PERTH (Western Australia) – A Tongan basketballer’s career took an unexpected turn after being cut from his suburban Western Australian team in 2020. Facing doubt and deflation, Jonah Palelei, found himself training in the backyard of a legend during the lockdown.
That legend was former NBL and WNBL Coach, and Hall of Famer, Andy Stewart. During that lockdown period, Stewart was the igniting force that sparked Palelei’s hunger for basketball.
“Having Andy train with me during lockdown was really a turning point for me, I was ready to throw in the towel, and had lost my passion for the game,” Palelei said. “We trained most days, and it reignited my passion for basketball and in a way, it started this journey I’m now on playing NBL1 with the Cockburn Cougars and representing Tonga at the Pacific Games last year.”
Full article from FIBA here
