“Imagine you’re in a dream where you’re violently trying to open a door. The door is locked, but you just won’t give up. You don’t know how you got there, but you know you’re supposed to open that door.”
That’s how Rod Benson described trying to make it into the NBA. Benson is the NBA Development League’s all-time leading rebounder, yet his only NBA minutes came during preseason with the Indiana Pacers in 2009. He’s known for more than just his basketball ability – his Too Much Rod Benson blog gave him an online following as he kept trying to open that door.
“Exhausted, you take a break and turn around,” Benson continued. “You realize that you’ve been at an amusement park the whole time. You realize that a locked door is much worse than an amusement park, in the end.”
In his amusement park, the 26-year-old has built an entire brand, Boom Tho!, from scratch. His clothing line for Summer 2011 launched earlier this month and he designed it all while starring for Dongbu Promy in the Korean Basketball League. Now he’s back home, enjoying the off-season in the California sun.
“Most of the hard work was done during the season,” Benson said. “Since it ended, I locked myself in a hole for a few days to get the website done, the rest of it is just kinda smooth sailing. I sit by the pool, take pictures, and return emails. It’s the good life.”
That life hardly sounds like trouble, yet the off-court projects that have allowed Benson to express himself, connect with people, and make money may have stood in the way of his leap to the NBA. The vast majority of professional athletes go out at night, but unlike Benson, most don’t write or make music videos about it.
“I don’t think anyone really knows for sure,” Scott Schroeder, D-League blogger for Ridiculous Upside and formerly NBA Fanhouse, said of why Benson never made the jump. “It wasn’t anything based on his on-court performance, especially after he’d added weight and became more consistent — earlier thought to be his main flaws — so perception, I guess. Being an enterprising guy, Rod’s forays into social media and the blogosphere were typically considered red flags by NBA scouts despite those same things not creating any distractions with his D-League teams.”
“People… cough, the NBA, cough, tend to think that I’m some super crazy party animal,” Benson said. “They think that I don’t care about basketball, can’t take anything seriously, and will drown in a pool of alcohol. Truth is, I’m pretty calm, and spend most of my day working on ways to make money. I party about the same amount as other people, I’m just creative and maximize the time. I’m more Dennis Green than Dennis Rodman.”
Benson said that he has never regretted anything he’s written. “I have learned how to write with more finesse, though,” he said. “I can be equally as clever without pissing so many people off.” After the Miami Heat caught flak for the tears in their locker room this season, he wrote thoughtfully on the subject of crying in sports. He discussed race with the same touch of personal experience after Jalen Rose and Grant Hill’s public back-and-forth. Whether serious or silly, Benson will write about almost any subject.
“I’ve never really written about girlfriends,” Benson said. “I think that actually made my ex a little angry, but I just always thought that was more private. The rest of it? Pssshh, I’ve written about walking in on a woman in the bathroom on the train, and about how to sneak into the Hard Rock in Vegas and party with Sugar Shane Mosely.”
The advantage of playing in the D-League rather than overseas is being closer to the NBA and team scouts. After four years without a call-up, Benson decided it was time to head to Korea. “My mindset was to make money!” Benson laughed. “I had been just getting by in the D-League for far too long. It was time to get paid and do something new.”
It’s hard to argue with his decision, given that there’s not much more he could have accomplished as a D-Leaguer. “Rod had an incredible D-League career,” Schroeder said. “Being based in Bismarck, I had the opportunity to watch his progression with the Dakota Wizards for the first two seasons of his professional career. Rod began in the D-League as a lanky, role-playing rookie out of Cal who contributed to Dakota’s D-League championship run in 2006-07 off the bench. From there, Rod added weight, expanded his offensive repertoire and continued to produce — even in an extended role.” In his second year, he had a 28-point, 28-rebound game against the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He finished his D-League career by averaging 24 points and 16.3 rebounds while shooting 63.4% in a playoff series against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers.
In his first season in Korea, Benson averaged 16.5 points and 9.2 rebounds and was the lone American to start in the KBL All-Star game. He competed in the dunk contest wearing his “Mr. Boom Tho” mascot head. He’s called the season the most ridiculous of his career, and shared stories of crazed fans giving him postgame doughnuts and giving him “Kevin Durant attention.” But even with this and his online popularity, he still doesn’t consider himself famous.
“Ehh, I wouldn’t call it fame,” Benson said. “In Korea it’s kind of like hysteria for anyone on TV, but since I don’t speak Korean, it doesn’t feel like celebrity. In the States, it’s more like I have too many friends and we all meet online to discuss our happenings. I’m an engaging person, so I don’t really feel the change.”
For an engaging guy with no shortage of friends, being away from home has proven challenging. “I appreciate my relationships with people so much more,” Benson said. “I go without seeing all the important people in my life for so long, that it basically breaks down our lines of communication. I made it a point to stay in contact with the people that matter in a more consistent way.” He said the best part of being back home for the summer is, “Seeing all the hype all my friends have. It’s like my arrival was the dawn of a new party, which they all invited themselves to. It’s been pretty epic thus far.”
Don’t mistake Benson’s satisfaction with a life split between different continents and different pursuits for the end of his desire to try new things. “I’m all about improving our clothing line, and eventually taking over some new form of media,” Benson said. “TV, movies, radio, something.” He has considered writing a book, too.
Benson’s goals are simple, basketball-wise. “I just want to enjoy it and make some more cash while I still can,” he said. “There aren’t many other goals an athlete should have in my opinion. Winning is fun. Improving is fun. The game is fun. Enjoy all of it. If not, then stop. The rest of your life is too long to be unprepared for it.”
