Jermiah Martin has fulfilled a dream in the NBA

Göttingen.He came as a firefighter and put out the first fires: When Kamar Baldwin was seriously injured at the end of March, those responsible at BG Göttingen had to act quickly. There were only a few days left until the end of the transfer period to be able to sign a player. Head coach Roel Moors found what he was looking for – in the Australian league. The American Jeremiah Martin arrived in Göttingen on Thursday and was already on the floor in Braunschweig on Sunday. Since then he has always been one of the most successful throwers in the team of the violets.

The 25-year-old comes from a basketball family. His mother played when she was in college, as did his sister. “It was always basketball at our house, my mom coached me when I was a kid. My daughter is only four, but she’s already playing,” says the player from Memphis, who also played football at school for a few years before focusing entirely on basketball.

21 games for two clubs in the US professional league NBA

After college, Martin tried to gain a foothold in the NBA, starting in the G-League and then playing a total of twelve games for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2019/20 season. The following season he was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers from the G-League, and he played 21 times in the NBA. “It was a great experience, it was also a dream come true.

I hope I can play there again one day,” says Martin, who, when asked about famous teammates or opponents, diligently lists: “Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James.” It’s exciting with these players who are in the are known all over the world to be on the pitch. “And when you’re on a team with them and build relationships or friendships, that’s something very special.” Being athletic in the NBA is “a daily struggle” and you start a new job every day.

The move to New Zealand followed for the 2021/22 season – however, Martin was never in the country during his time with the New Zealand Breakers. “We were in Australia the whole time and played our home games there. Australia is a very beautiful country,” says the American, who played there with former ALBA BERLIN point guard Peyton Siva. He also warmly recommended the BBL to him.

“You’ll like it and have fun,” the former Berliner told him after four years of experience in the league. Adonis Thomas, one of his closest friends from Memphis, gave him more information. The former medi bayreuth player told him about the good organization of the easyCredit BBL and that most clubs have their own training halls, that the spectators give the teams a lot of energy and support. “Everything he said is true. The fans remind me of my college days,” says Martin’s experience in the few weeks at BG Göttingen.

Help from the team and the BG coaches

Getting into a new team at the end of the season is always difficult. “I came into a phase where every game counts. But the team sticks together and helped me a lot, made it easy for me. And the two coaches give us a lot of self-confidence, tell us exactly what to do,” says Martin.

Martin came to Germany alone – without his daughter Journee and his partner Equria, who works as a teacher. So far he hasn’t seen much of the city – given the training and many games in a short space of time. “I’m also at home a lot, phoning my family or playing video games,” says the 26-year-old.

He has already tried out the Göttingen restaurant scene a bit, and in Australia he also learned to cook for himself. “But I hardly did it here. It’s hard to go shopping and translate everything: you have to find out what’s spicy, for example. I’ve eaten a lot of Caesar’s Salad with chicken since I’ve been here, but my favorite pasta is actually pasta.”