By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
British international center Pops Mensah-Bonsu will assume a quite interesting new career challenge as an “advanced pro scout in the East Coast Region”, for the San Antonio Spurs.
The former Euroleague and NBA baller, who had been a Spurs player in 2009, broke the news himself in a podcast interview with SLAM, also revealing that if this opportunity didn’t arrive, we could very well see him returning to courts.
“I was actually thinking about going back to play this year and all of a sudden the Spurs called. For me, I’m big on signs. It was weird because when I was going to decide whether I was going to stay with the Players Association or go back to play, I was leaning more toward playing, even though I loved my job at the Players Association, but people always tell me if you still have that itch then you still have that love for the game, you have to scratch it. That void is never going to be filled if you don’t go back, so I was strongly considering playing.”
“All of a sudden I get a call and I’m like, ‘someone’s trying to tell me something’, so I have to take heed. Putting things in perspective, I think my impact on the game is probably going to be on this side of the game now.”
During the last year, Mensah-Bonsu served as regional representative for the NBPA (National Basketball Players Association), which has been a rewarding experience in more ways than one.
“When my career ended, luckily the job at the Players Association fell at my lap and that doesn’t happen to to many players so I was able to put things in perspective and know that I was fortunate enough to be in this position.”
“My year at the Association was great, and I learned a lot, and I was anticipating learning more in years to come, but whenever a position like this with the San Antonio Spurs falls in your lap it’s something that you have to jump at, and that’s what happened.”