Kyle Hines has revealed how the wrong mindset nearly cost him the chance to make the most of his first opportunity in Europe.
The four-time EuroLeague champion reflected on his early experience playing overseas in the second edition of his “Insights from An Old Retired Hooper” series, explaining how he struggled to fully commit to his new life while constantly thinking about what was happening back home.
Kyle Hines eventually learned a lesson that changed his perspective: be where your feet are.
Kyle Hines was in Europe, but his mind was in the NBA
When Hines first went overseas, he spent his first three months worrying about everything he was missing in the United States.
“For the first three months, I had the ultimate FOMO about everything happening back home. I stayed up late talking to friends. I even tried to keep myself on U.S. time, which meant staying up until 4 or 5 in the morning in Europe and then sleeping all day between practices.”
“I barely interacted with my teammates. At times, I was mad and aloof because, in my mind, I didn’t belong there. Instead of embracing the opportunity in front of him, Hines was already thinking about what would come next.”
“I kept asking myself: Why am I not in the NBA? I should be playing at a higher level. Instead of investing in where I was, I was already thinking about my next move and when my next NBA opportunity would come. My body was overseas, but my mind was somewhere else.”
That mindset began to change after an older American teammate pulled him aside and gave him some advice.
“You gotta forget about home, or you’re going to blow the opportunity you have right in front of you. You gotta switch your mindset. This is your home now, and you have to treat it that way. I’m not saying forget about your friends and family, but you have to fully commit to being here.”
For Hines, the message was simple.
“In other words: Be where your feet are. That conversation changed my perspective.”
The lesson Hines learned from playing in Europe
Looking back on his career, Kyle Hines now sees the same mistake in many American players who struggle to adapt to basketball overseas.
“Looking back now, I see the same mistake with a lot of American players who struggle overseas. They have one foot out the door before the season even starts. How can you expect to get 100% out of an experience when you’re only 50% bought in?”
Hines believes succeeding in Europe requires complete commitment, not only to basketball but also to everything surrounding it.
“Success overseas requires a full commitment, not just to basketball, but to your team, your teammates, the culture, the city, and the entire experience.”
At the same time, he stressed that having ambition is not a bad thing. The problem comes when thinking about the next step prevents a player from maximizing the opportunity they already have.
“Too many players become consumed with the past and the future: Why am I not in the NBA? I should be playing at a higher level. Next year I need to be playing here. Next year I need to be making this much money. There’s nothing wrong with ambition. You should have goals. You should want more for yourself. But don’t let where you want to go prevent you from maximizing where you are.”
For Hines, that became one of the most important lessons of his career.
“One of the biggest lessons I learned during my career was that the next opportunity usually comes from taking care of the current one. Once I stopped worrying so much about where I thought I should be and started investing in where my feet actually were, everything changed. I became a better teammate. I embraced the culture. I enjoyed the experience. I became more invested in winning and improving. And ironically, when I stopped obsessing over the next opportunity, more opportunities started to come.”
Hines finished his reflection with the same message that helped him change his approach to life and basketball overseas.
“Be where your feet are. Be present. Be invested. Take advantage of where you are today. Because sometimes the place you’re so eager to leave is the exact place preparing you for where you want to go next.”
