Now Available for Pre-Order on Amazon.
From the outside, being a professional athlete seems glamorous and sexy. But, what if your name is not Michael, Kobe or Lebron?
What if the highest level of athleticism you achieve is as an almost-7-foot tall overseas professional basketball player? Overseas Famous chronicles the strangely humorous, challenging and inspiring story of former overseas professional basketball player Kevin Owens. Starting his basketball career as a senior in high school and not attending a nationally ranked collegiate program, Owens still found himself traveling across four continents, enduring the hustle of the game and the erratic lifestyle of an athlete.
Owens' journey is far from ordinary. His unbelievable stories ranging from NBA workouts guarded by one of the best and dirtiest defenders in NBA history to an unwilling participant in a lit flare toss helps the reader understand what it's actually like playing basketball overseas. Overseas Famous tackles many issues Americans deal with while playing basketball abroad, including language barriers, different styles of play, and the inevitable downfalls like missed paychecks and being ghosted by an organization after a substantial injury.
This story is an honest and entertaining tale about the travels and tribulations of playing pro basketball worldwide.
“Kevin Owens has lived a basketball life less ordinary. We often hear about professional players who are selected and celebrated early on, and who sail through the glitzy prep circuit and make it to the highest levels of the game. But as Owens' terrific book reminds us, some players have to grind and endure to make their dreams come true. And often their stories are the most entertaining.”
-Lang Whitaker currently works for the Memphis Grizzlies as the General Manager of Grizz Gaming, and as a contributor to Grind City Media. Additionally, Lang works as a contributor to GQ Magazine.
"American basketball fans 'know' about guys 'playing overseas' because it's such a common occurrence. Their favorite high school or college player can't quite stick in the NBA but isn't ready to hang up his kicks so he goes overseas. But what the hell happens over there? Given the complete dearth of coverage in American media about basketball in foreign countries, smart fans are hungry to learn what it's like. In Overseas Famous, long-time pro baller Kevin Owens teaches us, sharing the good, bad and the ugly of overseas basketball. Bonus points for a very cool foreword from the great Chucky Brown, too."
-Ben Osborne is Head Of Content at Just Women's Sports. He was previously Senior Features Editor for Fox Sports Digital, and Editor-in-Chief of Bleacher Report and SLAM (where he first got familiar with Kevin via his recurring blog posts from overseas).