Global journeys lead White home
Ex-prep star finds stage in Vegas
Home has been a subjective term to the former Green Valley High School and San Diego State star basketball player, who is playing for the San Diego Guardians of The Basketball League after a decade spent playing around the globe.
Billy White is playing basketball at home for the first time in a decade.
It’s a statement that could apply to the city he grew up in or the one where he made a name for himself as a collegiate standout. It also could apply to playing in the United States.
Home has been a subjective term to the former Green Valley High School and San Diego State star basketball player, who is playing for the San Diego Guardians of The Basketball League after a decade spent playing around the globe.
“It’s been an amazing career,” he said after posting 22 points and seven rebounds in a loss to the Vegas Ballers this month. “I love traveling, and God has truly blessed me to be able to do that.
“Of course, I’d love to have had the chance to play in the NBA. I still would. But one thing I love about my path is the opportunity to meet so many different people and experience so many different cultures.”
White and the Guardians return to play the Vegas Ballers in a matchup of the top two teams in the West Division at 3:15 p.m. Friday at Tarkanian Basketball Academy.
It’s the latest stop on a basketball journey that has taken White, 32, around the world after four years with the Aztecs when he often tormented UNLV when the Mountain West rivalry was heating up.
He had dreams of playing in the NBA but started his professional career with Iowa in the G League.
White’s journey eventually landed him in Canada, where he found a great deal of success.
He earned all-league honors three times in the National Basketball League of Canada and won titles on two teams. White was having his best year yet in 2020, earning the MVP award before the league and the rest of the basketball world was shut down by COVID.
“It was frustrating, mostly because we had just won a championship the year before and I felt we were going to win another one,” White said. “Getting MVP was a blessing, but my mind was set on backto-back titles. Hopefully, if I go back to the same team, we can still do that.”
When that could happen, White doesn’t know. The life of an international basketball player often involves unknowns about what’s next, and the pandemic highlighted the uncertainty.
Most leagues were shut down, and those that weren’t had difficult logistical hurdles to clear.
White applauded the global basketball community for coming together behind the scenes to support each other, whether it was occasional mental status checks or just finding an open gym somewhere to get in a workout or get some shots up to stay in shape.
But the process of reopening borders and leagues has been slow.
That’s part of why White was agreeable to playing in the TBL, the first domestic league he has played in since 2012 with Iowa.
“I feel like it’s a great thing this league is open and we can show our talent and try to do something for next year,” he said.
White voiced his support for the talent pool playing in TBL this season. He also strongly advocated for the level of play in Canada, which he believes is rising every year.
White said he would love to go back to continue to help build the league there in a nation developing a stronger bond with the game by the year, fueled by the influx of Canadian players in the NBA.
He previously played professionally in Mexico and Cryprus, competing in various competitions around the globe.
But his favorite place so far has been Israel.
He had no idea what to expect when he signed with Elitzur Ramla B.C. of the Israeli Basketball Premier League in 2014.
All he knew about the country was from some of the violent images he had seen in the media.
That wasn’t his experience. “I’ve loved a lot of places, but Israel is very special,” he said. “It kind of reminds me of San Diego, honestly. There’s a beach, great nightlife, things to do for families. It’s amazing. I had a great time. I wish some of my family and friends could have experienced it with me.”