Boston Celtics Matt Ryan gets emotional talking about his journey to the NBA: "I was driving DoorDash a year ago"
Ryan is one of those players that was doing everything he could to become an NBA player despite going through a challenging journey to be where he is now
The NBA Summer League is in full swing, and it hasn't disappointed with the quality of basketball we were able to witness so far in Las Vegas. On top of great basketball, a pretty wholesome story just came out to the attention of everyone, and it involves a Boston Celtics forward, Matt Ryan, who was pretty emotional after last night's big-time performance where he scored 23 points and a game-winner against the Milwaukee Bucks.
A tough journey into the NBA
Ryan is one of those players that was doing everything he could to become an NBA player despite going through a challenging journey to be where he is now. After a fantastic game where he was the best player on the Celtics, Ryan spoke with the media and was highly emotional about his journey and everything he had endured in the last 18 months.
Interestingly enough, Ryan admitted that after getting waived off by the Denver Nuggets, he went back home and drove for DoorDash just to make some money. On top of that, his dream of becoming a basketball was still alive, so all his extra time and effort was put into training and polishing his basketball skills, perfectly displayed in a win against the Bucks.
"It's pretty emotional, and it's been a crazy 11 months, and I was home for a year and a half. I don't know if you guys heard my story, but I was driving DoorDash a year ago and to be here and be a part of the Boston Celtics is special."
Ryan played in one NBA game in his entire career
Ryan signed a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics in February this year and made his NBA debut on April 10th in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He scored 3 points in 5 minutes and was a part of a team that made it to the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. He didn't play at all, but the reality is Summer League is a good way to showcase your skillset and earn a contract and maybe even significant playing time in the upcoming season if the Celtics coaching staff recognizes Ryan's potential value to the team.
No matter what happens, it's great to hear Ryan was able to get out of the slump despite having a rocky start to his basketball career. Hopefully, the championship-contending Celtics will give him a more stable contract and even minutes in the upcoming season.
