A historic first will soon be made in the dynamic and exciting world of sports when a young and ambitious Iranian athlete will join the prestigious NBA basketball league in the next two months.
Jaber Rouzbahani is 7 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 260 pounds, with an 8-foot wingspan. He is a shot blocker with a soft shooting touch.
The NBA - National Basketball Association - is the premier professional basketball league in the World. The best players play in the NBA, and the overall standard of the competition is considerably higher than any other professional competition.
Players in other countries looking to jumpstart their career often join NBA teams in the hope of becoming a star player and gaining international exposure. So it seems Rouzbahani is on the right track…
Rouzbahani can grab the rim flat-footed and dunk on his tiptoe. He is a kid from the historical Iranian city of Isfahan. Born in 1986, Rouzbahani started playing less than four years ago and plays for Isfahan's Zob Ahan. The Iranian teen played China's Yao Ming in an Asian tournament last year and held him to 15 points - about half of what Yao was averaging in the tourney. The Chinese is currently playing in the NBA.
Rouzbahani played at the World Junior Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece last summer in front of NBA scouts, averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds per game and an eye-opening 7 blocks, leading the entire tournament.
What stands out most about Rouzbahani, besides his obvious size, is his smile and great personality, which shines through despite the language barrier.
"I underwent all NBA tests," Rouzbahani recently told the official IRNA news agency, and added, “I have to register at San Francisco University to be able to play in NBA league. The enrollment takes me two months.
"My presence in NBA will help my teammates find their way into the world`s most prestigious basketball league."
Jaber has been working with Ansar Alameen, an NBA skill development coach, since moving to America. Alameen has said, “His development since I’ve been working with him is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It really comes down to his attitude.”
Rouzbahani was brought over from Iran last year after acquiring the necessary visa.
Jaber had a normal family upbringing with loving parents. His father is average height standing roughly 6 foot, while his mother is about 5'11.
When asked in one of his interviews what his idea of the US was before arriving to the country, he said he thought there was a nightclub on every street and everybody was rich and had a Benz. He added he was surprised most about the US that everybody there loves basketball, not soccer like in Iran.
Jaber was born with the same pituitary gland disorder as fellow draft prospect Pavel Podkolzine. Also known as “giantism”, it is a disorder related to the pituitary gland which is involved in growth. Left untreated people with this disorder often die from it in their 30s or 40s as their body cannot sustain the growth. Unlike Podkolzine, Rouzbahani had his pituitary gland removed a few years ago.
In Iran, by the way, basketball is almost non-existent. There is one gym in the city where Jaber is from and it is used by the professional team. Rouzbahani had a chance to meet his favorite player (Shaquille O'Neal) on a chance meeting on a trip up to Portland. As the two biggest people for miles around, the two spotted one another from across a parking lot. Shaq walked the length of the parking lot to shake the big fella’s hand, and said "You're the big kid from Iran right?" When asked how he knew of Jaber, Shaq pointed to his head and said, "I know everything."
In Iran, everyone plays soccer, and because of his size he was always the goalkeeper. When asked about how he started playing basketball, Jaber said someone handed him a ball and he liked the way it felt. It seems that moment was a significant changing point in Jaber’s life on his way to fame and fortune in the NBA…
Jaber Rouzbahani is 7 feet 5 inches tall, weighs 260 pounds, with an 8-foot wingspan. He is a shot blocker with a soft shooting touch.
The NBA - National Basketball Association - is the premier professional basketball league in the World. The best players play in the NBA, and the overall standard of the competition is considerably higher than any other professional competition.
Players in other countries looking to jumpstart their career often join NBA teams in the hope of becoming a star player and gaining international exposure. So it seems Rouzbahani is on the right track…
Rouzbahani can grab the rim flat-footed and dunk on his tiptoe. He is a kid from the historical Iranian city of Isfahan. Born in 1986, Rouzbahani started playing less than four years ago and plays for Isfahan's Zob Ahan. The Iranian teen played China's Yao Ming in an Asian tournament last year and held him to 15 points - about half of what Yao was averaging in the tourney. The Chinese is currently playing in the NBA.
Rouzbahani played at the World Junior Championships in Thessaloniki, Greece last summer in front of NBA scouts, averaging 12 points and 8 rebounds per game and an eye-opening 7 blocks, leading the entire tournament.
What stands out most about Rouzbahani, besides his obvious size, is his smile and great personality, which shines through despite the language barrier.
"I underwent all NBA tests," Rouzbahani recently told the official IRNA news agency, and added, “I have to register at San Francisco University to be able to play in NBA league. The enrollment takes me two months.
"My presence in NBA will help my teammates find their way into the world`s most prestigious basketball league."
Jaber has been working with Ansar Alameen, an NBA skill development coach, since moving to America. Alameen has said, “His development since I’ve been working with him is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It really comes down to his attitude.”
Rouzbahani was brought over from Iran last year after acquiring the necessary visa.
Jaber had a normal family upbringing with loving parents. His father is average height standing roughly 6 foot, while his mother is about 5'11.
When asked in one of his interviews what his idea of the US was before arriving to the country, he said he thought there was a nightclub on every street and everybody was rich and had a Benz. He added he was surprised most about the US that everybody there loves basketball, not soccer like in Iran.
Jaber was born with the same pituitary gland disorder as fellow draft prospect Pavel Podkolzine. Also known as “giantism”, it is a disorder related to the pituitary gland which is involved in growth. Left untreated people with this disorder often die from it in their 30s or 40s as their body cannot sustain the growth. Unlike Podkolzine, Rouzbahani had his pituitary gland removed a few years ago.
In Iran, by the way, basketball is almost non-existent. There is one gym in the city where Jaber is from and it is used by the professional team. Rouzbahani had a chance to meet his favorite player (Shaquille O'Neal) on a chance meeting on a trip up to Portland. As the two biggest people for miles around, the two spotted one another from across a parking lot. Shaq walked the length of the parking lot to shake the big fella’s hand, and said "You're the big kid from Iran right?" When asked how he knew of Jaber, Shaq pointed to his head and said, "I know everything."
In Iran, everyone plays soccer, and because of his size he was always the goalkeeper. When asked about how he started playing basketball, Jaber said someone handed him a ball and he liked the way it felt. It seems that moment was a significant changing point in Jaber’s life on his way to fame and fortune in the NBA…
