By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
From nearly giving up basketball after college, DeAndre Lansdowne enjoyed a brilliant comeback sending him to SIG Strasbourg and the Basketball Champions League.
Lansdowne, 32, shared his inspiring story on the debut episode of the new Basketball Champions League series, the BCL Diaries.
The experienced guard, born in Albuquerque, was adopted on his sixth birthday. As he explained, that was his first step toward “just having fun and enjoying life” in sports.
An agent disappeared on him after his college years at Fort Lewis. “I basically retired at the point,” he recalled.
“I would say for me, that was probably some of the most depressing times I had,” he added describing the next period of his life, before deciding to reinvent himself, resume his career and turn professional.
Lansdowne played one season in Mexico. Moving to Europe, he spent a couple of years in Germany and one in Italy before joining Strasbourg in 2020. He has since appeared in 26 BCL games averaging 11.0 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.3 steals per contest.
“For them to look at me and want me is an honor,” he mentioned on the heels of head coach Lassi Tuovi and Sports Director Nicola Alberani explaining the process of recruiting him to Strasbourg, “You look back where you come from and you’re like, wow!”
Being a true team player and constant hard work has really elevated him through his career, as recognized by multiple teammates over the years.
“He’s honestly, in my opinion, the hardest worker on the team,” said Detroit-born power forward Ike Udanoh supplementing the episode, “You can always find him in the gym or in the weight room or even studying something, watching basketball. He’s a student of the game.”
Photo Credit: Basketball Champions League