"Love For The Game"

When Sean Sheldon's basketball career ended following a devastatingly brutal shoulder injury while playing professionally in Europe, he had no idea of his future.

He knew he couldn't give up the sport of basketball entirely, having spent his entire life around the game. But while still in a sling and pondering his next move, fate stepped in and completely changed his life.

"Honestly, the love for the game and where it kind of started was I played in a lot of 3-on-3 tournaments when I was a kid. … They were super big in Michigan," he said. "All summer, I would play with my brother sometimes on his team, and sometimes I would have my own team. We would be driving around Michigan — my parents, brother, and I — and playing in different tournaments, so that's really where it started."

While visiting a friend at Michigan State in 2017, Sheldon found an opening for a grad assistant position on the Spartans basketball staff. For a kid born and raised in Traverse City — just three hours north of East Lansing — the opportunity to learn and grow as a coach under the legendary Tom Izzo was as good as it got.

"One of my buddies played football there, so I was going down to hang out with him and some of the football guys when I found out about the job opening," Sheldon said with a laugh when recalling the story. "I printed my resume off in my buddy's apartment, had him drop me off at the basketball offices, and I just walked in. … I'm still in my sling because I just had shoulder surgery."

"I was fortunate that David Thomas (Director of Basketball Operations at the time) sat down with me that first day. … About a month later, they called and offered me the job."

Instead of Michigan State being the final destination, it was just the beginning of Sheldon's coaching journey. Fast forward six years later, and Sheldon is not only an assistant coach with the Utah Jazz, he has returned to Europe as an assistant coach with the Finnish National Team for the FIBA World Cup 2023.

To hear more about Sheldon's coaching story — including his days with Jazz head coach Will Hardy in San Antonio — and his journey with Lauri Markkanen and Finland, listen to the Roundball RoundUp podcast below.