During his senior year of college at Yeshiva, a small Jewish university in Washington Heights, New York City, Ryan Turell averaged 27.1 points per game — leading all of men’s college basketball. Some came to calling him “the Jewish Larry Bird,” given his blond mop and prowess from long distance, shooting over 46% from beyond the three-point arc. In 2022, the Motor City Cruise, the Detroit Pistons’ G League affiliate, selected him 27th overall in the NBA G League Draft. And with that, Turell made history.
You see, Turell isn’t just Jewish — and there have been Jewish NBA players of note in the past, such as Amar’e Stoudemire, Jordan Farmar, Larry Brown, and Ernie Grunfeld — but he’s an Orthodox Jew, and the first to ever be selected in the G League Draft.
“Being the first Orthodox Jew in the NBA would be a dream come true for me and hopefully serve as an inspiration for more people to pursue their dreams no matter what the barrier,” Turell, 24, tells Rolling Stone. “A lot of people thought it was impossible for an Orthodox Jew to be able to handle the demands of the religion and the demands of an NBA schedule. We are figuring it out in real time, and it’s been quite an adventure.”
Ryan Turell in ‘Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey.’
Prime Video
Turell’s journey from Valley Village, L.A. to (hopefully) the NBA is chronicled in the Prime Video documentary Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey, premiering Aug. 8 and produced by Religion of Sports and The Ringer, which follows the G League’s most compelling prospects as they try to achieve their dream. In addition to Turell, the Liam Hughes and Bryant Robinson-directed doc trails No. 3 overall NBA draft pick Scoot Henderson and NBA vet Denzel Valentine, while also featuring interviews with G Leaguers who’ve made it to the big-time, such as Seth Curry, Spencer Dinwiddie, Gary Payton II, and Jalen Green.
“You have to bring your best every day as the competition is both intense and exhilarating,” explains Turell. “Everyone has been fantastic and very supportive, especially the Pistons organization…. Who have been overwhelmingly respectful and accommodating in my pursuit to thread this needle of keeping Shabbos, keeping Kosher at home and on the road, including in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and competing my tail off in the G to get my shot at the NBA, and for that I am tremendously grateful.”
Watch an exclusive clip of Turell in Prime Video’s Destination NBA: A G League Odyssey:
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