Ulanbaatar, Mongolia – 1st Professional Basketball Job

What up everybody. I’m so blessed to have been given the opportunity to even play Professional Basketball. At the time of writing I am sitting at a Coffee Shop called Caffe Bene on the other side of the world in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia. I dreamed of playing Professional Basketball ever since I was a kid. To make my dream become a reality is the best feeling in the world. However, it did not come easy. I’ve struggled and failed over and over and over again for the past 3 years.

Ulanbaataar is such an amazing place to play and live. Well for starters everything here is half price, for example 10,000 Tugrik here is equivalent to $5. Thus, you take their tugrik and divide it by 2 to equate to our American dollar. So most things over here are a bit cheaper than back home in the states.

My journey began when I got signed to play on a Semi-Pro Team called The Bronx Holy Flames. Geo, the Owner of the Team was forming another team called the NY United. It was at the NY United Tryout that I met a player named Brandon Santiago. Brandon is actually a Pro Player as well. We were both trying out for the NY United Semi-Pro Basketball Team. I was just at the tryout because here was this little 5’8″ dude taking over the tryout with his crisp passing and lights out shooting. So I pulled him aside after the tryout and asked him, “what semi-pro team you playing for right now?” And he goes, “none, I’m actually working out with NBA Teams trying to get on a team. I just finished workouts with Sacramento, Orlando,  and the Knick today.” I was like wtf, are you serious? So I told him lets grab some dinner and let me get some advice.

It was at that dinner that he inspired me to go out to Las Vegas, Nevada and specifically go to 2 camps: The Euro Basket Summer League Camp and Bridgewater Academy Camp.

And 2 months after I was on a plane to Las Vegas. I did okay at the Euro Basket Camp but it was at Bridgewater where I killed and took over. I was named to the Top 20 All Star Team, interviewed for being one of the top players at the camp and most importantly it was at Bridgewater where I got my first Agent and signed with Aspire Sports Agency. Just getting my first agent was a dream come true. So a few months after the camp my boy Zach who’s also signed with Aspire tells me about a Mongolian Basketball Camp.

At first I wasn’t too excited because I thought do they even play ball in Mongolia? But then I did some research and learned that Mongolia actually had a legit Pro league called MNBA and with me being Asian I was like “man if I kill they’ll sign me and let me play their as a local since I am also part Tibetan, which is very close to Mongolia.” So, I went to the tryout at the Aviator Center in Brooklyn, NY, did my thing and met my now Agent, Aagii Altan-Ochir who offered me a pro job.

Fast forward to April 2015 I was at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. I flew from JFK to Moscow, Russia (had a 8 hour layover). Then landed in Ulanbaataar, Mongolia baby! The great about it was Aagii picked me up at the Airport right away. There was no waiting or having to take my own cab to the hotel, which is the horror story Dre Baldwin had to face when he went to Lithuania.

From the airport I was dropped off to an area of Ulanbaataar (UB) called Bagshin Deed. I was introduced to my roomate, Teng Akol, a 7 Foot Center originally from Senegal but grew up in Seattle. My apartment was huge! 2 Bedrooms, huge living room, with kitchen and dining table, big bathroom and balcony. I was like “I made it”.

And literally 2 hours later I was training Mongolian kids at a nearby gym called Orchlon. This was a part time job my agent gave me since he said it’s a great way for me to play ball, meet people and make some extra cash. After work that day I was driven to my first practice and met my teammates for my new team called Nice Mazzalai. And I killed at that practice.

Unfortunately, I was only at that big ass apartment for a week and a half. Since Teng was going back to America I had to move to my new apartment at the “Olympic Tower” where most of the Super League Pro players lived.

As the Basketball season got underway my love for the game grew deeper. This little ball has brought me to other side of the world and will bring to many more places in the near future.

In my very first game I felt a certain calm and happiness that I never felt before. It was feeling like “Damn, I finally made it.” All that hard work, blood, sweat, tears and time was all worth it. But this was just the beginning of  my dreams. So the first game I didn’t do too well. Scored 4 points, had 4 assists, 2 steals. However, the 2nd game I came out dropping 18 points, with 8 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds. It was right after that game that my teammates and coaches saw that I would be the go-to player on the team. And from then on I dominated nearly every game averaging 15 points a game, 7 assists, 2 steals and 4 rebounds. Loved by teammates and named a “Legionnaire” which is the term they give for one of the best players in the league who is from America.

Due to my impressive performance, I was invited back to play in the Super League this coming November. Can’t wait for September 1st when I’m back in Mongolia and practicing with my new teammates.

But before then this Summer is all about getting better through the most intense, grueling, and advanced workouts I have ever done. I will be training with Hasan Ahad in North Carolina to get me ready for the Super League which starts in November. Top NBA Players say the Summer is when the most growth occurs in your game and so these next 3 months will be the hardest and smartest 3 months I have ever trained in my life. My goal is to be the best Point guard in the league, MVP for all Local Players, Win a Championship with my team, Make the All-Star Team, and win the All Star Skills Challenge.

Will keep you updated on my latest workouts and Summer Workout.

Your Fellow Pro Player,
Sonam