Maccabi Tel Aviv continued to get back to Euroleague action when it visited a familiar foe in Monaco late Thursday night in the Principality. The yellow-and-blue returned to the site of its quarterfinal Game 5 defeat last season, when it was oh-so-close to punching its ticket to the Final Four, as it looked to continue the momentum gained from last week’s win over Panathinaikos.
Monaco began the season 0-2 but evened it up at 2-2 and then improved to 3-2 by beating Maccabi. Jaron Blossomgame is beginning his second season under head coach Sasa Obradsovic and had played in Israel back in the 2020/21 season when he played his trade with Nahariya in his first season abroad. Little did he know that just two short years later, the Atlanta native would make the jump to the continent’s top league.
The Jerusalem Post caught up with Blossomgame to discuss a number of topics – from his time in the Holy Land to Monaco adding a number of pieces to an already loaded club including NBA star Kemba Walker.
“Everything is pretty good, I can’t complain,” Blossomgame said as he stepped into his car following a two-hour practice and then a Euroleague Players Association meeting.
“We are undefeated in the French league at 8-0, we’re 2-2 in the Euroleague with both wins coming last week, so things are going well. Jordan Loyd is healthy now and we have our full team.”
Monaco made a number of moves in the off-season in order to try and build off of last year’s Final Four appearance. One of the players that joined the club was four-time NBA All-Star Kemba Walker who was no doubt the biggest offseason signing in Europe.
“Before he got here I heard incredible things about him and he has been every humble. He’s an NBA star and it’s surprising as to how he is. A coach said that he acts like a college student, he listens, watches film and is very coachable. He’s a great teammate and great person to hang around with, on and off the court. To add him to this team is terrific.”
Mike James has always been a lightning rod in Europe whether it has been with CSKA Moscow, Milano and even Monaco last season, but as Blossomgame says, the star guard is a player that any team would want to share the floor with.
“You hear about his reputation and there are those who have bad things to say. We had some situations but he is a great teammate and he reached out to me on my first day. He is always positive and gives so many tips and it is just great playing with him.
Last season, Monaco finished the season in fourth place and advanced to the Final Four before it succumbed in the semifinals to Olympiacos. This year with the changes that have been made, the Principality’s club could threaten to win it all.
“Right now it’s very early. Some people will say that we are better on paper but we have to go out and win the games. We have the potential to do some great things this year when we figure things out. Once we get things rolling we have a lot of firepower and we have both offense and defense capabilities. But it’s still tough to say, it’s early and 5-6 other teams feel they can win, but there are a lot of games to be played.”
The Clemson product wasn’t always in love with basketball, but as the years went by he was able to see that perhaps one day he could end up being a professional. His journey ultimately took him to the Cleveland Cavaliers after having been selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 59th pick in the 2017 draft.
“I started playing when I was nine years old and I didn’t like basketball. My brother was taller than me and he liked it and got all of the attention, but I got pretty good in high school but I only took it seriously when I was a Junior. It was only in my sophomore year that I saw that I could make it as a professional.”
The now 30-year-old stands at 6-foot-7 and can play multiple positions on the court which made him a wanted man over the years.
“I have a unique game, I was an undersized 4 and transitioned to be a 3-4, 4-3 and my role now is different. I had to transform my game and I don’t need to be the guy I was in Israel or Germany. I can catch and shoot threes, attack the basket, closeouts, win the 50/50 balls, guard 1-5 and be a Swiss Army knife type guy.”
Playing for Nahariya
Blossomgame played in both the NBA and G-League over the course of his first three seasons as a pro before making his first foray abroad, which led him to Israel at the starts of the 2020/21 campaign where he featured for a very tough luck teaming Nahariya that was eventually relegated.
“When I came over and didn’t understand European basketball at all and I didn’t know why Maccabi won every year while I had no idea what the Euroleague was.
“My first day out there in Israel I got a menu in Hebrew and I didn’t understand a thing. I couldn’t understand how I would last for the season and I would have gone home. But I had some great teammates and we hung out a lot which made it easier. That season, I had the most fun.
“I love Israel and I love going back there. For my first experience overseas, I embraced the culture and that is something I definitely hold dear to me. I enjoyed being there.”
As for his best memory from his year in Israel, Blossomgame took no time to go right for the gold.“Shabbat dinner. I made a friend that I am still close with and he took me under his wing. We hung out all the time with his family and kids. We spent time away from basketball and I learnt about Israel. I genuinely enjoyed it and hopefully we will be back in January.”
After a season in Israel’s north, It was on to Germany and Ulm for a season before having Monaco call him and take him away to the French League where he has now been for two seasons with Monaco.
“I did think I would get to the Euroleague but I didn’t know when. I watched Maccabi every week and they were the only team I knew and tried to learn about it as much as I could.”
It’s clear that Blossomgame is extremely talented and has other aspects to his game that he is not utilizing with Monaco, which he may have at other teams such as Nahariya. But the decision to be a part of a team that can win it all is inspiring enough.
“My role is what it is and it makes the team go. People who have seen me play know what I can do and know I can help the team win, whether it’s in five minutes or 25 minutes. I am capable of doing more, but the team’s needs are more important than personal goals.”