Gian Clavell started playing basketball when he was just three years old. For this Mayagüez, Puerto Rico native, there were distinctive skills and unique abilities he recognized within himself at a young age when it came to the sport. It was something about the speed of the game and its competitive nature that quickly peaked his interest. As he began immersing himself in the game—competing against older kids, enrolling in advanced basketball teams, watching the NBA All-Star game, and envisioning himself on that stage year after year—, Gian solidified his interest in one day playing at the highest level. Throughout his time in college, at Northwest Kansas and Colorado State University, Gian elevated his basketball IQ, strengthened his skills on the court, and worked unceasingly towards his dream of playing in the NBA. Despite going undrafted upon graduation in the 2017 NBA Draft, he continued to work for the opportunity to step on an NBA floor and set out on his professional basketball career. Sure enough, he did just that. In the summer of 2017, Gian joined the Miami Heat during Summer League and later signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He had done it. He had achieved his dreams of playing in the NBA.
Despite being waived by the Mavericks later on in the season, Gian was devoted to continue building his professional basketball career and living out his childhood dreams of playing the sport at the highest level. From Spain to Turkey to Greece to Ukraine, Gian has played in an array of countries throughout his professional career and fostered an incredible personal legacy in the sport. Along with this, he has also represented and played for his home country of Puerto Rico—joining the Cangrejeros de Santurce team in the BSN as well as playing for Puerto Rico's national team. Besides his impact on the floor, Gian has also begun to explore his passions beyond the game in real estate, community service, and mentorship. As he continues to work to become the best version of himself on and off the court, there is one thing that remains at the forefront of his endeavors: his mission to inspire the next generation to go after their dreams fearlessly. Oftentimes reflecting on a journey that started with an interest in basketball at three years old in Caguas, Puerto Rico—and one that has since flourished into an unforgettable ride that has taken him to over 30 countries, allowed him to provide for his family, and live out his dreams on a daily basis—, Gian is not planning on slowing down anytime soon...FROM PUERTO RICO TO THE WORLD!
After your journey in the NBA, you started your career abroad and have played in Turkey, Greece, Ukraine, and now you are in Latvia. Tell us about your experiences playing abroad, how was that transition like for you?
It was hard, you know? It was difficult because at that time I had my two dogs and I had never been separated from them, so I had to separate from them at that moment because I wanted to continue my professional career. That hurt me a lot, that was one of the great sacrifices I made and in the end I had to leave my dogs with my parents and sign in Turkey—at Sakarya BB. We played against Fenerbahçe, which was the best team in Turkey. The next year I tried to do it again in the NBA, but I didn't have much time because (of) the national team—we were qualifying for the World Cup. I decided to go to the national team, practice, play the games, and just arrive to play with Golden State. I think that also didn't help me, you know? Then I went to Spain, my second year was in Spain. I think that Spain is the best league in Europe—domestically it is the best league—I learned a lot, my game changed a lot there. I played with great players like Omar Cook, Nik Caner-Medley, Alessandro Gentile, they were on my team. After that year, I went to Bursaspor in Turkey again.
I came back to Turkey and that's when COVID happened. I was having my best professional year, I was putting up almost 20 points per game, and we were seventh in the Turkish League, which is very good. COVID happened, so we stopped playing and I signed my next contract in October or November if I'm not mistaken. I signed in Russia, in the VTB which is also considered one of the best leagues in Europe. I did well that year, I did super well; I finished that year in Russia, and then the Promitheas team from Greece wanted me for the playoffs. So I went to them to play the playoffs and it went super well for me, you know? My first game was against Panathinaikos—the best team in Greece—for the cup final. I played super well but we lost, and after that I ended up in Ukraine. I had a spectacular year in Ukraine and I hurt my knee, my meniscus. After that, I ended up here in this team—a Ukraine team but in Latvia. Here we are playing the Eurocup, which is the second best international league. It is a very good league, highly respected, and it is the league of Latvia combined with Estonia.
Reflecting back on the differences in playing between Europe, the United States, Latin America or Puerto Rico, if you could describe the differences in the game to someone, how would you describe it?
Wow, in European basketball you play as a team—they play very much as a team. Some coaches like to play fast, some don't. In their half-court game you have to learn to move without the ball, you have to learn to play without the ball. If you have always been a star on your team, you have to learn to play without the ball, to make good decisions, and not to take bad shots. I love the European game because it has taught me a lot about basketball, you know? To play basketball for real. In the U.S., the game is very much one-on-one. You already see it in the NBA; what you literally see is a pick-and-roll in the middle and one-on-one. That is the sad thing that is happening, because here the European game continues to grow every time—the Euroleague, the Eurocup, the Champions League. They are leagues that have great teams, that have great players. For example, in the Champions League, you have Errick McCollum—CJ McCollum's brother—and he's a great player, he's an exceptional player, he's a very good player. And if I can mention, he has 30,000 assists. Mike James playing for Monaco. D.J. Kennedy who plays with me here on my team. And I'm going to miss (the names of) a lot of them because there are a lot of players who could be in the NBA, you know? I can include myself in that sense. There are a lot of very good players who are not given the opportunity in the NBA. So I think that the difference between the NBA and Europe is the style of play—it's a more disciplined game than the American one.
You have played several seasons in Europe. What are some lessons or key takeaways that you have learned and would you share with someone who wants to play abroad as well?
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