Albacete, Lonnie Jordan part ways

This is the story of a heartbreak. Lonnie Jordan has played his last game in Albacete, and,
as we all know the relationship was struggling, but no one was expecting it to end in such an
abrupt way.

The Burning Hell selected Jordan with the top pick in the 2016 draft, he was anticipated as
the next generational player and every draft poll had him at the top of the list. You could talk
about love at the first sight. Jordan loved being drafted by a team with a winning culture and
a schedule to success, while Albacete’s front office was impressed with Jordans athletic
ability and outstanding work ethic. From the first day, the Burning Hell made Jordan the face
of the franchise, even trading away Albacete’s most charismatic player ever, Harry Jarvis.
The plan was easy, until he added the needed muscle, Jordan would have to play small
forward, and once his body could support banging inside, he could start creating havoc with
his unique mix of quickness and strength.

Everything was working according to the plan. He averaged 15 and 5 his rookie season and
21 point, 7 rebounds and 4 assists his sophomore season, and was selected to play in the
all star game. After the 2017 season he was asked to start playing at the power forward, and
while still not dominating, the signals were encouraging. After 24 games, he was averaging
19 points and 8 rebounds playing in both forward positions, and then the unexpected
happened.

We can’t talk about Lonnie Jordan’s career without the events that took place the 26 of
December of 2017 because everything that has led to this divorce can be related to that
exact moment. After a home game versus Seattle, Jordan tested positive in a random drug
test. A small amount of a well known anabolizant had the league HQ to take a really severe
decision. Jordan would not play the rest of the season, He claimed for his innocence, he
took some tests of his own to prove he was clean, but his muscular development at that
point was working against him. Albacete had no other choice and they accepted the
decision, but Jordan called them out for not standing to his side. Looking back in time, we
could say that was the day where the break started.

In the 8 months he was banned, Jordan started to work in his body like a maniac, sending
blood tests to the league every week. He promised he would be back to be the best player in
the league to shout F*** YOU!!! to the people who condemned him, but that he had lost the
love for the game.

The 2019 season, the comeback was the story of the year. He dominated the league in an
absurd way, averaging 28 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists, while shooting over 60%.
Albacete could not be happier, they had the top player in the league, but there was
something wrong in the air. Jordan was furious, he never celebrated wins, stopped being
involved in team activities with the community. When asked about how the team could win
the championship, he answered he was only interested in showing the world he was the best
player alive and had never used drugs. In the 2020 season, he played again very well, but
every time he looked more and more uninterested. He took 18 shoots a game in 2019 and
16 in 2020, and then it turned to worse… he tried 12 shoots in 2021 and he was shooting 10
more this season. In the best passing team of the league, a 60% player can’t do that.
Jordan was addressed to be more assertive in the court, but he never reacted, you cant say
he had a bad behaviour, but he was not willing to adjust to help the team.
In recent days, Albacete coach Aminu Nwosu adressed the problem with Jordan in a press
conference: “At first, it was subtle. He stopped practicing as much as he used to. He started
showing up late to games. He stopped giving interviews to the media. His performances on
the court began to suffer.We were were puzzled by his lack of enthusiasm, but no one
seemed to know what was going on. It wasn’t until he spoke out about his struggles that the
truth came to light.”

Asked about his struggles, Lonnie Jordan in a candid interview revealed that he had lost his
love for the game. He explained that he had been playing basketball since he was a child,
and that over time, the joy and excitement he had once felt had slowly dissipated. He felt
burnt out, exhausted, and empty. He knew that he needed to take a break from the sport in
order to rediscover his passion, but he didn’t know how to do it and that ban didn’t help
anyway.

The interview caused a stir in the league. Fans were simpathetic to the player’s plight, but
some felt that he was letting his team down by not giving his all on the court. Coaches were
torn between supporting their player and pushing him to perform better. And the player
himself was caught in the middle, struggling to balance his own needs with the expectations
of those around him.

Albacete GM aknowledged his inability to make Jordan to play to his real level and he
started calling some other teams to explore his value.In the end, Lonnie Jordan was traded
to the London Disco for 3 young players. It was a difficult decision for everyone involved, but
ultimately it was the best move for the player’s career. He will be able to start fresh playing
for a team that will allow him to play at center, to explore new opportunities, and to find a
new group that would support him as he rediscovered his love for the game. And while it was
a bittersweet ending for his former team and fans, they could all be happy with the fact that
he was finally able to find the peace and happiness he had been seeking.