Transcript: Jordan Barham on Grit, Brotherhood, and a Global Basketball Journey

Good morning, and welcome back to the show. We're here with university school alum in the class of 2012 and professional basketball player, Mr. Jordan Barham. How are you, Jordan? I'm great, fellas. I'm great. Thanks for having me. Excited to be on the show. No, it's great having you on the show. You know, let's start at the beginning. What were you kind of like growing up here in Cleveland? Were you always outside playing sports, or did you kind of have other interests as a kid? I mean, I think for me, sports has kind of always been my life. You know, my parents both played sports. My dad was a baseball player. My mom played basketball. So it's kind of like ingrained me and my brother into me and my brother growing up. So I was like, you know, really always active, participating in a lot of sports. You know, I obviously ended up having a career in basketball, but I played, you know, football, baseball, ran track, played soccer. Just wild. I was always, always active. You know, we had a hoop in the backyard. So, you know, me and my little brother are pretty, you know, close in age. So we'd play and then had a really good group of friends. I'm still friends with now that we kind of ran around in the backyard and played with. And that kind of just, you know, that love for sports and the passion kind of just propelled me, you know, into the life I have now. Yeah. And going off your family's influence, were your parents and siblings, I mean, you mentioned they were athletes, but how did they support your athletes? I mean, so my brother's only my brother's a year younger, but two grades younger than me at U.S. So he's my best friend. So he's always been my number one fan, my biggest supporter, along with my mom. So, you know, I started playing AAU pretty early on, you know, seventh, eighth grade. And, you know, well, I played younger, but, you know, seventh, eighth grade is when things started to get a little bit more serious. And, you know, I kind of sat down with my mom and decided that this was a passion. It was a passion of mine wanting to play basketball and just trying to, you know, see whatever avenues and what doors I could open for me. So, you know, I know my mom and my brother made a ton of sacrifices, you know, for me throughout the years, whether that's, you know, traveling all over the country to watch me play or, you know, my mom having to make those financial sacrifices for me, too. So, you know, they've been my two biggest supporters. And, you know, even now I'm here in France and my brother was just here. Helping me move into my apartment during preseason. And he'll be back around, like, October for the first games with my mom. So, you know, it's been going on 20 years now. They've been my biggest supporters in this thing. You know, what was kind of your transition to U.S., whether or not you were kind of a lifer? What did kind of U.S. really mean to you early on? And what was kind of the decision to go there? So I went to J-Zoo. So I went to Catholic school growing up. And then, you know, kind of when I was, I don't want to say when you call it recruiting, but when I was talking to coaches going into my freshman year, obviously, you know, you've got the normals when you come out of J-Zoo. You've got like the Ignatius's and the Benedictines and the Gilmores just with the Catholic connection there. But, you know, once I once, you know, I shadowed U.S. and, you know, got an opportunity to go there with something. You know, I couldn't really turn down, you know, whether that's, you know, the networking, everything that comes with like U.S. I mean, you guys know it's a really, really special place. So, you know, luckily, my best friend from J-Zoo, you know, Pat Sheely is still my lifelong best friend now. We ended up, you know, we went to J-Zoo and ended up going to U.S. together and kind of formed like this little fantastic four with like Michael Aquin, John McKelvey. And the four of us are still best friends now. So, you know, yeah, U.S. is special. And it's. Coming from J-Zoo, having that kind of like strict, like rigid Catholic school, you know, the transition wasn't really hard. It was kind of just, you know, I'm at a different school now and I don't have to go to mass on Fridays. But that was essentially like the only real big change in it all. So but no, I was excited with my, you know, I was excited with my choice. And, you know, looking back now, I think going to U.S. was one of the greatest decisions I've ever made. Yeah, well, that's cool. And at U.S. you played multiple sports. I believe it was football, track and obviously basketball. Do you think those other sports like football or track kind of carried over to the basketball court? Yeah, no, absolutely. I mean, I think I've always said it like I don't think kids just specialize too early on. I think you should try to play different sports because there's, you know, there's different skill sets and different, you know, traits and stuff you can take from each sport. And it helps like translate and correlate to the next one. So, you know, obviously playing. Football and, you know, having that background helped, you know, with some toughness on the basketball court. And then, you know, track obviously helped just like my general athleticism throughout it all. So I think like definitely those sports like were able to help like translate and help, you know, propel my, you know, basketball game on the court. You know, going to kind of some of your U.S. kind of playing days, the only term I can really think of is kind of a baller. I mean, you kind of left U.S. as an all-time leading scorer in basketball and kind of even set our single season scoring record. Did you know you were close to breaking these records? What did it mean to kind of achieve those? And what really stood out about the team to you?

I mean, I knew pretty early on I was going to break the record into senior. I mean, I think I broke the all-time scoring record like pretty early on into senior year. So, you know, that there wasn't a lot of pressure. And that obviously was a really, you know, cool thing to kind of have. You're a name etched in history. But, you know, honestly, starting my career, you know, I was really, really lucky. I didn't play varsity as a freshman. I played as a sophomore. But the team my freshman year had gone to like the regional semifinal was really close to making it down to states. And we pretty much brought that entire team back and kind of just added me to that team. And obviously, you know, my sophomore year, that was arguably probably the best, most talented team U.S. has ever had. So I had some really good upperclassmen I was able to learn from. And, you know, you know, fight and practice with every single or fight, you know, and practice against every single day. And like it eventually just got me so much better that going into junior year, I just kind of just played with like the utmost confidence. And, you know, I kind of exploded onto the senior junior year. I think I was second or third in Ohio in scoring that year. And that kind of like I took that confidence. From that junior year and went into senior year, I obviously I got hurt to start a senior year. So kind of was like a little hiccup in the road. But, you know, obviously learning from those guys my sophomore year and being able to take those lessons I learned and then go into junior and senior year. You know, those were those are really, really special years and other years I cherish and obviously still have amazing memories from those. And let's talk about those memories. Is there one game or moment from your high school career that really stands out like buzzer beater? Big win that you'll just never forget.

Biggest one that stands out probably to be senior night, right? Probably senior night. We played, you know, Hawken at home. They'd beaten us earlier in the year. Kind of a I wouldn't I'd never want to blame the referees, but there were some questionable calls down the end that didn't go our way. But, you know, Hawken senior year, I was, you know, I have a lot of friends that went to Hawken. I was actually dating a girl. I was dating a girl from Hawken at the time. So to be able to beat them my last game at home, you know, my entire family, all my best friends in the stands. I think I'm pretty sure I like ended the game like a steal and like a windmill or something like my last points at home were like a pretty cool dunk. So, yeah, that's that's obviously a really, really cool, cool memory. I think going back, maybe even sophomore year, we played Kenston like in the regional final and we're down a lot going to the fourth. And I kind of made a couple of key plays down in the fourth quarter of that game to take us into the district finals. That was also like a really good memory because, you know, I was the younger guy in that team trying to find my place like the whole year. And it was kind of like I kind of hit my stride during the playoffs that year. So that was also like a really, really cool thing. Yeah, nice. And who were some of the coaches or teammates at U.S. that you still remember? Like I know you played for Coach Terry Lipford. So we played for an eighth grade. But was there anyone else who really influenced you? Coach Stevens. I mean, I think he was before you guys. He was our football coach. He was, you know, obviously a really great, great mentor to me. Coach Zappas with football and basketball. Coach Oslin, who was my coach my first two and a half years at U.S. was also like a really, really great influence and mentor me. And then obviously, like you guys said, Coach Lipford. And, you know, we're. We're still close to this day. I saw him, you know, at the Shorby Club not that too long before I came back here. So we've stayed in touch. We stay really close. He obviously was a great resource and a mentor throughout my time at U.S. in the classroom on the court, helping me, you know, with recruiting letters and things like that. So obviously was a great mentor to me and, you know, still a very, very close friend to me to now. You know, now that you're kind of an alum, what does being a U.S. guy really mean to you? Do you? Do you kind of carry the pride or some of those lessons from U.S. even with you today? Yeah. I mean, I carry I carry U.S. like very close to my heart, pretty much in everything I do. And like I said, it's going there was one of the greatest decisions I've made. And I, you know, I cherish everything I learned there and all the all the things I went through, whether the good or bad, because they kind of helped mold me into the guy I am today and the person I am today. So, like I said. You know, whether I'm, you know, in the States, abroad, wherever I am, I, you know, try to represent U.S. and carry that with with pride because it is a very, very, very special place. And I say, you know, to any young guys, you know, throughout Cleveland, if you have the opportunity to go there, I would never turn it down because, you know, I'm I'm really lucky to have had that opportunity and grateful to, you know, still have the connections and, you know, kind of just the web and networking that I still have. So it is a, you know, a great, great place. And let's shift from high school to college and kind of that process of your recruitment. You chose Davidson College. What made you choose Davidson out of all the other options? It was just the familiarity of it. Like I said, I'd always kind of gone up going to smaller schools. You know, I went to Jason and then obviously U.S. is a smaller school. So I kind of attacked the recruiting process that way. I didn't want to really go to like a big, big school. You know, Davidson's. It's one of the smallest T1 schools in the country. And it's got, you know, a very, very, very strong academic reputation, along with, you know, the years and decades of success they've had on the basketball court. So it's kind of just one of those things where it lined up, you know, academically and athletically for me. And, you know, being in North Carolina on Lake Norman, just it's a beautiful area. So, you know, once I. I mean, obviously, I narrowed down my list. So schools, it was down to like Davidson, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Harvard, Princeton. I kind of once I narrowed it down and gone on my visits, I kind of just knew that Davidson was the place for me. You know, what was kind of that big adjustment like from going from high school to D1 college basketball? Was the competition or speed of the game really a big shock for you initially? Or did you see that transition as kind of easy? Oh, no. For me, it was an absolute shock. An absolute. Shock. You know, I start. So I started college at 17. Like I graduated high school at 17. And so, like, you know, physically, I think I was I was ready. Like it wasn't like the physicality of the game wasn't something that really, really like threw me off guard. But just the pace and the speed and just like just like the little details and everything that comes with playing, you know, major division one college basketball. It was definitely a shock, you know, because I came from U.S. to where I was. I was pretty much the best player on every court I stepped on to then going to Davidson, where I was a freshman on a team that had won 30 games and went to the NCAA tournament the year before. So, yeah, it was obviously a huge learning curve and a huge, a huge shock for me. But, you know, I learned a lot that freshman year and was able, you know, to use that to kind of have a really, really good sophomore year. So, yeah, it was definitely like an adjustment. I think, you know, all guys. We'll kind of struggle with that at first, but the ones that kind of can learn it sooner, sooner rather than later end up, you know, transitioning pretty well. You know, obviously playing college basketball, especially at such a good school like Davidson at the time, you had to have gone against some pretty cool or pretty kind of notable players, especially during some of the prime years of Davidson's kind of athletic athletics in general. Who are some of those players that you remember going against in college that really were just. I mean, yeah, we played against, we played against a lot of really, really good guys. Because at the time we were in the SOCON, so we kind of had to make our non-conference pretty hard my first two years. And then we transitioned into the eights in my second year. So non-conference kind of slowed down. But, I mean, in those years we played against, I mean, some notable names that come to mind. We played against like Jabari Parker. We played against Andrew Wiggins. We played against Ty Jerome. We played against DeAndre Hunter, KJ McDaniel, Damian Lee. I mean, we played against so many NBA players when I was at Davidson. You know, Duke with Seth Curry was there. The Plumlee brothers, you know, you name it. Like, we played against Duke, UVA, a UNC team that won a national championship. We took them to double overtime. So it was like, you know, throughout those times we played against some really, really good guys. And then even going into the 8-10, we played, you know, the VCUs and Datons of the world. And St. Louis, George Mason, Rhode Island. So, you know, a handful of guys that are still playing and making a lot of money playing. But in terms of personal matchups for me, I'd say Jabari Parker was probably the best player I've ever had to guard. When he was at Duke, he was unbelievable. Like, I'd never seen a talent like him. And obviously his career got kind of derailed with injuries. But, you know, he's still playing well now in Europe. But at the time, he had to bend by far. The best player I'd ever guarded. You know, one of the other really cool things is you got to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest, the college Slam Dunk Contest in your senior year. Had that opportunity come up, obviously you kind of were that high flyer at U.S. But what was that like in college? And what was it like to be a part of that event? Oh, it was amazing. You know, a great opportunity. Absolutely a great opportunity. Kind of one of my assistant coaches at the time kind of had some connections, you know, with the Reese's All-Star Game and the Slam Dunk. And three-point contests. So once senior year had ended, he kind of reached out to me and was like, hey, this might be a possibility. Like, if it's just something you're interested in, let me know. And I said, like, yeah, of course it'd be something I'm interested in. And, you know, I kind of got a reputation for doing some pretty cool stuff in warm-ups and throughout the games and stuff. So I remember I was home for Easter, I want to say. Yeah, I think I was actually in Cleveland for Easter. I mean, obviously I was done with basketball at the time and was getting ready to, you know, sign an agent and transition into pro. And the guy had contacted me and reached out to me from the NCAA and said that they had chose me to be in it. So I had to fly down to Charlotte, get my stuff from Davidson, and fly straight to Houston. And it was a really cool, really, really fun opportunity. You know, we all stayed in the same hotel. All the guys competing in the dunk contest, the three-point contest, the All-Star Game. And, you know, still got some friends. So this day that I made during that, but just a really, really cool opportunity and some, you know, really cool memories from that. And, you know, I was grateful to still be chosen for it. Do you remember what your coolest dunk from that competition was? Oh, I actually didn't even make it out of the first round, shockingly. I kind of did the wrong dunk to start. I wish I would have picked a different dunk that I knew would have put me through the first round. But I think I threw it off the backboard, and I intended to do. Like a windmill, but the ball kind of came off a little high. Instead of just catching, I still dunked it through. And I think I was like, I think I was like two points away from making it to the second round. But yeah, one of my bigger regrets in life is kind of doing, not doing the one dunk I wanted to do to start. But, you know, still a really, a really cool opportunity. And, you know, something that I was very, very happy to be a part of. So, but after graduating from Davidson, you, signed a contract to play overseas. So what was that process like after Davidson kind of transitioning into pro basketball?

So, I mean, it's kind of just like once you, I mean, it's just like the recruiting process all over again. You, I mean, I guess with high school kids now, they all have agents, most do. But, I mean, with me, I, you know, once I graduated, I, I ended up signing with an agency. I mean, you know, I had talked to three or four, found one. I was comfortable with and signed with an agency. We kind of just went from there, like kind of outlining what my career could look like. Like, would the G League be around? Would Summer League be around? Would you like immediately want to go overseas? And unfortunately, I kind of got hurt that summer. So I was, my opportunities were a little bit limited, but I, we ended up finding like a really cool thing in France. My rookie year, and I played well, was able to establish my name in the French market. And, you know, to this day, I'm still playing in France. So, yeah, it was cool. I mean, obviously, I had really no idea what that process was like. But luckily, I had a really good agent that kind of just, you know, held my hand through it all. And, you know, we went step by step and just kind of roadmap the game plan on what we wanted my career to look like. And when I looked at your career path, it looked like you've played in a couple of different countries. How does, how have you handled kind of moving throughout those countries? And what has that experience been like? Yeah, what is it? I think what I've been in five or six different countries now, maybe six. You know, I started off in France, left France. I went to the Czech Republic after France for a year. I came back here and then I went to Morocco. I went to Saudi Arabia, back to France, Luxembourg and back to France now. So it's that five or six countries. You know, in each country has its own. There's strengths and weaknesses, right? Like, like I obviously France has kind of been my second home. I've lived here, you know, more of my adult life than I have in America. You know, I was able to learn the language and, you know, I speak French now. I was able to fully like integrate and assimilate myself in here. But, you know, I took something from each country. Like being in the Czech was, you know, Eastern Europe was completely different. And that was a cool experience. And obviously going to Morocco and being in Africa was, you know, amazing. I still say to this day, probably the most fun. The season of my career was in Morocco. And then obviously being in Saudi Arabia and being in the Middle East, you know, being able to experience that different culture, you know, each, each country has been a really unique experience. And I'm, you know, I'm happy to be able to, you know, meet people from all different parts of life and walks of life, you know, through basketball. So, you know, it's been a really cool journey and I'm, you know, excited to still be doing it. Which country has the best food? Morocco for sure. Hands down. Yeah. Moroccan food is, it's 11 out of 10. Like I think 10 out of 10 would be selling it short. Like the, the food there is, you know, absolutely amazing. I ate so many great things when I was there. So yeah, I'll say that answer any day. You know, kind of think of head. What do you see on your horizon after your playing career? Is it maybe coming back home, planting roots in Cleveland or kind of traveling more for basketball or Kyle, where do you see yourself kind of settling? That's a really, really good question. You know, and it's something I've thought a lot about the last like two or three seasons, you know, as I've started to get up there in years in my career and kind of become more a veteran. I mean, I think for me, I obviously, you're going to move, I'm going to move back to the States when I'm done, you know, I've got my girlfriend in Cleveland and we've started to establish and put some roots down. But for me, I've always, you know, basketball has always been a passion of mine. So I want to stay in the sport. And I always kind of thought like, whether, there's different avenues to stay, whether that's, you know, being an agent, being a coach, working for an NBA team, working for the league, whatever that is. But, you know, the NBA has also always been a passion of mine and something I've loved followed and loved my whole life. So, you know, at this point I'm starting to establish some connections with, you know, NBA teams and the NBA itself to kind of just look into what some opportunities will be like for me after. So, yeah, I mean, you know, that, I've kind of started that process a little bit and it's been pretty cool and it's, I've learned a lot throughout the way and kind of been able to check off some things that I would want to do. And so, you know, some parts that I wouldn't want to get into, like, I don't, I don't foresee myself ever really wanting to coach, you know, that could change. But for me, the ideal job would be like working in an NBA scouting department or, you know, being a general manager, player personnel, something like that. So, you know, just as my career continues to evolve, I'll just, you know, build those connections and just see what doors open down the road. Yeah, that's great. Well, looking back on your career so far, is there anything that you would do differently or do you feel that everything kind of happened how it was supposed to? I mean, obviously I think everything happens for a reason, right? But looking back, I think, you know, there, there are some things I definitely would have done differently, you know, maybe would have done a little bit more due diligence on some certain clubs that I played for. And not, not to say that, you know, I had some terrible experiences, but just maybe doing some more due diligence on, you know, what my role would have been in the club before signing or, you know, some certain things like that, or, you know, looking back, maybe I would have, I mean, like now I think I'm very, very strict about taking care of my body and what I eat and what I put into it. And I think, you know, when I was younger, I wasn't as conscious of that stuff. So I think that would be the one thing I'd probably change when I, like I tell my younger self, because, I kind of dealt with injuries younger and, you know, some injuries are freak injuries you can't control, but at the same time being able to control the things you can't control, like your diet and your sleep and, you know, things like that, that'll just be able to keep you healthy and keep you on the court more. Yeah. Well, is there someone that you consider kind of your biggest supporter inspiration throughout this journey? Is there someone like this would be the time to say like, thank you, I guess, to that person? Is there one person? Uh, for me, I mean, it's gotta be my mom. Right. Like she's, she's my biggest inspiration in everything I do. She know, I think, you know, my mom's a champion. She's a hero. She's, you know, she's my idol. I see, you know, the type of person she is. I see how hard she works. I see how bigger our heart is. Um, I see how, you know, persistent and resilient and consistent she is, you know, day in and day out with everything she does. And, you know, I try to model myself after that and, you know, throughout my basketball career, she's been my rock. She's been, you know, steadfast in her support. She's been, you know, my security blanket throughout all this stuff. And, you know, when I, whether I've had, you know, great times, whether it's winning a championship, having amazing games or, you know, dealing with injuries, having some really bad slumps, whatever I've been, she's been my biggest supporter throughout it all, um, both on and off the court. So, you know, I can't thank her enough for all, you know, the sacrifices she's made for me throughout this journey. Um, and, you know, we've, you know, we've kind of, me, her and my brother have kind of been in it together and, you know, him along with her have, they've given me nothing but love and, you know, support. And, you know, even to this day, we're kind of still going through this journey together, but, you know, without them, like none of this would be possible. Shout out to all the moms out there. Yeah, for sure. You know, the moms, they're, they're superheroes, man. They, they, they really, really are. We kind of, I think we kind of take them for granted today. Granted, sometimes, all the things they do for us, but, you know, they, they really are special people. You know, we'd like to ask all our guests, this one question that stays in our minds. You know, you've played on many different teams in many different countries, played probably thousands and thousands of minutes and still seem to love and enjoy the sport that you've given so much of your life to. And kind of at the end of the day, what keeps you staying in the gym, pulling up shots late at night and kind of continuing your career? So Jordan, what's your driving force and what is your why? My why in it? I mean, I think obviously my family's really, really, you know, big, big proponent of that. Like I said, like, you know, my mom and brother have sacrificed since I was, you know, 12 years old to, you know, kind of put themselves on the back burner to like, make sure I had everything I needed for this journey. So obviously they're, you know, a really big part of why I do what I do and why I work so hard and why I continue to just, you know, strive to be the better, best person and player I can be. And, you know, along with that, like I said, like, this is something that you dedicate some, like there's so much blood, sweat and tears too. And it's like, for so long I was not getting paid, you know, right? Like, so now to be able to like follow something and be able to get paid to do something I was doing for free for so long, you know, it was obviously like really, really cool and something that, you know, I don't take for granted is something that's really, really fortunate. And I'm blessed to be able to be in the position I'm in. So, you know, like I said, I think I'd be doing myself a disservice. If I didn't, you know, just keep continuing on this journey and just, you know, trying to get better every single day, you know, and just continue to just move along with it because, you know, you don't want to live with regrets and, oh, what if I could have done this, could have done that, you know? So I just, I just look back at my younger self and see how hard he worked and just kind of just continue to attack every day with that same, you know, motivation and determination. And, you know, you'll never, you know, you can always dream big. And it's like, I don't, I don't think when I set out on this journey, I accomplished the things I did, but it was kind of just a testament to all like the hard work and the people I had in my corner and sacrifices people made for me. And, you know, like I said, it's, it's, that's kind of something that just truly continues to motivate me and want to be the best player I can be every single day. Well, Jordan, it's been great having you on the show today. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your insights, experience with us and to our listeners. Thank you so, so much for watching. We'll see you next time. And we hope you'll join us next Wednesday for the next episode of Late Start Show. Thank you, Jordan. Yeah, I appreciate you guys. Thanks for having me. Have a great year.