Isaiah Austin’s NBA dreams shattered when the league ruled him medically ineligible for the 2014 draft. Now he’s returned in a new role. - NBCBLK
Austin was coming off a banner season playing for Baylor University, leading his team to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. As a 7-foot, 1-inch center, he had been known for his flashy blocks. And now he was projected to be a first-round pick in the NBA Draft, making all his dreams come true, just five days later.
“After the workout, we were driving home, and I just felt like his whole personality changed towards me, almost like he was just sad for me or something,” Austin said. “And I just remember driving down the road. I was in the passenger seat. And I remember seeing my parents’ car in the driveway, and at this time they lived in Kansas.
Isaiah Austin speaks with a group of children during an NBA Fit Event in New York, New York, on June 24, 2015.Austin’s career trajectory had suddenly flipped. But years later, he is taking on a new role in the NBA, one that had not been in his plans when he left Baylor after two seasons as a student-athlete eyeing the NBA. Last month, Austin started a one-year fellowship created specifically for him in the league’s player development department.
Austin turned to opportunities overseas in hope of still playing professionally. His cardiologist, Dr. David Liang, wrote a letter in 2017 confirming that he was able and healthy to play, Austin said, adding that Liang observed no clear symptoms of Marfan syndrome. Jamila Wideman, the NBA’s senior vice president of player development, said in a statement: “The NBA Player Development group has long supported former players in their transition to post-playing careers through a number of programs, and the League Office Fellowship was specifically designed to further develop Isaiah’s unique talents and experiences while giving him a foundational knowledge of the business of basketball.
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