The 77th NBA season gets underway on October 18, but it will be a first for 19-year-old Jeremy Sochan, who is flying the flag for Great Britain.
Sochan became the first British player in almost two decades to be drafted as a top ten pick in the NBA, with the youngster being picked up by San Antonio Spurs on a rookie-scale contract. However, it's been far from the conventional route into the NBA, as Sochan grew up playing in Southampton and Milton Keynes before heading back to America for high school and college.
The 19-year-old chose to represent Poland and follow in his mothers footsteps, and in doing so became the youngest player ever to do so. But Sochan exclusively told Mirror Sport that it's his upbringing in the UK that's helped shape his career, and feels as though it could give him an added edge as he prepares for his debut season.
Sochan's mother Aneta was a Polish basketball player for Polonia Warsaw, but relocated to America to study. It was there where she met Sochan's father, Ryan, and they soon moved to England after he was born.
It was his parents that helped him grow to love basketball, and Sochan decided to focus his attention on the sport from a young age. It wasn't easy trying to make it big in the UK, but Sochan travelled around the country to play and always believed in himself despite the odds being against him.
"My parents always used to play basketball, so they knew quite a lot of different people in Southampton and Milton Keynes so I just fell in love with it," Sochan told Mirror Sport . "I also played football actually, so it was hard as in school that's what I was playing but after school club basketball I'd do it in the afternoon and the evening.
"It just started from there, started travelling around England to play and it was awesome, it soon fell into place from there. It was around the age of 12 or 13 that I decided to only play basketball as it was conflicting, and that's when I knew that's what I wanted to do."
In a country that's mostly dominated by football, Sochan revealed that people didn't understand why he stuck with basketball. There have only been a handful of players to make it to the NBA from the UK, but Sochan was determined to stand out from the crowd.
"It was difficult," he added. "Some people didn't get it as it's unheard of for people to get out there into the NBA, but I always had that mentality that if I want it I can do it."
Sochan may not have experienced a typical early career, but his travels have seen him play in America, Poland, England and even Germany before the age of 19. Sochan has already been used to adapting to different types of games, and has gained valuable experience that will help him during his debut NBA season.
"I have experience all over the place and have been able to adapt to all different styles of games," Sochan continued. "For me I'll be able to adapt to different challenges and different circumstances easier."
Sochan has been handed the no.10 jersey for the Spurs, and at 6'9 he will certainly not be bullied about by the older stars. And the power forward is certainly not short of confidence, after starring on his international debut for Poland. In just 29 minutes of play for the national side, he scored 18 points, and even produced a game-deciding block during the final stages.
There may not be many better coaches for Sochan than the legendary Gregg Popovich, who has been at the side since 1996. Popovich has led San Antonio to five NBA Championships, the last of which was in 2014. Sochan will be hoping for a first start in his debut season, and as the only active NBA player from either Britain or Poland he will certainly be well backed.
Jeremy spoke from the San Antonio Spurs Media Day ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season. Fans in the UK can watch the NBA live on Sky Sports and get unparalleled access to NBA action with NBA League Pass.
