Some American players NBA or not come overseas and have an incredible career that will give them memories that will last a lifetime. Playing in top leagues, earning great money and seeing different cultures overseas something that many of their peers back home can only dream about. Then again there are other Americans playing in second and third divisions overseas who are making a lot less money than guys in the Euroleague and Eurocup, but also are living the dream and witnessing many kinds of various cultures and always continuing to try to move up the ladder. Then again there are guys who are very very far away from where these type of guys are competing at playing in the real lower leagues. One of these guys is Ivan Vernon (183-PG) who has been overseas for years, but is balling in the German Oberliga which is the sixth division. This league is as far away from the Euroleague as is Juco from the NBA. But then again some Juco guys like Chris Boucher or Jae Crowder were able to defy all odds and reached the ultimate top to the NBA, but it is very very rare. Ivan Vernon is playing in a league where the pay check is as thin as the Mcdonalds French Fries that are always at the bottom. Most guys would have gone back home and sought a real 9-5 job, but he has kept grinding overseas and made the ultimate best out of his situation. He has a side job, has seen many different countries and plays the game that he loves. ‘Everybody story is different. I have learned to have gratitude and I appreciate being able to have ANY opportunity because I moved up 3 times from Landesliga (rookie year), then to Oberliga, then to Regionalliga. Covid shut down my biggest opportunity to keep moving up then after Covid is when I had surgery on both of my Feet so I was down for 2-3 years. So now the grind is back alive now that I am back healthy and getting stronger’, warned Ivan Vernon.

Rome

Ivan Vernon who lists Ja Morant and PJ Dozier as the toughest players that he ever faced on a court was born on May 8th, 1991 in Gaffney, South Carolina. He already had a big disadvantage in those days in that he never went the NCAA route. Back in those days, guys that played in lower divisions like NAIA or JUCO had a harder road to get overseas than now. Back then there were guys that made it, but the chances were very low. He actually had very minimal college experience at Johnson C Smith, but his stay was very short. He got cut early, because he broke his hand while playing pick up basketball. But sometimes one is lucky and an opportunity comes and for him it was having a once in a lifetime chance to play with the Harlem Globetrotters in the Hoops and Dreams Unity game held at Carver High School in Selma, Alabama. ‘That was one of a kind! I was signing autographs and was able to team up with some of the globetrotter legends! They taught me how to spin the ball on all of my fingers’, smiled Ivan Vernon. He still had nothing after that great experience with no school so he decided to go pro and grind in the semi pro leagues in the States. That is a real shark tank where you have guys coming from everywhere playing for stats to get discovered. He played 2 seasons in the ECBL with Columbia and South Carolina. ‘It’s really tough! Where I grew up in Gaffney, SC, there were very big names and a lot of competition. So I basically had to figure out where to leave my mark and show I can actually play. But every year it seemed as if the league and players and teams got better and stronger’, remembered Ivan Vernon.

Egypt

The overseas baller who lists LJ Peak, AZ Reid, Donald Sims, Detrek Browning and the The Beans (my old team I used to run Columbia, SC with everyday) as his best teammates of all-time didn’t give up and continued to search for other ways to continue his pro career. One can only play so long in the semi pro leagues in the States. He had heard about guys going overseas to play so why not him? By chance he heard of an opportunity to play at a showcase in Germany. At that time, Ron Howard was still pretty unknown, but over the years became the man that helped guys get jobs overseas with his Howard Hoops showcases. He then got his first gig with EOSC Offenbach (Germany-Oberliga) where Howard was also the coach. Ron Howard gave him his first break. ‘Ron is a special guy to me. He set me up to be able to take this challenge head on because my process and recruitment was different from most pro athletes He is the God father of helping guys come overseas and get jobs. He helped me most by giving me the game and answers as raw as they came. He let me know my grind was very difficult but brought a lot of joy into my life doing what I love to do’, warned Ivan Vernon. He soon found his calling overseas by playing with TS 1856 Frankfurt-Griesheim (Germany-Oberliga) for a long time. Has Germany become like a second home and could he become a TS 1856 Frankfurt-Griesheim lifer? ‘Germany definitely has become like a second home. I have met people and connected with many people like they are my family in Germany. Griesheim is the family I speak of! Of course my grind is to put myself in a better situation at all times but having that family feel from Griesheim would be tough to leave but if it’s worth it. I will take my talents elsewhere’, commented Ivan Vernon.

Prague

The Athletic guard who lists Kobe Bryant Michael Jordan Steph Curry Lebron James on his NBA Mount Rushmore and Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo on his Euro Mount Rushmore is a 183cm point guard that compares his game to Mr triple double and fill up the stat sheet Russell Westbrook, but not the new one. ‘I would have to say the old Westbrook! Super explosive and aggressive’, said Ivan Vernon. He is a player that can also be classified as a 2 way player. ‘From the offense to defense. I am very effective when my feet are on the court! My athleticism in my game is very big! Defense wins the games and that’s what I love to be praised for the most’, stated Ivan Vernon. When your athletic, it is only logical that knowing how to dunk can’t be absent in his game, but his biggest 2 strengths in his game are things that every winning squad needs. ‘My favorite dunker was my favorite player Kobe Bryant! My biggest strength would have to be making my team better and shutting down my opponent on defense’, warned Ivan Vernon. He has had injuries in his career and he knows that if he still wants to play for some years, there is one area that he needs to get back again. ‘Since my surgeries I am working on my explosiveness! I’m getting older so my recovery was slow so that made me slower so now I am focused on my agility’, added Ivan Vernon.

The Mr fill up the stat sheet who lists Kobe Bryant as his Goat and feels that the classic Coming To America movie with legendary actor Eddie Murphy should have been left alone is one American who has definitely taken full advantage of the different cultures overseas. Some players are totally focused on their game and will be tacked up in their apartments and play play station all day while others like Vernon will see something of the world. He loves to explore Europe. ‘Seeing new things is very important. It’s also important to learn different cultures, it opens your mind up tremendously and shows you how things work on the other side of the world. It makes you learn to appreciate life from different perspectives’, expressed Ivan Vernon. He has found full enjoyment to producing great videos of the sites overseas on You Tube. Is this something that has given added income? ‘Actually I have gotten paid to record and take pics for families and events, but I am also building a Brand with traveling the world that I hope one day is big enough to bring bigger financial opportunities to me’, stressed Ivan Vernon. When I was in Italy in 2010, I met ex NBA player Jeff Trapagnier in Verona. Ok so his Iowa G-League pull over gave it away, but apparenttly it’s no fluke that NBA guys like checking out Italy. Imagine meeting Dwayne Wade on the street in Rome? That is exactly what happened to him at the Trevi fountain. ‘That was amazing! Dwayne was very cool and yes we talked for a bit he asked me what I was doing in Rome and I told him I play basketball in Germany and I am a Traveler on the side building my travel channel and he told me how cool it was and he wished me success and he asked to take a photo with ME! Which showed me a side of him I never knew existed’, remembered Ivan Vernon. He also found a big liking to German town Bacharach, but nothing beats Frankfurt as that is his favorite place. ‘Bacharach is a one of a kind place in Germany. Very beautiful and very small. I was able to get the whole town to fit in one drone shot lol. It is a very nice place and very nice people and shocking to me, not many Germans know about Bacharach. Honestly since Living in Frankfurt so long, I have to say Frankfurt gives you a taste of everything you could be looking for’, stated Ivan Vernon. So much longer does he still want to live the dream overseas. ‘I am 34 now and I Plan to play until I am 40 but I will continue with my Engineering Career and hopefully my Travel brand is big enough that I can travel the world for my career’, stressed Ivan Vernon. He may not have made the big bucks overseas, but his lifestyle is something that he got used to rapidly and fell in love with. The most important thing in life is to be happy. He recently became a dad as his life continues to move forward. Money isn’t everything in life.