Latter-day Saint, Justin Bean, is on his way to Germany. He never imagined his life would take him to another country to play basketball, but he is embracing the opportunity.
The Oklahoma native walked on to the Utah State Basketball team his freshman year. Justin spent the next five years at Utah State before being encouraged to enter the NBA draft in 2022. Since then, he has played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the summer league, the Memphis Hustle G-League, and the Boston Celtics summer league squad.
While he has enjoyed his time practicing and playing for these teams, it was not how Justin envisioned his time in the NBA.
Justin just signed a three-year contract to play professional basketball for a team in Berlin, Germany; Alba Berlin. The Beans will leave for Germany in just a few weeks. They will be leaving everything they know to then adjust to a new country and language. Along with all of that change, they will be welcoming a baby boy in November.
“I have learned to just rely on the Lord more than ever,” he said. “Over time, I feel like the Lord has taught me to be patient, not only with myself, but with my situation. … In this situation, I can’t control what a coach or a general manager thinks of me. So I think just worrying about myself and how I can improve and trusting that God is going to put me in a situation to perform well, and to be able to financially provide for my family. That’s the most important thing.”
Bean continued: “Obviously, making it to the NBA is still a goal I hope to reach one day, but at the end of the day, to be a good husband, and soon a good father, and honor the priesthood, those things are the most important.”
You can read more about Justin Bean, his basketball career and his faith here.
Kaitlyn is a student at Utah Valley University, where she is studying Public Relations. She served her mission in San Diego California and Chile. Kaitlyn loves sports, country music, being in the mountains and eating chocolate chip cookies.
