Detroit Pistons Rookie Bobi Klintman Brings His European Mind to the NBA

There is something interesting about it. How some players change to fit the culture of basketball. It might look like walking—the kind of swag that manifests as a mixture of unbridled confidence and body-wrenching soreness from a seven-hour workout the night before.

But at other times, it seems like straightforward love, the “kill or be killed” kind. Those who live in America are completely unaware of the in-your-face culture surrounding basketball. But for players from overseas, like Detroit Pistons rookie Bobi Klintman, it's a completely different world. But it's also one he's getting used to.

“I would say here in America, it's like a religion,” said Klintman. “You grow up playing basketball, actually. You know someone who played basketball, maybe you have someone in your family who played basketball.”

And it's true. For many basketball players, it was instilled at birth—many still cling to early memories of one-handed dunks in the Little Tikes hoop. But for Klintman, that early exposure wasn't an option.

Growing up in Malmö, a coastal city in southern Sweden, Bobi got used to the culture of soccer—or soccer, as we like to call it—before he played basketball.

He says: “You have heard about people playing football at school. “That's like the best game. So, basketball, you don't see that much. “

It wasn't until Klintman's mid-teens that he was able to truly establish himself as a basketball player. But even so, it didn't compare to the level of tension that was going on in the States.

“You have high school, AAU, that whole system—completely different from Sweden. Sweden is like what you do for fun,” he said.

Where most high school players would have an entire area or space dedicated to helping them get better at their craft, Klintman had to share practice time with other sports.

“It is very difficult to enter the gym, there is always something going on. It could be handball, field hockey, or whatever happens in the gym. So, you never knew when it would be available to go to the gym. “When you get your practice time, you have to make it high,” explains Klintman.

Moving to Sweden's RIG Mark Academy, Klintman quickly rose to the top of the league playing 13 games in 2019 for the third division league, Basketettan. Less than a year later, he moved into the second division league, Superettan, before his season was cut short by Covid in February 2020.

“[RIG] that's when we would have school and basketball at the same time. That's what I did when I was 15. It's like club basketball, that's the main thing, and if you're good enough, you play pro in Sweden.”

And he played pro.

In 2021, Klintman moved up to the first division league, Basketligan, where he played six games for professional basketball club Borås Basket to finish the season.

Although he appeared with high school players in the country, he managed to attract the attention of overseas scouts. The Swedish star received seven offers from top colleges, including Kansas and Virginia, before stepping foot on US soil.

That following year, Klintman made the important decision to leave Sweden for Kansas to play for Sunrise Christian Academy—a school known for producing highly decorated players in their prime, including Buddy Hield, Blake Hinson, and Gradey Dick (to name a few).

Getting used to America's passionate basketball culture when you come from a different country with a completely different view of basketball is not easy. But Klintman didn't focus too much on cultural differences. He just took a chance at Sunrise Christian and ran with it.

Bobi quickly adapted to the American way of playing, leading the team to a 25-2 overall record and the best season in school history. The team also won the National Interscholastic Basketball Conference, went 9-2 against nationally ranked opponents and moved up as the top ranked team in the nation in February 2022.

Looking back on that time in his life, Klintman credits his growth as a player to his days at SCA.

“It was like if you want to play a different place, you have to be able to guard that place. “That was just me [ever] ever since I got out of there,” said Klintman. “I couldn't move my feet at all when I got to the US, but that was something I had to work on a lot, and I'm still working on it to this day.”

With support from loved ones and newly learned skills and guidance from former SCA coach Luke Barnwell, Klintman blossomed into a four-star recruit and took another big leap of faith, committing to Maryland. But then he began to guess which college team was the right fit; he withdrew from Maryland and Colorado before arriving at Wake Forest.

“It's different, man. You've got guys on your team who are about 24 years old, they've been in college for four years, so they know the system,” he said. “It's just a lot of practice. You've got to find a routine, something that works for you. When you get on the court, everything shuts down.”

Bobi quickly adapted to the team and appeared in all 33 games of his first season, even starting a few games at the end of the year.

“You have to be a really hard worker, you know?” you prune. “Maybe that's when I realized, we have to put in, like, 100 percent, because getting into court is very competitive.”

Like his run at SCA, Klintman has racked up crazy numbers, becoming the first Wake Forest freshman to record a double-double since 2018 and the first Wake Forest freshman to record a double-double in an ACC Tournament game since school legend -Tim Duncan. .

Bobi kept his run at Wake Forest surprisingly short, first declaring for the 2023 NBA Draft and eventually leaving the team.

Later that year, he embarked on another challenge in a different country, signing with the Cairns Taipans as part of the Australian National Basketball League's (NBL) The Following Stars system.

Described by Taipans head coach Adam Forde as an “icon” of the modern NBA, Klintman set career highs in points (24), rebounds (12), and assists (3) in three separate games during the season. Although he only spent one season with the team, Bobi says his time in Australia was one of great growth.

“Every day you have to give everything, because everything leads forward [the team] to win the game,” he explained. “If I take my team [for] for example, we lost the final by one game, and that shows how important it is to win every game. It's a small mistake, so you have to be the best version of yourself. “

Believing in his own abilities is what guided Klintman on his journey to success. His ability to mold himself, adapt to such big changes in his career is what he believes will spark the fire he needs to conquer his next adventure: the NBA.

Bobi has always had his heart set on NBA dreams. But hearing his name called in June felt completely unreal.

“[I think] back to that, when [my brother and I] they were sitting on the couch talking,” he recalled. “We [were] like, 'It will be us one day.' I can't even explain it, I still can't talk about it.”

Klintman and his family were left in tears after the Swedish star was selected to play for the Minnesota Timberwolves—and traded the same day to the Detroit Pistons—actually turning distant dreams into reality.

Although he was not selected in the first round—which would have made him the first Swedish player ever to be drafted this way—Klintman is eager to show his American teammates the merits of his roots.

“I feel that many people who play basketball in Europe are mentally strong, because you have to do a lot on your own,” he said. “I feel like we have a different mindset. So I went [trying to] keep that for the rest of my life. I wouldn't say I have a chip [my] applause, but [something] as the same thing.”

Klintman holds his family and roots close to his heart as a reminder. Most of the time, he misses being able to call his friends over to play basketball or being able to eat his mom's signature lasagna after a long day.

“That's what I do for you. So you don't have it [my family and friends] it was difficult,” he said. “But at the same time, we all grow, we all reach our goals, and we support each other all the time.”

As much as Klintman clings to memories of growing up in Sweden, he realizes there is another goal he must have in this new place: “I want to win a championship.”

Photos via Getty Images. Photos by Eli Selva. Edited by Alexander Zheng.