Damien Inglis: Inspiring Giannis memory and mistake that cost his NBA career / News - Basketnews.com

Valencia Basket forward Damien Inglis discusses his relationship with Giannis Antetokounmpo, talks about his French Guiana roots, unique career path, and reveals a crucial mistake that took away his NBA career.

Credit: Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix, Juan Navarro/Getty Images | BasketNews Illustration Credit Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix, Juan Navarro/Getty Images | BasketNews Illustration

Damien Inglisis not a basketball player you'll meet every day. Starting from his roots and career path, not many players could replicate Inglis' journey throughout their entire careers, which the 28-year-old has already accomplished in 11 years since turning pro.

Now, he's a EuroLeague rookie, even though he was drafted with the 31st pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, becoming only the second player from French Guiana to make the league.

"It's been amazing so far," Inglis toldBasketNewsabout his EuroLeague experience. "It's been very fun, especially in the system that I know."

However, the path to the EuroLeague wasn't all roses. After leaving the United States, Inglis decided to return to Europe. Overall, Inglis spent two seasons in the BCL and three more in the EuroCup, including the 2022-23 campaign in which he became the champion withGran Canaria.

Nevertheless, after being part of theMilwaukee Bucks, waiting for a EuroLeague opportunity for five years takes some patience, but Inglis has one word to explain it.

"Humbleness," Inglis told BasketNews after being asked about his career path. "Everybody humbles you very quickly."

Before that, Inglis was drafted with the 31st pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. Turns out, Inglis had a great relationship with the Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.

"Giannis was my brother. He was my guy," Inglis revealed to BasketNews. "We were 1 year apart [in the NBA Draft], and he's Greek, I'm French, so we had that European connection. When I got there, he took me under his wing. We did everything."

After being asked what's his Giannis' memory, Inglis gave a very meaningful one that led him throughout the rest of his career.

"One of the memories I will keep is [when] I saw

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