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Former Georgia Tech standout now planning next move after coronavirus shut down whole league

Alade Aminu places in the Polish Basketball League - or he did before a virus shut down virtually every sports organization in the world.
Credit: AP
Nigeria's Alade Aminu (14) dunks the ball during a basketball game against Lithuania at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2016. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

ATLANTA — “They were shutting down the trains and shutting down the airports. Luckily I rushed out of there and came home to be with family,” former Georgia Tech standout Alade Aminu said. 

Aminu now plays in the Polish Basketball League - one of many professional hoops leagues that have been postponed because of the coronavirus. 

“The news broke that we’re not playing our game anymore and from there we started hearing of guys flying back to the States,” he said. 

The Stephenson grad has played professional basketball since 2009 all over the world. 

“I’ve played in so many different countries. I’ve played in Italy, I’ve played in Lebanon, I’ve played in Turkey where there might be a bomb threat, but the show still goes on," he said. "This has been the first time where this virus is so serious where we have to cancel leagues, obviously as it has affected the NBA as well.” 

Just like many other basketball players, he’s trying to find new ways to pass the time until word on how his league will proceed moving forward. 

“A lot of basketball players turn into video gamers now - just don’t know what to do with the time," he said. "Basketball is our life so the fact that we don’t have it, we’re sitting around just waiting trying to figure out what’s going on.”

Next up for Alade is waiting to hear what will happen with not only the Polish Basketball League but the Olympics as well. 

He’s a two time Olympian for the Nigerian basketball team, hoping to make his third Olympic appearance in Tokyo this summer.

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