooth process, but I think just the love for the game helped me get through it,” Simmons told Business Insider.
His journey to the NBA was not the usual one. Simmons attended two junior colleges before attending the University of Houston and declaring for the NBA draft early. He went undrafted in 2012, and instead of going to the D-League or playing overseas like other players who go undrafted, he opted for the American Basketball League (ABL). Simmons admits that he didn’t know his options and just ended up at the ABL because it was in his city (Houston). “I didn’t even know much about the D-League,” Simmons said. “I didn’t understand how it worked and I just didn’t really pay attention to it at all until it was in front of me.”
Simmons gave the ABL a year, averaging 36-points a game, before nearly giving up on his hoop dreams. “I almost quit after that. I was like, ‘This can’t be what basketball is about.'” In 2013 however, he was invited to try out for the San Antonio Spurs’ D-League affiliate, the Austin Spurs. Unlike NBA players who go back and forth from the D-League or those who go straight to the D-League after not being drafted, Simmons had to try out with 60 other hopefuls, paying a $150 registration fee to prove his position on the court. Simmons did well, earning his spot on the Austin Spurs team.
He averaged 10 points per game in his first season, catching the eyes of his coaches and Spurs management. “I mean, it’s tough because there’s guys out there that just really look to go get a shot and don’t pass the ball,” Simmons said. “I just got lucky because I played in the Spurs organization, so we have a reputation for passing the ball and making the teams better than the individual.”
D-League isn’t all it’s cracked up to be either. While NBA Players bring in millions a season, D-League salaries can average $13,000 to $25,000 a year. It’s not easy to live off this income but Simmons says with the right support, he was able to make it through. “I just strictly played basketball and was fortunate to have people around me that helped me,” he said.
His dedication to the sport he loved paid off in 2015, when he was on the Brooklyn Nets team bus, preparing for a Summer League game in Orlando, and received a call to join the Spurs’ Summer League. Simmons did so well on the Summer League team that he earned a spot on the Spurs official team. With that spot he earned a two-year, $1.4 million contract. A far cry from the $150 investment he put up just years before.
Continue to read more about Simmons’ story on Business Insider.
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