NM1. Arrived a month ago in the Pyrenees, Jonathan Jeanne (24 years old, 2.18 m) received the medical green light to replay in competition on French soil. Since the start of the week, the interior, deprived of the NBA in 2017 following inconclusive medical examinations, has been training with the U’Boys and will play Friday evening (8 p.m.) against Vitré for his first minutes in NM1 . Interview with a serene young man, happy to be able to play again in France.
What feeling predominates at the time of pushing back the prosecution in France, four years later?
It is a real satisfaction to be able to return. I see it as a real good opportunity. Returning to France was a priority, not only for me but also for my family.
You were put in the spotlight very young, how did you experience all this hype around you?
It was not easy. Me, I come from Guadeloupe, I arrived in metropolis without my relatives. That alone was already a big challenge. But all of this strengthened me. We had to adapt: the climate, the relationship with people… And then the media coverage was what it was. When I arrive at INSEP in Paris, it’s to play basketball, which is a passion above all. All the extras, that didn’t interest me actually. I had to learn to deal with it all.
Looking back a few years, how would you describe what happened to you in 2017 with that NBA dream aborted due to medical exams (read below)?
Talking about that is to plunge myself back into distant memories. So much has happened in my life since… I turned the page, I’m not the same man at all. The NBA, it was discussed when I was 18-19 years old, it is true that I was expected in the first round of the Draft … All this is so far now.
“The NBA, I knew I could do it and overnight everything collapsed”
What do we say to each other at the time?
When the news falls, it’s a mixture of indescribable emotions. We wonder why? Why me ? Why now after all these sacrifices? It took me a long time to rebuild myself. I let you imagine what one can feel. I started basketball at 13, five years later, I saw the NBA thanks, in particular, to this gift which is my size. I knew I could do it and overnight everything fell apart. You wonder if what the doctors are telling you is real. I have always been medically monitored, I never had any problem until these exams in the United States. So the word “injustice” is written in big type deep inside you. Then all my basketball entourage abandoned me, people turned their backs on me, I found myself at the foot of the wall, alone. I found the strength to move forward, especially thanks to religion.
It’s a nice wink to find the field in Lourdes then, no?
I went to visit the Sanctuary, the cave. But faith is personal. It cannot be explained.
We read about you that you were the one who defied the disease, risking your life …
After the NBA episode, my situation was really badly taken into account in the media, here in France. Everyone focused on “he has Marfan syndrome, he can’t play anymore” without really trying to understand. I want to say it, I am in perfect health, I always have been. I am able to practice, regardless of the level, I am medically monitored, so there is no problem.
Have you ever felt fear after this episode when you returned to the floors?
I have never been afraid in the sense that nothing serious has ever happened to me. Some articles about me have shown a defeatist image: that of a young, sick, mad man who takes risks for his career. But how far from reality! I am always positive, I want us to remember this notion of perseverance instead. After everything I’ve been through, the best is yet to come.
“I don’t run after the glory of wanting to be in the big world”
Was the Union the only team looking to enlist you after your freelance in Dubai?
I had several requests in France, in Elite or Pro B. But Tarbes / Lourdes was able to present me with a real project over two years. I quickly felt that this was the right place. I’m not chasing the glory of wanting to be in the big world. I got to know this universe a bit, it never really filled me with satisfaction. Being good about yourself is priceless and here I feel that I can flourish.
Where does your love for basketball come from?
The craziest thing is that I don’t come from a basketball family. At 13, I was already tall, around 2 meters. I was athletic but running tired me. Running aimlessly is boring. And since there was a basketball court next to the track… As soon as we arrived, with my big brother, we were spotted with our height. A trainer saw me, and that’s how, one thing leading to another, I joined CREPS in Guadeloupe before leaving for INSEP.
Is it the passion that drove you to continue playing despite this ban on practicing on American soil?
Exactly. It shows that basketball, for me, has never been about money. When all that stops for me in the United States, I could have received an insurance premium, I would not disclose the amount, but I refused because I wanted to continue playing. Going to the NBA for the money, it never crossed my mind. I just wanted to play in the best league in the world, period.
What is a good interior for you?
In modern basketball, you have to know how to do everything: shoot, pass, be mobile, defend. It’s not just a matter of rebounding even if inevitably, with my size, we are tempted to look at it as a priority.
What are your basketball aspirations?
Already satisfy the club, give them what they expect of me on the floor. There is good team cohesion in the Union. I feel that the people at the club are happy with my coming. I’m staying on experiences abroad, where I didn’t speak the language, so it’s easier now to join a team where you understand everyone.
From the doors of the NBA to the Pyrenees
Jonathan Jeanne saw the doors of the NBA close right in front of him in 2017, following medical examinations in the United States on the sidelines of the Draft. It was on this occasion that he was diagnosed with Marfan syndrome, a pathology affecting people of large sizes that can cause dilation of the aorta with risk of sudden death.
However, the one who went through Le Mans and Nancy never wanted to give up his career. After a stint in the Spanish second division (Palma, then Prat) he left for two seasons in Denmark, at Randers Cimbria (2019-21). Twice MVP of the local championship, Jonathan Jeanne turned 17.2 points; 8.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists last year. This summer, he signed up with a Dubai club before breaking his contract in September. After more than two months without playing, the person admits, he is eager to play again.
