"My whole life, until now, I've never had basketball stop for political things that happened in the world. It's a first for me, but it opens your eyes that there is more to life than just basketball. People who depend on basketball for happiness and a job, you have to understand that there are bigger things in life."
"Obviously, I'm a basketball player first. That's my main job. It's opened my eyes to get into some other things so when I stop playing in five or six years, I will have the red carpet rolled out to the next things I want to do."
Quinn Cook, a two-time NBA champion and five-year NBA veteran, faced unprecedented circumstances in 2026 when geopolitical tensions disrupted his international basketball career. He agreed to play for Rwanda's APR BBC in the Basketball Africa League but was informed the team withdrew due to U.S. visa restrictions on Rwandan officials over eastern Congo instability. Earlier, Cook declined an Iran contract opportunity due to escalating U.S.-Iran conflict. Cook reflected that this marked his first experience where global politics directly impacted basketball opportunities, prompting him to recognize life extends beyond the sport and to prepare for post-playing career transitions.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]