Andrew James
    Staff Writer

It has been almost eight years since Kyle Hines donned his blue and gold uniform for the last time. Unlike the large majority of collegiate athletes, his sports journey did not end there. 

Kyle has been building an increasingly impressive resume in the realms of European professional basketball over a great part of the last decade, from his days in Italy to his current stay in Russia.

“The majority of the teams play all twelve players equal minutes,” said Hines, speaking of the differences between professional basketball overseas and in the United States. “European soccer’s team-oriented styles have had a really big influence on its basketball teams.”

Perhaps that’s why Hines loves it so much.

So far in his European career, Hines has won an MVP award, six league cups in the various nations that he’s played in, and two EuroLeague championships, the most prestigious title away from American hardwood.

He is now on a very dominant CSKA Moscow squad alongside ex-NBA players like Nando De Colo from the San Antonio Spurs and Joel Freeland from the Portland Trailblazers. “We actually talk about [American basketball] a lot. Half of our team has NBA experience, so we always talk about what are the biggest differences between Europe and the NBA or we ask about specific players or coaches.”

Hines names future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan and the savvy head coach Gregg Popovich, both of the Spurs, as some of the NBA names most mentioned in the locker room.

Kyle’s success at the center position in professional basketball is especially impressive at his undersized height of 6 feet 6 inches, whereas even European centers tend to measure close to seven feet.

“My strength, quickness and length have allowed me to cover my lack of height,” Hines points out, adding that the recent global trend in basketball is “small ball” anyway. “Now teams are looking for undersized centers with my specific skill set rather than the traditional 7 foot back to the basket center.”

That particular skill set is working well for CSKA Moscow, who are 4-2 in Euro League group play this season and lead the tournament in points differential. Their most recent matchup was a 94-59 victory over Zalgiras Kounas, the best Lithuanian team.

“We have yet to play with our full roster yet this season,” Hines added. “If we are able to get healthy and stay healthy throughout the remainder of the season, I think we have a great chance at winning the championship.”

It would be Kyle’s third Euro League championship, putting him on a very short list of European players to have that much success, something Hines described as a “great career accomplishment.”

Along with his prosperous European career, Hines has often participated in the NBA Summer League, an offseason event that serves as tryouts for NBA squads. “I’ve always gotten really good feedback from NBA teams…Every year I’ve had offers to participate in veteran training camps from numerous teams, but have instead chosen the guarantee of playing overseas in Euro League.”

Despite not having any plans to join an NBA squad, Kyle has made his mark on American basketball in another way—a popular video game franchise.

NBA 2k, the acclaimed basketball video game, features several Euro League teams, including CSKA Moscow. “I always check my rating and play as my team. Sometimes I still can’t believe that I’m actually on a video game…when I was younger that’s all me and my friends would dream about.”

The most recent edition of the game, NBA 2K16, has Hines rated as a 76 overall—a higher rating than some of the NBA’s starting centers.

At this point Hines has perhaps accomplished more than any former Spartan basketball player in history—he is one of the highest paid players in Europe, has won multiple championships, and has made a name for himself on the world’s premier basketball video game.

He still has a lot ahead of him. Hines hopes to play another five to seven years of professional basketball, and after that he’s looking to stay connected to the sport in some other way, in the front office of a basketball team or as an athletic director for a university.