Nolan King
 | |
| No. 71 – Oregon Swashbucklers | |
|---|---|
| Position | Guard |
| Species | Orange-Bellied Trogon ( Trogonidae ) |
| Gender | Male |
| Nickname(s) | |
| Doughnut | |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
March 17, 1997 Bellingham, WA |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Shoots | Right-handed |
| Career information | |
| School | El Alado College |
| FBA draft | 2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 44th overall |
| Selected by the Hawaii Kahunas | |
| Pro playing career | 2019–present |
| Career history | |
| 2019 - 2021 | Hawaii Kahunas |
| 2021 - 2024 | Las Vegas Wildcards |
| 2024 - present | Oregon Swashbucklers |
| Contract information | |
| Contract year | 2023 |
| 2026 Salary | $5 million |
| Player Contacts | |
| (IC) Agent | BladesDaRaccoon |
| (OOC) Creator | BladesDaRaccoon |
| (OOC) Actor | Unknown |
| (OOC) Usage | Ask me before any use |
Biography
Early Life
Nolan was born as a twin with his sister Naima, even though he scantly remembers it as at merely a year old his parents seperated, being left to live with his father in Bellingham, Washington. Nolan initially was a bit lazy and began getting chubby, even borderline fat. His dad began making him play sports to help him cut the weight but it seemed nothing was a fit...until he put a basketball in young Nolan's hands. Nolan took very well to the game, running up and down the court constantly certainly helped get his weight down but it was evident he had a spark for basketball.
He would continued to struggle with his weight, even with basketball training keeping the worst of it in check. He found ways to make up for being shorter and heavier on the court like becoming an excellent passer. He kept training up his legs so he could jump higher and honing his shot. He also began to get some valuable friendships through his game, taking him from the shy kid to the popular socialite he blossomed into. One in particular, a dalmatian by the name of Carson he grew a special bond with. From then on you saw one you've seen the other, to the point where one could mistake them for boyfriends but it was all platonic. Even on the rainiest of days the two would be out shooting ball, running in the park, or getting milkshakes at the nearby diner. The two were nigh inseparable...Best times of Nolan's life.
However, Carson had been stricken by cancer and had a grim outlook. Nolan kept hoping for the best, thinking his best friend was merely sick and would recover. However, he was called to the hospital...Carson wasn't looking good. He spent every minute he could at the hospital with his ailing friend. Treatments ineffective, Carson's family had to move across the country for experimental treatment...Sure Carson might still live but Nolan still felt like he'd lost a dear friend as the moving van rolled out of the city. With the loss, Nolan found himself sinking into depression...slinking back to his solitary nature, eating more which made all the weight creep back on and generally being unhappy.
One chance summer day, in the worst of Nolan's dark slump he got a strange visitor...Carson's older brother, Mitch who'd come back to Bellingham to live with his girlfriend. He had a few of his little brother's belongings to give to Nolan "Carson told me to give this to you.", but it seemed he'd come in for something more. "So Nolan...My brother told me a lot about you. How you're good with the rock..." pulling out his brother's basketball.
Seemed immediatly the light returned to Nolan's eyes. "I...Yeah. But i mean it's been a while and...well..." patting his belly with an unhappy sigh.
"So you got some weight to lose, it can be done. Y'know what...I wanna help you...for my brother's sake."
Soon enough Nolan was hitting the court again, getting back into shape and becoming the player he once was under Mitch's guidance. Nolan came back into his old form, losing weight and reconnecting to his old friends things were on the upswing once more. One night after training, Nolan was talking to Mitch on the way home, asking more about Carson. "My brother always wanted to play in the league."
Nolan knew then...that's what he needed to do. His friend Carson might not be able to fulfill that now with his situation, but he could...He figured through this, perhaps it could be the catalyst to seeing Carson once more and help him achieve his dream vicariously. Carrying his spirit with him, the fire in his eyes was visible.
High School
Freshman year, Nolan was played off the bench as the backup point guard. Even with as shy as he was, he could lead the second team decently often having more assists than points to his name.
Nolan would not jersey up again until his senior year due to depression and being out of shape due to Carson's departure. However with Mitch training him he became a new fur overnight it seemed, Getting to start in a handful of games and often putting up a point-assist double-double on several nights. While they lost the finals of their championship Nolan was still proud of what he'd done.
College
Nolan didn't have a lot of offers to select from but one stuck out...El Alado. He selected to go there even if it only on a partial scholarship and was only being given a bench role, he was sure he could work his way up...especially with Mitch agreeing to come with him to Pasadena where he could find work as well as continue to train Nolan.
He did stay as a bench player throughout his first two years but was given an advanced role similar to his senior year come his final season in college being able to put up 10 and 10 once again, showing off how skilled a passer he was in addition to his court vision and play making. What he might lack in athleticism he did make up for in brains and wit.
FBA Career
Being a late pick to a contending team, Nolan found himself in a difficult spot to develop or get many minutes. Off court and practice, he made sure to put in whatever work he could. Fast as he could memorize the playbook, Nolan still had little time to make use of it in games. Mostly however, Nolan kept quiet and just rode with it for the sake of the team. Granted there was probably a little more to his low minutes than being on a contender. His weight and physical conditioning also probably contributed.
Needless to say though as a rookie, he rode to the NBA finals on the Kahunas' hot hands. To boot he'd even found himself with a few more minutes per game entering the finals. Even though the campaign ended in a loss of the series, still an experience few get as a rookie. Even with this Nolan did begin to question if his future was with the Kahunas.
Going into his sophomore season, it was hard to gauge for Nolan how he'd grown due to the fact he just hadn't played much. In spite of taking it seriously and losing some weight in the offseason, he just couldn't seem to find a spot in rotation. It's all left him to wonder is there's really a spot for him in the Kahunas' organization. Maybe there's greener pastures elsewhere...