“I Was At My Lowest I’ve Been In My Life” | Quinn Cook Pleads To Get Back In The NBA; His Saga Exposes The Plight Of The Journeyman

Quinn Cook is ready to make a comeback in the NBA. The two-time NBA champion took to Twitter to let the world know that he is coming out of a slump and wants to get back to the league that made him a winner on the biggest stage for basketball.

“God willing I get a NBA call up this season it will be the proudest moment in my career thus far. I will cherish it like a any championship I’ve won because a couple months ago I was at rock bottom. I was at my lowest I’ve been in my life but God got me through it. Never quit!”

At 29 years old, Cook has seen the highs and lows of being a professional athlete. He currently is playing in the G League for the Stockton Kings after playing in the NBA on the highest levels.

The Cook Way

The 6’2 guard is the definition of a professional basketball journeyman. Cook started his career with the G League, but he had a Cinderella story to his professional career.

A Washington, D.C., native, Cook was a standout player at DeMatha Catholic High School for his freshman through junior years before transferring to basketball factory Oak Hill Academy in Virginia.

The Oak Hill Academy Warriors basketball program is considered one of the top prep basketball teams in the nation, with stars like Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony as alumni.

Paid The Cost

Cook was a 2011 McDonald’s All-American and standout member of the 2015 NCAA national champion Duke University team.

However, he didn’t get drafted in 2015 and ended up in the G League, with his first team being the Canton Charge. Cook has played for five NBA teams, three G League teams, and one international team.

He was a part of the 2018 Golden State Warriors championship-winning team and the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 bubble championship win. However, after signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers for a short-term contract in 2021, he left the NBA unceremoniously and went to Russia to play for the Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League until the end of the 2021–22 season.

Numbers Don’t Lie

However, Cook’s stats tell the tale.

During his time in the NBA through 188 games, Cook shot 46.1 percent from the field. In addition, he shot 40.8 percent from beyond the arc and 79.4 percent from the charity stripe.

Now Cook wants back in, and he is not alone.

After two stints in the G League, fellow professional baller Isaiah Thomas came back to the league and understood the struggle very well.

Isaiah’s Song

He showed his support to Quinn Cook on Twitter.

“SLOW GRIND!! Never give up killa. Keep going. Is gonna happen Fam!!” Thomas posted.

Thomas’s last stint with the Grand Rapids Gold lasted a month in February before he was called up to the Charlotte Hornets in March. The G League, NBA Africa, and even Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 league, BIG3, offer additional opportunities for players to bounce back to the NBA.

Quinn Cook has the credentials and is buoyed by NBA-affiliated leagues. He is a case study in resilience and the plight of the journeyman athlete.

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