The globe trotter
Ra’Shad James’ remarkable basketball odyssey has taken him from the gyms of White Plains around the world, from South Korea to points across Europe to Morocco. Now 32, a veteran among younger hopefuls in the G League, he’s still chasing his dream of reaching the NBA — and showing no signs of slowing down.
“What keeps you going?”
Ra’Shad James is seated at the podium inside Protective Stadium’s press conference room, fielding questions from a handful of local reporters. It is November 1, 2021 — media day for the Birmingham Squadron, a new NBA G League organization affiliated with the New Orleans Pelicans. The event marks the official start of the season. For James, a journeyman guard originally from New York, it is Year 9 of his extraordinary professional career.
So, what keeps him going?
“The love,” he says. “The love for the game. If I wake up one morning and I don’t want to go to practice, or I don’t want to work out on my own, I think that’s when it’s time to hang it up. But I’m not waking up [like that], my back’s not hurting, my knees are good. So yeah, I got a lot left in the tank.”
