A Tiger on the Spurs?

[andy7171]

Very cool article in Si on Gary Neal.

SAN ANTONIO -- Sometimes Gary Neal forgets he is in the NBA, and assumes he is still in Turkey or Italy or Spain, trying to raise a family an ocean away. Then he sees out of the corner of his eye the Spurs' highlights on television, a figure in black and silver who looks an awful lot like himself, and he recognizes that his whole improbable journey is real.
"I know we're a couple months into the season, but honestly it hasn't sunk in yet," Neal said. "I feel like I've been on a roller coaster that hasn't stopped."
He pauses for a moment to consider the metaphor. This is not a roller coaster he's on. It's a rocket ship.
Last spring, Neal finished his third season of professional basketball. He had never been in the NBA, never been to the NBA summer league, never even attended an NBA minicamp. The closest he came to the league were a few predraft workouts coming out of Towson University in 2007. "But those weren't serious," Neal said. "They were bringing me in to work out with the guy they really wanted to see."

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