What It's Like to Leave the US For a Professional Basketball Career in Indonesia

When Jamarr Andre Johnson left his suburban New Jersey town for Indonesia, it was just another step in what had already been a moderately successful basketball career. Johnson flew to Indonesia for a one-month seminar teaching kids about the game—and Christianity—as part of a religious international sports program called Athletes in Action.

That trip would cement his return. He had left the US for a job coaching children's basketball and a dream to play for a professional team. During his last few months back in New Jersey, Johnson was training hard as he waited for his visa. He knew he didn't have a professional contract lined up in Indonesia, but he believed that, as long as he made it back, it would all eventually work out.

"I was waking up at 6 a.m., running, then going to work, working out on my lunch break, then after work I'd go and work out again, every day," he said. "I didn't know of any team that was looking for players. I had no overseas connections. I didn't have an agent, but I just knew, for some reason at that moment that I believed something would happen."

He was right. A chance friendship with a young man who owned a team—an actual basketball team—put Johnson on a path to play professional ball. It was the result of years of hard work—and a little luck as well—but he knew that it was his chance to prove himself.

In his first year with the Surabaya-based CLS Knights, Johnson won rookie of the year and was named both MVP and Finals MVP. He also led the league in scoring, guided the CLS Knights to their first championship, and completed the single best individual season in Indonesian basketball history.

We caught up with Johnson in Surabaya as he prepared for the coming season.

VICE Indonesia: How did the opportunity to play professionally in Indonesia come about?
Johnson: The opportunity came two years ago, I met the owner of this team playing basketball and we just clicked, we were friends. We used to hang out and play PlayStation and go get Starbucks. I didn't even know he owned this team, it's kind of crazy. I was planning on going back to the States to play in the ABA (American Basketball Association). I was like already gone, then I met him and he told me he could help me become naturalized. I was thrilled with that.

He then told me he owned a team and I'm like 'What, you own a team!?' He told me it was in Surabaya, a place I'd never been to, but he showed me, and the rest is history.

And then you became a naturalized Indonesian citizen?
It was a tough process to get naturalized. It was long. I know they do it for soccer too, and sometimes it can take years. Mine was about a year. A year of waiting. I had to learn a lot of things for it too, a lot of memorizing and studying.

After such a successful first season, are there any personal goals for this season?
I just want to get more efficient, shoot the ball at a higher clip, and get more good, open looks. Normally, I'm really aggressive. Last year I got a lot of my points here [in the paint] because I was just bigger and stronger than the guys we were playing against, and I could get inside easy. This year, these guys are bigger, particularly the imports, so my mid-range jumper and three-point jumper have to be a lot better.

Every day I'm still getting my shots up. I get up at least 200 each day. It's paying off, I can see it already. If I get a chance to play more of a wing position, I feel like I would be more efficient, but this year I really deep down just want us to win.

Do you feel any pressure as an import to perform week-in, week-out?
When I first came here I was the only American in the league and the things that I was doing were just normal for me, but it was crazy for them. It's like 'this is nothing, this isn't even basketball, I don't know what you guys are talking about!' But I just feel, not to be disrespectful or anything, as more American players come here, there is something that these people can't even fathom.

They haven't experienced guys who are big and strong, who can shoot, dunk, dribble and defend on both sides, guys that can do everything. You see that in our high schools and our colleges, but you don't see that here ever. Now they see the bigger American picture of basketball a little better.

And you're now on the Indonesian national team too? 
To get a spot on the national team here is a really big position, compared to how the league is expanding now that Americans are here. This country was closed off to all foreign players. Now we have Americans here, I think it gives me a great pride, like I'm here and this is where I've been chosen to play.

I'm humbled by it and I'm thankful for it. I'm just trying to find my comfort with the system, how we're supposed to play, because at least on my team there's another American, but on the national team there's just me. So, it's kind of like how I felt last year where it was a total immersion into a foreign culture which I had to learn and adapt to, even just to keep my sanity.

What's it like living in Indonesia?
Every day I'm looking at this place, and I'm like what's going on! There's nothing equivalent to this kind of culture and landscape or environment in America—where I'm from at least. Just seeing the level of poverty, it's unbelievable. That's what kind of drew me here when I first came, like I've never seen kids with no shoes on running around like it's normal.

It's really humbled me. This place has taught me so much patience and humility. I try to stay grounded every day. Just wake up and remember that I had nothing just a couple of years ago. In this place, at least I have an opportunity to make something, so I stay humble with that.

Being an American and living in a Muslim-majority country like Indonesia, does it give you a different view of Donald Trump and his plans?
Muslim people and any other religion, at the end of the day we're all people. We're all humans, and we all live in cultures that help shape our belief system.

I have no idea about what's going on in America, like I'm so detached from the American culture. My Facebook is weird, because I can't look at my friend's timeline because I'm awake when they're asleep.

It's sad what they're doing to people that have lived there. I grew up with every nationality and didn't even realize it. Every nation is there [in America], so to discard somebody for their religion when we're in a free country? It doesn't make any sense.