Minneapolis, MN, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Aron Baynes (16) and forward Jeff Ayres (11) and forward Tim Duncan (21) enjoy a timeout in the game with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. The Spurs win 121-92. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Minneapolis, MN, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Aron Baynes (16) and forward Jeff Ayres (11) and forward Tim Duncan (21) enjoy a timeout in the game with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. The Spurs win 121-92. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Jeff Ayres was among the many basketball players who headed overseas once NBA opportunities dried up, and he soon realized there is nothing quite like The Association. Ayres shared on the Afterburn Advisory podcast how spoiled NBA players are when asked about his decision to go overseas.
“The main reason why people keep working is either you love it that much, and your body is telling you you could do it,” Ayres said. “And then it’s like a necessity. You need to keep playing. So I didn’t have any super crazy contracts when I played in the NBA. So it’s not like I got $100 million I could just chill at 28.
“So I wanted to go try and play in Europe,” Ayres stated. “I thought the EuroLeague was super cool, like watching the games. Having a whole team of foreigners on the Spurs, they talk about EuroLeague. Some of them grew up playing in it. So I’m like, ‘All right, that would be fun.’ End up going to Russia, playing for CSKA Moscow, and playing in some EuroLeague stuff. And I thought it was so cool.
“But there ain’t nothing like the NBA,” Ayres continued. “You can get overseas, and you learn this crazy cool perspective, though. The NBA, it’s not reality. Besides the money, pretty much you fly in private everywhere you go. You got chefs everywhere you go. You’re staying in the nicest hotels. Like you don’t even got to bring your gear for practice. You’re super spoiled as an NBA player.
“And then I go overseas, and I’m trying to fight for an exit row on a plane,” Ayres added. “Or we’re taking a charter bus for eight hours somewhere. Making sure I don’t forget my shoes and my jersey and my bag when we go on a road trip.”
That would have been quite an adjustment.
The Sacramento Kings had selected Ayres, who then went by Jeff Pendergraph, with the No. 31 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft after a four-year career at Arizona State. He was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers soon after, but didn’t make much of an impact as a rookie.
Ayres then suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason in 2010 and was waived by the Trail Blazers. He spent a year away from the NBA and then signed with the Indiana Pacers in 2011. Ayres spent two seasons with the Pacers and then headed to the San Antonio Spurs in 2013. He’d become an NBA champion during his time in San Antonio, with the Spurs triumphing in 2014.
Now, the Spurs had plenty of foreign players at the time, such as Tony Parker, Boris Diaw, Nando De Colo, and Marco Belinelli. Their experiences playing overseas contributed to Ayres deciding to take that step a few years later when doors closed for him in the NBA.
Ayres remained with the Spurs for another season and then, in 2015, went to the G League (then called the D-League). He spent time there and also with the Los Angeles Clippers before heading overseas in 2016.
Ayres, who averaged 2.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.2 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game over six NBA seasons, would go on to play in Russia, Japan, and Turkey. He loved those experiences, but they just didn’t compare to the NBA.