Jun 25, 2025
Grace Opinker
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Eugene German felt he didn’t receive the opportunity he deserved.
Gary native Eugene German currently plays overseas for the Bejing Ducks in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Eugene German stays true to his roots while playing overseas.
The Gary native had just wrapped up a standout four-year career at Northern Illinois where he became the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,003 points — the fifth-most in Mid-American Conference history.
His professional journey began overseas in 2021 in Europe. A year later he landed in China, where he has played in the Chinese Basketball Association ever since.
German, 27, spent the past season playing for the Beijing Ducks — an organization that finished as the runner-up in May at the 2025 CBA Finals. Though the Ducks lost to Zhejiang Guangsha in Game 6, German recorded a double-double, logging 25 points and 13 assists. He made history in the regular season by tallying an organization-high 18 assists in a single game.
German said adjusting to being overseas hasn’t always been easy, especially with a language barrier and having only a few American teammates. He admitted his first two years in the league were some of the hardest, trying to communicate with others.
Things got smoother once he joined the Ducks, as more people spoke English in Beijing, given its status as a major city. Though he’s overcome obstacles, German said this opportunity has been one of his greatest gifts.
“Overseas is definitely a place to be, especially if you want to take care of your family,” he said. “I think it’s like the perfect opportunity, but again it’s not easy. You have to put the work in.”
Becoming a professional athlete has been a dream come true, especially because German couldn’t have afforded college if it wasn’t for scholarships. Growing up, German’s father would jokingly tell his son he couldn’t pay for schooling out of pocket.
“He said it jokingly, but it definitely had some seriousness behind it,” he recalled.
“I would just focus on getting there and trying to make a career of out this.”
When basketball isn’t in season, German resides in Scottsdale, Arizona where he trains all offseason. Although the 21st Century graduate lives in the western U.S, he always finds time to return to his hometown.
German will be back in Gary this upcoming weekend for his third annual “Get Family Out” one-on-one tournament hosted at 21st Century, located at 724 Washington St.
Region athletes 21 and over can compete for a chance to win a first-place prize of $3,000. Doors open at 11:30 a.m. Saturday and the event will be held from noon to 3 p.m. There is a $5 entry fee for all attendees.
The 2016 graduate said the idea came to him after spending many summers post-high school playing against former teammates and opponents. Curious to see what kind of talent existed among male athletes in Northwest Indiana, he decided to create an event for players around his age.
“I think it’s amazing to see guys getting in the gym for months trying to prepare to win the prize money in my tournament,” he said. “It’s fun and brings the city out.
There’s no violence, everybody’s having fun.”
German’s former coach and current Michigan City coach Larry Upshaw said it’s exciting to watch local college athletes compete against each other. He said it’s also important for kids to see German make a career for himself overseas but still come home and give back.
“He’s always been a great worker,” Upshaw said. “He’s always been the person who wanted to get better and he’s always in the gym. Seeing him grow from a freshman all the way to the player he is now, it’s unmatched.”
