Kris Clyburn on European fans: 'If you don't perform, they don't care' / News - Basketnews.com

Kris Clyburn was dealing with emotional issues last season but says that nobody cared. He admits that it's tough living in a foreign country without your family but you sometimes have to bottle it up and not talk about it because it might make things even worse.

Credit: IMAGO/Eibner - Scanpix Credit IMAGO/Eibner - Scanpix

Brother of EuroLeague star forward Will Clyburn, Kris Clyburn is a basketball player who showcases his talents in Europe as well.

Kris Clyburn

Position:SGAge:26Height:198 cmBirth place:United States of AmericaProfileNewsStatistics

After starting his international career in Poland, he continued his path in Belarus, Israel, and Turkey. Now the forward is playing in Germany for SYNTAINICS MBC in the German Basketball League (BBL).

He had a rough patch last season, averaging career-low numbers in some of the categories. At the same time, his 2-month-old daughter was diagnosed with cancer and had to go through intensive chemotherapy.

"I almost called my agent saying 'I'm done with basketball, I'm going home, I can't be over here while my daughter is going through this, my girlfriend's going through this by herself.' I was so close, I was really close. I almost went home and said 'I'm calling it quits'," the younger Clyburn said in the German 'Ostball' podcast.

Kris Clyburn experienced first-hand what it is like to be a foreigner in a European basketball team. When he was playing for Maccabi Rishon Lezion last year, he was already averaging career-low three-point percentages.

When he transferred to Buyukcekmece, the three-point percentage dropped even more. Clyburn was going through a tough emotional stage but the local fans didn't care, he says.

"Last year, people didn't try to figure out what was going on with me. All they saw was numbers, percentages, and wins, losses, they didn't figure out like 'Hey, something's not right with this guy. Why was he like this and all of a sudden he's not the player that we signed him to be?'" the player said.

"As an overseas player, all you're expected to do is perform. No matter what's going on in your life, they want you to perform and win games. If you're not doing that, you're not really much value to them," Clyburn explained. "The next man is up. It's a business. They pay money for you to come here and win as many games as possible and perform the best you can."

Living in a foreign country without your family for an extended period of time takes a toll on you, Kris says, but it's not a concern either for the fans or the organization.

"If you can't do the job, we're going to find somebody else, that's the business of this overseas life. It's tough. You definitely have things going on like that. You have to bottle it up and not really talk about it because if you don't perform, they don't really care what you're going through. It's the next man up," the forward said.

"Probably, some of the people are going through a lot of things right now that don't say anything about it because they know they'd probably get pushed to the back and would still be expected to perform no matter what's going on," he shared.

Kris Clyburn later complimented his current club for providing the required attention and care throughout his stay in Germany.

No matter the stats and play he demonstrates on the court, Kris always has to deal with being a brother of Will Clyburn.

"They always try to compare us as if we were the same player. I'm supposed to be the same guy as him. I'm a left-handed person, he's right-handed," he started the comparison. "He's taller than me, our games are totally different. He's six years older than me, why would you expect me to be the same person?"

"He's having a great career and doing his thing, it's hard for them not to say it. It draws everybody's attention - the brother of Will Clyburn. They see 'oh, Will Clyburn? yeah, yeah'. It draws attention, it's good, I like it," Kris concluded.

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