Jeremy Juliusz Sochan ( ; born May 20, 2003) is a Polish-American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA) and Poland national team. Born in the United States to a Polish mother and an American father, he was raised in England, where he played youth basketball. Sochan moved to the United States to attend

La Lumiere School La Lumiere School is a private Catholic college preparatory boarding and day school located on a 190-acre campus in Springfield Township, LaPorte County, Indiana in the United States. History The school was founded in 1963 by Raymond E. Da ...

, then started his professional career in Germany with

OrangeAcademy OrangeAcademy is a professional basketball club based in Weißenhorn, Germany. The team currently plays in the ProA, the second highest professional division in Germany. OrangeAcademy plays its home games at the Dreifachturnhalle, which has a capac ...

of the

ProB The ProB is the German basketball league system, third-tier level Sports league, league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 24 teams, separated into a Northern and a Southern Division. Officially, the ProB is part of ...

in 2020. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Baylor Bears The Baylor Bears are the athletic teams that represent Baylor University. The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as one of only three private school members of the Big 12 Conference. Prior t ...

during the 2021–22 season and was selected ninth overall by the Spurs in the

2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual NBA draft, draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New ...

. Sochan plays for the

Poland national basketball team The Poland men's national basketball team () represents Poland in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Polish Basketball Federation (PZKosz). Poland has competed at the EuroBasket on 28 occasions, with their best ...

after playing for both the England and Poland teams as a junior.

Early life and career

Sochan was born in

Guymon, Oklahoma Guymon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Texas County, in the panhandle of Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 12,965, an increase of 13.3% from 11,442 in 2010, and represents more than half of the pop ...

. His mother Aneta was a Polish basketball player for

Polonia Warsaw Polonia Warsaw (, ), founded on 19 November 1911, is the oldest existing sports club in Warsaw, the capital of Poland, best known for its Association football, football and basketball teams. It also has track and field, Swimming (sport), swimm ...

who played Division II college basketball at Panhandle State. While there, she met Sochan's father, Ryan Williams, who played for the men's basketball team. Williams lost his life in an auto crash in 2017. Sochan has a younger half-brother and stepfather. Sochan's maternal grandfather, Juliusz Sochan, after whom he received his middle name, was a director of the basketball section of AZS AWF Warsaw and the president of the Warsaw Regional Basketball Association. His great-grandfather Zygmunt Sochan was an

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

player for Warszawianka, making 94 appearances in the

Ekstraklasa (; meaning "Extra Class" in Polish), officially known as PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa due to its Sponsor (commercial), sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is a professional association football league in Poland and the highest level of the Polish foo ...

(Polish top division) before

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, when he joined the Polish resistance against the German occupiers and was a

Stutthof concentration camp Stutthof was a Nazi concentration camp established by Nazi Germany in a secluded, marshy, and wooded area near the village of Stutthof (now Sztutowo) 34 km (21 mi) east of the city of Danzig (Gdańsk) in the territory of the German-an ...

survivor. Sochan took his first steps in basketball while living in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, first as a youth for the MK Trojans in

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...

before moving to

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

and playing for the

Solent Kestrels The Solent Kestrels are an English professional basketball club based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. Founded in 1998, the Kestrels play their home games at the Solent Sports Complex at Solent University. History Junior roots The club wa ...

youth team and

Itchen College Itchen Sixth Form College (also known as Itchen College) is a mixed sixth form college in Bitterne, Southampton, Hampshire, England. It was established in 1906 and was originally a mixed secondary school, it later became Itchen Grammar School ...

.El. EuroBasketu: do kadry trafił dzięki mamie. Jeremy Sochan niedługo spróbuje zaśpiewać "Mazurka Dąbrowskiego"
Jakub Kłyszejko (''Sport.TV.PL''), February 20, 2021. Accessed February 23, 2021. Sochan began his high school career at

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, but due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, he left the United States. Sochan committed to playing college basketball for Baylor in July 2020.

College career

On January 8, 2022, Sochan sprained his ankle during a game against

TCU TCU may stand for: Education * Tanzania Commission for Universities, regulatory body for Universities in Tanzania * Texas Christian University, a private university in Fort Worth, Texas ** TCU Horned Frogs, the athletic programs of the school * Tok ...

and missed several games. Following the season, he earned the

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...

Sixth Man Award and was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. His team later earned a #1 seed in the

2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament that determined the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball national champion for the ...

, but lost in the second round. As a freshman, he averaged 9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. On April 15, 2022, Sochan declared for the

, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.

Professional career

OrangeAcademy (2020–2021)

In 2020, Sochan joined the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

club

of the

San Antonio Spurs (2022–present)

Sochan was selected by the

with the ninth overall pick in the

. Sochan joined the Spurs' roster in the

2022 NBA Summer League The 2022 NBA Summer League, also branded as the NBA 2K23 Summer League 2022, was an off-season competition held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) primarily at the Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada on the cam ...

, but later was ruled out after being placed in the NBA's Health and Safety Protocol after testing positive for

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the comm ...

. On July 8, 2022, Sochan signed a rookie-scale contract with the Spurs. On December 22, Sochan scored a then-career-high 23 points and grabbed nine rebounds in a 126–117 loss to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

. For the

2023–24 NBA season The 2023–24 NBA season was the 78th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 24, 2023, and ended on April 14, 2024. The NBA held their first-ever in-season tournament from November 3 to December ...

, Sochan was named as the Spurs starting point guard, a position previously held by teammate

Tre Jones Tre Isiah Jones ( ; born January 8, 2000) is an American professional basketball point guard for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Like his older brother, fellow NBA player Tyus Jones, he played college basketball f ...

. Dubbed as an "experiment", this decision to play him as a

point forward Point forward is an unorthodox offensive position in basketball in which a forward, usually a small forward, adds the responsibilities of a point guard to their play. More rarely, a power forward can also assume the position. The purpose of the po ...

for the first time was made due to Sochan displaying playmaking abilities the prior season. He resumed playing as

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

again after 17 games. On January 28, 2023, Sochan scored a then-career-high 30 points in a 128–118 loss to the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. On November 30, 2023, he recorded a career high of 33 points in a 137–135 loss to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. Sochan has gained attention for his unorthodox technique of shooting

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

s with one hand, an approach he began using in December 2022 after Spurs head coach

Gregg Popovich Gregg Charles Popovich (born January 28, 1949) is an American professional basketball executive and former coach who is the president for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the List of current NBA head co ...

suggested it as an experiment to increase Sochan's free throw percentage. The technique proved to increase his average free throw percentage by roughly 30% during the 2022–23 season. After an October 2023 game, Sochan said, "Yeah, I think I will be sticking with the one-hand free throw." On August 24, 2024, Sochan was involved in a car accident in

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

. He told police he lost control of his vehicle and hit a guardrail on the ramp connecting two highways. Sochan was uninjured in the crash. In November 2024, Sochan was scheduled to have surgery to repair a fractured left thumb. He was forced to exit early from the game versus the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

National team career

Sochan had represented both Poland and England nationally at the junior level. As part of Poland's under-16 national basketball team, he led his team to the title at the

2019 FIBA U16 European Championship Division B The 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship Division B was the 16th edition of the Division B of the FIBA U16 European Championship. It was played in Podgorica, Montenegro, from 8 to 17 August 2019. 24 teams participated in the competition. Poland men ...

in Montenegro. There, he became tournament

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

.Ulm hat zwei neue Basketball-Nationalspieler
Sebastian Schmid (

Südwest Presse ''Südwest Presse'' is a German daily newspaper based in Ulm, which is distributed in Ulm, Neu-Ulm, Alb-Donau-Kreis and Landkreis Neu-Ulm. It is also the name of a regional cooperative venture (called a ''Zeitungsverbund'' – newspaper compo ...

), February 26, 2021. Accessed February 28, 2021. Sochan has been a member of the

Polish national basketball team The Poland men's national basketball team () represents Poland in international basketball competitions. They are controlled by the Polish Basketball Federation (PZKosz). Poland has competed at the EuroBasket on 28 occasions, with their best ...

. In his first game at the

EuroBasket 2022 qualification The EuroBasket 2022 qualification was a basketball competition that was played from November 2017 to February 2021, to determine the 20 FIBA Europe nations who would join the automatically qualified co-hosts Czech Republic, Georgia, Italy, and G ...

, he led Poland over

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

88–81 when he became the youngest player to ever play for Poland. He played 29 minutes in which he scored 18 points, including a

four-point play In basketball, a four-point play is the rare occasion when an offensive player shoots and makes a three-point field goal while simultaneously being fouled by a defensive player, resulting in a shooting foul and one free throw attempt, or a two- ...

at the end and a game-deciding block.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 53 , , 26.0 , , .453 , , .246 , , .698 , , 5.3 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .4 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 73 , , 29.6 , , .438 , , .308 , , .771 , , 6.4 , , 3.4 , , .8 , , .5 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 54 , , 23 , , 25.3 , , .535 , , .308 , , .696 , , 6.5 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .5 , , 11.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 184 , , 149 , , 27.3 , , .468 , , .290 , , .725 , , 6.1 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 11.4

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2021–22 , style="text-align:left;", Baylor , 30 , , 1 , , 25.1 , , .474 , , .296 , , .589 , , 6.4 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 9.2

References

External links

Baylor Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sochan, Jeremy 2003 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriates in England American men's basketball players American people of Polish descent Basketball players from Oklahoma Baylor Bears men's basketball players La Lumiere School alumni OrangeAcademy players People from Guymon, Oklahoma Polish expatriate basketball people in Germany Polish expatriates in England Polish men's basketball players Polish people of American descent Power forwards San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century Polish sportsmen NBA players from Poland