CHOLET (France) - From entering the NBA in 2013 with the Chicago Bulls to his final stint with the New Orleans Pelicans, Tony Snell spent nine seasons in the league every player dreams of landing in over a career.
In January 2024, he said that he really needed to reach one decade in the NBA, and not just for the sake of it.
"I have a bigger purpose now. It's not about me anymore; it's about my boys. It's something I truly need. Not only for myself, but for my wife and my kids," he told Yahoo! Sports.
He really needed to compile a 10th year of service for the players association's retiree benefits program in order to become eligible for the union's premium medical plan.
It was something needed, as he said, for his kids.
Indeed, once he found out that both of his sons, Karter and Kenzo, were on the autism spectrum, he thought he could be diagnosed the same way too.
He opened up about it in 2023, at 31 years of age.
Tony Snell's route to trying to come back to NBA stages, which involved a couple of stops in the G League with the Maine Celtics and Sioux Falls Skyforce, eventually ended up being unsuccessful.
However, he now has a place in Europe where he can raise his voice about autism awareness while exploring more in international basketball.
For his second overseas season, Snell joined Cholet Basket, playing domestically in the LNB while taking part in the Basketball Champions League, powered by Ameresco SUNEL.
"I’m grateful to have played nine years in the NBA. I’ve tried to get my 10th year, but it didn’t happen. I talked to other veterans who have played overseas, asking them about their experiences," he told the BCL website.
"They told me basketball atmospheres are what basketball is all about in Europe, and I also wanted to experience that. I first landed in Boulazac Basket Dordogne, and the experience I had was right on par with what other vets told me about overseas basketball: fans were bringing real love to the game, every time."
"I’m grateful I’m still able to play at my age, because I love the game so much I wanted to see what else was out there besides the United States," Tony Snell continued, stating that he's embracing the European culture.
Nicolas Batum, who just retired after a great career, made a good pitch to Boulazac about me, and I’m thankful for his willingness to back up my cause.
Regardless of his impact, what he can bring to the table for Fabrice Lefrançois' team transcends points scored, rebounds grabbed, or assists shared. In fact, his voice can be heard by everybody in the locker room.
Tony Snell's story talks about something most people don't try to explore as much as they would need to. And it started way back in time, when he wasn't even dreaming of making it to the NBA one day in the future.
"I never understood social cues or how to communicate with other people. Basketball saved me because it allowed me to have friends. I don’t think I would have had friends if I didn’t play basketball."
"Outside of the court, I could see other people having really close connections, and I didn't have the same. I didn't know how to communicate with other people in that way," the soon-to-be 35-year-old commented.
"I’ve always been the quiet and shy guy who keeps everything to himself, but at the same time I was a really good basketball player. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned more about how social cues work."
Now, he's trying to make sure both of his kids can go through the obstacles of life with all the necessary and useful tools while, at the same time, being on the autism spectrum.
Figuring out behaviors, on and off the court
Getting diagnosed on the autism spectrum once his high school, college, and NBA days were already over not only allowed Tony Snell to figure out more about his life, but about his behaviors around basketball as well.
Almost 15 years have passed since he was crafting his expertise and talented arsenal with the New Mexico Lobos, but he now can look back at the team's gathering in college with a different perspective.
"There’ll be certain moments where I didn’t realize the impact of being on the spectrum before. In college, we had team bonding, and that really helped me to understand my teammates," he recalled.
"And vice versa: my teammates understood me a lot more. It can build that connection on the court based on the relationship you grow. If I never had those, then I would have had some kind of disconnection on the court. So it’s important to appreciate those experiences."
"It’s one thing I’ve realized from a young age through high school and college: I first relied on talent and a tiny bit of chemistry, while later on it was definitely a combination of the two," Snell admitted.
On top of his obvious paternal figure and his silent leadership within the locker room in Cholet, Tony Snell's impact can be seen also through the work done by the Tony Snell Foundation, established in September 2024.
"My biggest accomplishment is reaching out to all the families who can’t financially help their child who’s on the spectrum. I’m proud to help them with resources, speech therapies, and other different tools," he said.
"One particular guy comes to mind: his name is Hughie Baker, and he’s the first autistic baseball player in the NCAA, playing for the University of Indianapolis right now. We’ve managed to build a relationship, sharing my athlete knowledge. I’m proud of him and of his growth. I will continue to try to inspire people."
"You can’t deny talent, whether you are on the spectrum or not. My main thing is to get the awareness out, because a lot of people still don’t know what being on the spectrum really means. Guys like me and Hughie have the talent to do whatever we want to do. We need to make sure we are accepted like others."
"We do our best to try to adapt to the world. All we can do is just do our best with our own resources."
"There’s a lot of misunderstanding about autism around the world, and what being on the spectrum actually means. But we try to stay united as much as possible, whether we are on it, like in my case, or not," he said.
The thing he can be the most proud of, however, brings Karter and Kenzo back under the spotlight. Both of his sons now have a very different world in which to grow up, and that involves more awareness about autism.
"For me, it was tricky to go through life without knowing why I was different from everybody else. I didn’t want either of my kids to live with that feeling," the former Chicago Bulls forward commented.
"It’s something bigger than basketball. This is life we are talking about. I want to make sure my kids are not alone through these experiences, like I’ve been."
"I want them to know that there are other people in the world who are going through similar things. There are other people out there who are on the spectrum. We try to unite and let them know it’s okay to be different."
"My kids are talking more than I ever did at their age. I didn’t start talking until I was 4-5 years old," he said.
"My oldest is turned 6 on November 4, and he’s talking in full sentences. I’m just happy to see that he’s way ahead of where I was at that age," Snell finally commented.
There are certain games you don't necessarily play on the wooden floor, competitions that don't last for some months. Tony Snell's challenge has been proven on a daily basis, also with the help of his family.
At the final buzzer, win or loss, highest scorer or pointless, he will have collected something, regardless. The game for autism awareness continues in France and in the BCL for the American veteran.