{"id":831457,"date":"2025-06-23T14:29:03","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T18:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=831457"},"modified":"2025-06-23T14:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T18:29:06","slug":"byu-egor-demin-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/the-magazine\/slam-257\/byu-egor-demin-story\/","title":{"rendered":"BYU’s Egor Demin Breaks Down His Journey From Russia to the NBA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Egor Demin has been chasing the improbable for as long as he can remember. And now, improbably, he’s just about there. The destination is beautiful, but the path that led to this point hasn\u2019t always been. Before Egor ever believed the NBA was possible, he was forced to believe in something else: sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sure, every prospect who\u2019s reached this point has had to sacrifice something to get here. But Egor\u2019s sacrifice was just\u2026different. Not in the abstract sense, but in the deeply personal kind\u2014the kind that asks a teenager to leave home at 15, cross continents, learn two new languages and carry the weight of not just his own ambition, but his family\u2019s dreams. That kind of sacrifice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re a few days out from the NBA draft, and Egor is on the cusp of hearing his name called, walking across the stage and shaking Adam Silver\u2019s hand. The 19-year-old, 6-9 point guard\u2014yes, point guard\u2014has the vision of a veteran optometrist and the feel for the game of a seasoned pro. But none of that means much unless you understand what it took to get here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to start in Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Egor was born into basketball. His father had a long professional career and represented Russia on the national team. And his mother, who played until she was 18, was the first person to put the battery in his back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, it was just like, Well, that\u2019s fun<\/em>, because all my family was doing it,\u201d Demin tells SLAM. \u201cBut then I had the moment where I heard my mom saying, Hey, if you really like it, then respect it. Put effort in this. And if you really want to play basketball, then try to be the best in it.<\/em> And this is the moment when I kind of started to take it serious.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while kids stateside grow up with the NBA stitched into their imagination, Egor grew up a world away, where that dream felt distant, if not impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing up in Russia, it was always a dream, and it was always in my head,\u201d he recalls. \u201cBut it always felt unreal, because it\u2019s really far, and not many Russian players were in the NBA. It was always a feeling of, Well, how\u2019s it even gonna happen?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So rather than chase a dream that felt so out of reach, he focused on improvement. Relentlessly. By 15, it became clear he wasn\u2019t just another tall kid with a nice handle. His gifts were unordinary for a kid his age, a kid his size. The way he processed the game. The way he saw space. The purpose he played with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And with that clarity came a new choice: stay in Russia and hit the ceiling or leave everything behind in pursuit of something greater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Egor moved to Spain to join Real Madrid’s famed youth system. His parents stayed behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Imagine that. You’re a teenager. You live in a new country. You barely speak the language. Your parents\u2014your comfort, your counsel\u2014are more than four thousand miles away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was really hard to move to a different country and spend three years in Spain, really far away from my family and they couldn\u2019t really come visit me. This was the hardest stage of my path,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen something was frustrating, or if I was sad, I couldn\u2019t just call my parents, because they\u2019d just freak out. So I\u2019m thinking about how I could take care of my mental health, but I also gotta take care of my parents\u2019 mental health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he did it. And in doing so, he learned what it meant to be a pro. Soon enough, the dream no longer felt far-fetched. It felt tangible. And more than that, it felt earned. Now, it was time to take it to yet another level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egor could\u2019ve taken the traditional NCAA route. Blue bloods lined up. He fielded offers from the likes of Duke, UConn and more. But like he\u2019s done his entire basketball life, he took the path less traveled. He committed to Coach Kevin Young and Brigham Young University, becoming the Cougars\u2019 then highest-rated recruit in program history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some asked, why BYU? The answer was simple: NBA pedigree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho can prepare me better than an NBA coach?\u201d Egor says. \u201cBesides [Young], they had an NBA strength and conditioning coach. They had a nutritionist from the NBA. We had a mental coach from the NBA. Everybody\u2019s like, Provo, Utah, is so boring<\/em>. I\u2019m like, You play basketball there, man!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Provo, he was everywhere. Guarding multiple positions. Running the break. Dishing with touch. Setting screens. Reading rotations. He became BYU’s connective tissue. And through it all, his game spoke louder than he did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sees the pass before you see the lane. He anticipates plays before they happen. His frame\u2014long and fluid\u2014lets him make plays few guards can. His basketball IQ exceeds his age, and his character might rate even higher than his game. That might be the most impressive part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t a kid who\u2019s been handed anything. He doesn\u2019t see himself as a final product. He sees himself as a piece that can fit in any puzzle. A weapon that can be sharpened. A player who can make an impact now while evolving into something even greater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

His potential is untapped, but he\u2019s eager to make an instant contribution to any organization that takes a bet on him. As for what that contribution may be? He doesn\u2019t care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just want to be helpful. Whatever it takes,\u201d he says. \u201cI want to bring my versatility to any team that takes me, and that\u2019s why I believe I can be a good fit for any team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not just a point guard, I\u2019m a playmaker,\u201d Egor continues. \u201cI told every team I was meeting with [during the pre-draft process], Hey, I can be whatever you want me to be. I want to learn.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egor envisions himself being one of the strongest, most complete guards in the League someday. He envisions himself being one of the best defenders in the League. He wants to dominate in every aspect of the game. And he\u2019s building the foundation brick by brick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not running away from anything. I\u2019m not trying to hide my weaknesses. I know it\u2019s going to be hard anywhere I go,\u201d he says. “I\u2019m ready for the worst, but I\u2019m expecting the best.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His voice never wavers. You can tell he\u2019s said this to himself in the mirror. During tough nights in Spain. During quiet days in Utah. During the moments no one sees. He isn\u2019t playing for applause. He\u2019s playing for meaning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every conversation with Egor eventually comes back to his family. His father, whose dreams stopped short. His mother, who first planted the seed of seriousness. The weight of their faith propels him to stay the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just talked to my dad a couple of days ago, and he was talking about how crazy life is,\u201d Egor shares, \u201cfor bringing his<\/em> kid dream to life through his kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s hard to really understand how big it is for him, because I don\u2019t have kids yet. But I see myself in the future as a really proud father. My parents were living this whole process through me, and it was probably even harder for them than it was for me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The draft is days away. There will be cameras. A fresh suit. Green room nerves. And millions of new eyeballs on him. But Egor will walk in with the same mindset that took him across an ocean: gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have a lot of good people surrounding me. The opportunities that I\u2019m getting are a blessing. It\u2019s nothing but gratitude from my part,\u201d he says. \u201cEverything around me is taken care of, thanks to all these people around me. Now I just have to grind. I just gotta give my best to the game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something riveting about the long road. The scenic route. The inconvenient path. It reveals more. Demands more. Shapes more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Egor didn\u2019t come up through viral mixtapes. He wasn\u2019t raised in the AAU circuit. His journey\u2014from Russia to Spain to Utah to the NBA\u2014is the epitome of a tireless pursuit of excellence. And when his name is called on draft night, he won\u2019t act surprised. He won\u2019t act entitled. He\u2019ll simply get ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To train. To adapt. To lead. To prove, over and over, that he belongs. He\u2019s not a dreamer anymore. He\u2019s the dream realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Photos via Getty Images<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Egor Demin has been chasing the improbable for as long as he can remember. And now, improbably, he’s just about there. The destination is beautiful, but the path that led to this point hasn\u2019t always been. Before Egor ever believed the NBA was possible, he was forced to believe in something else: sacrifice. Sure, every […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":507,"featured_media":831458,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[65419],"tags":[6673,2206,10183,65420,62525],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-831457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-slam-257","tag-byu","tag-byu-cougars","tag-college-basketball","tag-egor-demin","tag-feature-1"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/507"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=831457"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":831643,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/831457\/revisions\/831643"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/831458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=831457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=831457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=831457"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=831457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}