G League Ignite forward Ron Holland is the latest player who will be sharing insight into his life on and off the court through a monthly video diary.
Phoenix Suns guard Bradley Beal is currently participating in a monthly video and diary this season as well. Draymond Green, Vince Carter, Trae Young, CJ McCollum, Fred VanVleet, De’Aaron Fox, Cade Cunningham, James Wiseman and Josh Jackson have participated in previous diaries.
In Part 2 of his video diary, Holland talks about his ongoing one-on-one practice battles with teammate Dink Pate, Christmas gift giving and receiving, his collection of sneakers and stuffed animals, the G League Showcase in Orlando, seeing the Lakers win the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament, his mock draft ranking in 2024 and more.
“I’m not gonna sit here and say I’m not paying attention to the draft rankings, but I don’t let it bother me or anything,” Holland said. “If it dings my phone, I’m gonna look, but at the same time, I’m just gonna let my work talk, do the talking for me.”
The G League Ignite started the season 0-8 and Holland also talked about the toll that took on him. Holland specifically discussed a game against the Salt Lake City Stars in which the Ignite lost by 59 points and he had 11 turnovers.
“I feel like that was the game where I was like, ‘hold on,’ ” Holland said. “That was my ‘welcome to professional basketball life’ moment.”
Before a G League Ignite game in December, Holland had the opportunity to talk to Henderson County Public School kids about mental health and its importance.
“My message to them was how important it is to have an outlet so you can release any type of stress or anything you have on your shoulders,” Holland said.
“I had the right people around me [when struggling with the Ignite]. Just talking to them, having the outlets that I had, they were able to change my mentality, flip my switch and be able to [tell me], ‘alright it happens. The best players play bad, too. But now it’s time to come on and show the world what you’re made of.’ ”
