There is something interesting about it. How some players evolve to fit the culture of basketball. It can be like a walk. a kind of swag that manifests as a mix of unwavering confidence and body-shattering soreness from a seven-hour workout the night before.
But other times, it just seems like a passion, the kind that says “kill or be killed.” Those who live in America are no strangers to the culture surrounding basketball. But for players from overseas, like Detroit Pistons rookie Bobby Klintman, it’s a whole different world. But it’s also one he’s adapting to.
“I would say here in America, it’s like a religion,” says Clinton. “You grow up playing basketball, basically. You know someone who played basketball, you probably have someone in your family who played basketball.”
And that’s true. For many basketball players, it was practically instilled from birth, with many still hanging on to early memories of one-handed dunks over a Little Tikes hoop. But for Clinton, that early exposure was hardly an option.
Growing up in Malmö, a coastal city in the south of Sweden, Bobby got used to the soccer culture, or as we like to call it, soccer culture, before entering the basketball arena.
“You hear about people playing football at school,” he says. “It’s like the number one sport. So you don’t really see a lot of basketball.”
It wasn’t until Clintman reached his early teenage years that he was able to really begin to shape himself as a basketball player. But even then, it didn’t compare to the level of intensity that was happening in the states.
“You got high school, AAU, that whole system, which is different than Sweden. Sweden is more like you’re doing it for fun,” he says.
Where many high school players would have an entire area or facility dedicated to helping them get better at their craft, Klintman had to split gym time with other sports.
“It’s very difficult to get into the gym, there’s always something going on. It can be handball, field hockey, anything in the gym. So you never knew when you might be able to hit the gym. When you get your practice time, you really have to maximize it,” explains Clintman.
Attending Sweden’s RIG Mark Academy, Klintman quickly rose through the league ranks, playing 13 games in 2019 for the academy’s third-tier league, Basketettan. Less than a year later, he made his way into the second-tier league, the Superetta, before his season was cut short by Covid in February 2020.
“(RIG) is where we would have school and basketball at the same time. And that’s what I did when I turned 15. It’s like club basketball, that’s the main thing, and if you’re good enough, you play professionally in Sweden.”
And he did play professionally.
In 2021, Klintman was promoted to the first division, the Basketball League, where he played six games for the professional basketball club Boras Basket to finish the season.
Despite struggling against some of the top high school players in the country, he still managed to attract the attention of overseas scouts. The Swedish star had seven offers from top colleges, including Kansas and Virginia, before even setting foot on US soil.
That next year, Klintman made the big decision to leave Sweden and head to Kansas to play at Sunrise Christian Academy, a school known for producing some of the most beautiful players in their early years, including Buddy Hield, Blake Hinson and Grady Dick. to name a few).
Assimilating into the passionate American basketball culture when you come from a different country with a completely different view of basketball is not easy. But Clinton didn’t focus too much on cultural differences. He just took the Sunrise Christian opportunity and ran with it.
Bobby quickly adapted to the American style of play, leading the team to a 25-2 overall record and the best season in school history. The team also won the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, going 9-2 against nationally ranked opponents and ranked as the top-ranked team in the nation in February 2022.
Looking back on that time in his life, Clintman credits his growth as a player to his days at SCA.
“It’s like if you want to play another position, you have to be able to defend that position. “I’ve been all for it (ever) since I got out there,” Clinton said. “I couldn’t really move my legs when I first came to the US, but it was something I had to work on and still work on to this day.”
With support from loved ones and newfound skills and guidance from former SCA coach Luke Barnwell, Clintman developed into a four-star recruit and took another huge leap of faith by committing to Maryland. But then he started second-guessing which college team was the right fit; he left Maryland, then Colorado, before finally landing in Wake Forest.
“It’s a different person. You have guys on your team who are 24 years old who have been in college for, like, four years, so they know the system,” he says. “It’s just a lot to get used to. You need to find a routine, something that works for you. When you step on the court, everything just shuts down.”
Bobby quickly caught on to the team’s work ethic and appeared in all 33 games his first season, even starting a few late in the year.
“You really have to be a hard worker, you know?” he says “That’s probably when I really realized that we really have to play 100 percent because it’s very competitive going out on the court.”
Like his run at SCA, Clintman put up insane numbers, becoming the first Wake Forest freshman to record multiple double-doubles since 2018 and the first Wake Forest freshman to record a double-double in an ACC Tournament game since school legend Tim Duncan. : .
Bobby kept his run at Wake Forest surprisingly short, first declaring for the 2023 NBA draft and then ultimately leaving the team.
Later that year, he embarked on another challenge in another country, signing with the Cairns Taipans as part of Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL). The next stars the program.
Described by Taipans head coach Adam Forde as the “prototype” of the modern NBA, Klintman set career highs in points (24), rebounds (12) and assists (3) in three separate games during the season. Despite only playing one season with the team, Bobby says his time in Australia has been one of profound growth.
“Every day you have to give it your all because everything leads to (the team) winning the game,” he explains. “If I take my team as an example, we lost in the playoffs by one game, and that shows how important it really is to win every game. It’s a small margin for error, so you have to be the best version of yourself.”
Belief in her abilities is what has guided Clinton to success. The ability to mold himself, to adapt to such drastic changes in his career, is what he believes will ignite the fire he needs to conquer his next journey, the NBA.
Bobby has always had his heart set on his NBA dreams. But hearing his name in June felt completely unreal.
“(I think) back to when (my brother and I) were sitting on the couch talking,” he recalled. “We (thought) ‘it will’ be us one day. I can’t even explain it, I’m still speechless about it.”
Clintman and his family wept after the Swedish star was selected to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves and traded to the Detroit Pistons the same day, essentially making distant dreams come true.
Despite not being selected in the first round, which would have made him the first Swedish player ever to be drafted at such a high level, Klintman is eager to show his American counterparts the virtues behind his roots.
“I feel like a lot of people who play basketball in Europe have a pretty rigid mindset because you have to do a lot on your own,” he says. “I feel like we have a different mindset. So I (try) to keep that all my life. I wouldn’t say I have a chip on (my) shoulder, but something like that.”
Clinton holds her family and her roots close to her heart. He often misses calling his friends over to play basketball or eating his mom’s signature lasagna after a long day.
“That’s why I do it. Therefore, not being around (my family and friends) has been difficult,” he says. “But at the same time, we’re all growing up, we’ve all reached our goals, and we’re always supporting each other.”
As much as Klintman cherishes the memories of growing up in Sweden, she realizes that there is another goal in this new environment. “I want to win the championship.”
Photos via Getty Images. Portraits by Eli Selva. Editing by Alexander Zheng.
