Kyle Adnam
Sydney Kings point guard, Kyle Adnam, believes that to succeed you must dream big. At the age of 25, Kyle was NBL Championship Player for Melbourne United, has represented the Australian Boomers and participated in the World University Games 2018.
Kyle was lucky enough to play alongside the 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook and recognises this as one of the highlights of his career.
'Winning the NBL Championship was amazing, although wearing your country's colours is always hard to beat. Individually, when we played the Oklahoma City Thunder and I got to match up with NBA MVP Russell Westbrook, [that] was pretty cool.'
Currently undertaking a Bachelor of Business (Sports Management) online at Deakin University. Kyle acknowledges that a sporting career doesn’t last forever. He chose to study at Deakin to gain a set of skills for life after basketball and because of the Elite Athlete Program offered to professional athletes.
'I chose to study at Deakin to further enhance my life skills and create balance for life during and after sport.
'Deakin and the Elite Athlete Program have been great in ensuring flexibility for me and my studies, and allowing me to focus on my sport.'
The Elite Athlete Program offers help and support for professional athletes that choose to study at Deakin. The program:
- offers course and academic planning
- can help athletes tailor their academic workload to complement their sports program
- help organise a leave of absence for athlete students due to sporting commitments, and
- organise for participating students to study at other universities or online while they are travelling, training or competing.
For people who may be hesitant about undertaking study while playing sport professionally, Kyle has some advice.
'I would say to go for it! University can be stressful, although I think being able to play sport and study is a privilege that others may not have.
'Sport can relieve some of those study pressures, and study can take your mind of the pressures of sport. I think it’s a win-win. Do it!'
It is also important for students to take a break from studying and Kyle likes to catch waves as a way to escape.
'To relax I like to surf, it’s something physical but I’ve always found peace and quiet in the ocean – somewhere I find no pressure and [can] just be present.'