Chris Singleton cites reasons for taking time off, describes Bartzokas' two sides / News - Basketnews.com

Chris Singleton shares with BasketNews the background of his return to Efes and the reasons that kept him away from basketball for several months. He also explains why he turned down an offer from Crvena Zvezda and Giorgos Bartzokas' popularity with players.

Credit: AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic Credit AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic

Out of sight, out of mind. It's a proverb that can easily apply to situations when a player stays off the A-List for so long that top teams almost forget about his existence.

Points this season

49%82,3Points made:82,3Accuracy:48,8%Place in standings:9Record max:111Record min:70Best scorer:Will ClyburnTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

It's also something that Chris Singleton never got to experience since he came to Europe to play for Lokomotiv Kuban back in 2015. After seven years with EuroLeague clubs and back-to-back titles with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, the Georgia-born player decided to follow a different route last summer.

His contract with Efes expired at the end of June, but Singleton wasn't too eager to explore the market or wait for an offer that would keep him in Turkey. He had his mind set on other ventures that had very little to do with his feats on the court.

Credit REUTERS/Thilo Schmuelgen

Before last season ended, he had already created a profile on LinkedIn, where he laid down his interests.

"I am a professional basketball player, tech founder, farmer, business consultant, and the realist visionary out there," Singleton wrote on his page.

"My world travels and stays have allowed me to see the world and meet some extraordinary people. These experiences have helped me get a better understanding of the world," he continued.

"And I want to change it!" he audaciously exclaimed.

Following in the footsteps of Malcolm Delaney, another EuroLeague player-turned-entrepreneur, Singleton found a way to balance business with a basketball career.

"My first and most important job is being a professional basketball player and trying to win games for my team. When I play basketball, my focus is strictly on the game," he told the EuroLeague Players Association (ELPA) website last May before Efes lifted the EuroLeague trophy in Belgrade.

Anadolu Efes Istanbul / Schedule

Anadolu Efes Istanbul Zalgiris Kaunas80-70 Olympiacos Piraeus Anadolu Efes Istanbul76-70 Anadolu Efes Istanbul Real MadridThu17:30

"But as an athlete, you also need some time off. Players might choose gaming, photography, cooking, or some other activities. I chose to follow another dream of mine and try to set my family up for the future in business. I think we, the athletes, see these activities as a form of therapy or as a stress reliever," he explained.

Credit Irina R. Hipolito/AFP7 via ZUMA Press Wire

That's a rather inventive way to reconcile two seemingly different worlds. It all started in 2021 when Singleton launched Offbeat Media, a public relations and marketing firm. It deals with brand creation and management, event planning, multi-media production, and management of public-facing events through broadcast media, print media, web content, graphic art, blogging, and podcasting on targeted platforms.

With Offbeat Media, Singleton wants to showcase the different interests and talents of athletes or other personalities and then develop them into a business.

"We are in the era of social media and cancel culture," the veteran forward thinks. "One portion of a clip, a short video, or a sound bite can kill a career without knowing the context of why it happened. The media has played a big portion in shaping everyone's lives and outlooks.

I personally have been a part of fake narratives, and the media just took it and ran with it. I want to help people take some of that control back by producing content in which that person is in control."

His words resonate with what Euroleague Basketball President Dejan Bodiroga and CEO Marshall Glickman promised after a meeting with players before the current season took off.

The two execs touched on ways of improving the league's standing, boosting basketball's place in the entertainment marketplace, and making an even bigger positive impact on communities – all with the active participation and influence of the players.

"Players are the true protagonists of the game, and we will work further at elevating your profile, on and off the court," Bodiroga told them.

"The players' voice should be the most important voice," Glickman said. "This is a players' league. That's what people are paying for, to come and see players. They want to see and feel some connection to the players, and that is really important."

No doubt that a player-oriented organization is what Bodiroga and Glickman want to see. But Singleton doesn't see it happening anytime soon.

"It's hard to say with all the different licensing agreements," the 33-year-old former NBA player told BasketNews.

"Being in business, that's where all the money is. If you can't get that as a collective with all the License A teams, it will be very hard. I think it's going to stay the same way for a while."

While being away from Europe and basketball, Singleton was dealing with his business ventures in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale Area. His portfolio lists a total of six companies, plus another one that's coming in 2024. Who knows? By then, he might have played his last game. In any case, the paycheck isn't an issue for him anymore.

"I've made money in my career, and I can afford not to come back," he admits.

"I wouldn't say I was dealing with other issues, I'd say it was life. I'm trying to help some people out with startups and businesses, and entrepreneurs. Basically, I've just started a Cybersecurity company. I'm trying to help everybody start the next part of their life," Singleton stresses.

Although he was quite busy with things going on off the court, Singleton says he wasn't sure he'd take almost half a season off pro basketball.

"I didn't make the decision to stay out before late August. I took two months off, and then, in November, everything picked back up," he recalls.

But as soon as last season was over, Singleton says he was getting offers from all over the world. After the first tide of potential suitors, the two-time EuroLeague champ decided to make his intentions clear to everyone.

"I had some offers all the way up to September, October. Then, I just told everybody I would wait until probably after the new year," he recounts.

"They all knew about it. I'm an open book. So, if anyone asked me, I'd tell them I'd take some time to develop my life off the court. I'm definitely ready for that chapter of my life."

As Serbian media reported in mid-July, one of the first teams to ask about Singleton's availability was Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade.

"It was a very good offer at the time," the player concedes. "I talked to everybody in the organization. I wanted to relax and stay at home at the time," he adds.

"Much love to them, though."

Zvezda ended up signing Filip Petrusev as their starting power forward some days later.

However, three months into the season, many teams' needs changed rapidly because of unforeseen events.

"Everybody came around the new year because many people - 4s and 5s - got hurt. People started hitting me back up," Singleton continues.

However, when Efes knocked on his door, the answer wasn't negative anymore. Having grown accustomed to the environment and the system could provide a solid reason.

"I'm familiar with them. When I first signed with Efes (in 2019), I wanted to go somewhere and stay for a while. I wanted to do that at Barca, but they had other plans - and so did I," Singleton remarks.

After spending two seasons in Athens with Panathinaikos, he signed a $2.05 million contract with FC Barcelona in 2018. But his stint with the Catalan powerhouse only lasted for a season. Not the scenario he had initially hoped for, but at least Efes' case was totally different.

Singleton clarifies he didn't have any prior commitment to the Turkish side deciding his return destination.

"I wouldn't say it was a commitment. I was treated well; I liked Istanbul, Turkey, and the team. It's hard not to come back to something you're so familiar with."

Now, with Efes standing at a delicate 11-12 balance after 23 rounds, Singleton declares he's ready tofocus on basketball and help the team get a playoff seed.

"And hopefully, another EuroLeague title," he adds. "It feels good. They welcomed me with open arms, and the team's good. It's that we're not winning like we want to."

A month ago, coach Ergin Ataman gave an update on his player's level of readiness.

"Chris did not practice 5-on-5 basketball but stated that he is in good physical condition. He is a player who knows the system and the team. We don't have time, but I expect him to adapt quickly," the Turkish specialist said.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Even though Singleton gradually developed into a role player for Efes after his second season with the team, his offensive production in the first five EuroLeague games he's played thus far has been very low.

Only 2.8 points and 1.2 rebounds in less than 15 minutes suffice to summarize his contribution.

Last year, he geared up in the final stretch, but it's clear that he might never be able to replicate his numbers before 2020.

"I feel ready. I just got to get my groove back. I haven't been playing for a while," Singleton argues before referring to Efes' woes.

"We've brought in Will [Clyburn], who's trying to figure it out with Shane [Larkin] coming back. I think we're close to figuring things out. We're going to find our groove and make a run for the playoffs."

In their latest EuroLeague contest, the reigning champs came up short in Piraeus against Olympiacos (70-76), a squad Singleton knows very well.

"It's life, it's a game, and they're a very good team," he comments.

"[Sasha] Vezenkov hit some big shots. We didn't show up in the first half, but we had a chance to win this game," he maintains.

As Olympiacos and Real Madrid share the top of the standings, the Greeks look all the more confident, finding solace even in their reserve players like Michalis Lountzis. Singleton singles out an element Efes and their opponents have in common.

"Once you lose, as they did to us last year, you obviously still have the hunger. Everybody knows their role, everybody's trying to do the little things, get in the rotation, and help the team. That's what we [at Efes] are trying to do as well, but we've had a lot of ups and downs," he acknowledges.

"They're well-coached, and I wish them all success."

In a recent podcast with BasketNews, Malcolm Delaney said that Giorgos Bartzokas is different than most European coaches, as he lets his players free, especially off the court.

"I think coach Bartzokas was probably my favorite coach because he was the first who wanted to make sure everybody was happy," the former EA7 Emporio Armani Milan guard praised the current EuroLeague Coach Of the Year.

"If you wanted to take your family on a trip, when he told us the rules we had, I thought this can't be a European coach," Delaney voiced his amazement.

"I haven't met many players who hate him. There's no way you can hate what he does. His practices, how he treats his players, and his communication. You might see him on a sideline and think this guy was crazy. But I've never seen a coach give the players as much freedom as coach Bartzokas. He just trusted his players more than any other coach," Delaney underlined.

"Bartzokas is a good person," Victor Claver told BasketNews when Valencia Basket visited Piraeus in November 2022.

"I think he gives his players all the information they need. That's very important. He's a coach who gives his players confidence so they can develop their talents."

Credit Stanislav Krasilnikov/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

Chris Singleton has no reason to disagree with his Lokomotiv Kuban teammates. If Bartzokas insisted that Delaney stayed with Loko in 2015 despite a reduced budget, in a gesture that enhanced the player-coach bond, Singleton was new to Russia and the reality of European basketball.

Finding a coach he could communicate with was very important after three years with the Washington Wizards and a season in China. That 2015-16 campaign turned out to be a career-changing one for both players - and their coach.

"I've always said that he's a players' coach," the Efes forward confirms.

"He's one of the most relatable coaches to all the players. He knows when you need time off, and he knows when you need to come together."

However, according to Singleton, there's another side to Bartzokas.

"He's still strict at the same time. He's got his mandates."

When it comes to conveying a message to his players, Olympiacos' play-caller always wants to make things as clear as possible. Singleton points out that Bartzokas doesn't take any shortcuts in hisorder of business.

"It's still his way or the highway. He'll let you know when things aren't going well or if you're playing badly. He's very upfront, and you'll see him; he doesn't hide his emotions. He's very genuine. You can't say that about other people."

Although not everyone's favorite, and apart from turning Olympiacos into a powerhouse again, Bartzokas can pride himself on one more thing that's happening quite frequently this season: there's no way to stop his former players from singing his praises.

Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.