“It means everything, because I know she would be so excited about that”. When discussing his ethnic background, Julian Strawther highlighted how the heritage he adopted from his mother’s side allows him to play as a representative for that country, a fact that his late mother would be proud of. Throughout his journey of establishing a memorable basketball career, the small forward/shooting guard has carried his parents close to his heart. Whether they are the memories of his mother or the lessons his father gave out about the challenges that people of their race faced, each aspect has helped Strawther to develop into the individual he is today. In the path to success, the player has done his part to pay tribute to his roots too.

Despite the player’s rich history, not many would have chosen to go into intricate detail regarding the same. Therefore, without any further ado, let us know more about the Denver Nuggets star’s roots.

Where is Julian Strawther from? What is the Nuggets star’s nationality?

Julian Strawther was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, back in April 2022. This automatically makes him an individual who holds an American nationality. However, in regards to race, Strawther is of a mixed ethnicity. This is because his father, Lee Strawther, is of African-American origin, while his mother, Lourdes Strawther, descended from Puerto Rico roots.

As highlighted by ‘The Spokesman Review’, Lourdes Strawther (nee Cordero) was described as someone who was more Puerto Rican by personality than by blood. This was because, as Julian once revealed, “The main thing about my mom, especially at a basketball game, is you knew she was there because she was the loudest person in the gym by far. Like, she was screaming at every little thing. I’d touch the ball, she was already screaming. I didn’t shoot it, I didn’t dribble, I didn’t do anything. She made sure I knew she was there. I always cherish that.”

Being of Puerto Rican heritage meant that Julian was reportedly eligible to play for the territory’s national basketball team. The player has taken advantage of this fact by representing Puerto Rico in the 2019 FIBA World Cup. Julian hopes that one day, he will represent the territory during the Olympics too.

Julian lost his mother when he was just 9 years old. The memories of Lourdes, who passed away due to breast cancer, continued being an important part of the basketball player throughout his journey. As highlighted by KXLY, Julian dedicated every game he played to his mom. He reportedly promised her that he would one day make it to the NBA, a promise which he has now fulfilled.

Being from an African-American heritage, Julian’s father did not shy away from highlighting the dark side of racism. In a June 2020 interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Lee Strawther recalled how his father speaking out during the Rosa Parks Incident, and in support of Martin Luther King, made him some unwanted enemies. Due to this, the Strawther family had to often shift, from Washington D.C. to New Jersey, and then west to Las Vegas “literally just trying to survive.” This is why, even as Julian was leaving for college, Lee took it upon himself to impart some cautionary lessons to his son.

“He knows that he always has to do more. You have to be more aware of your surroundings and extra careful of the things you say and the people you say it around. You have to be careful if you want to go on a late-night run to 7-Eleven because you want some soda and chips” said Lee in the interview.

Julian first laid the foundation for his basketball career during his tenure at Liberty High School in Henderson. In his junior year, the future NBA star averaged 27.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. The performance level upgraded in Julian’s senior season. He averaged 31.5 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists back then. One of the highlights of Julian’s high-school career came when he scored an event-record 51 points against Apollo High School to lead Liberty to an 88-74 win. By the time he left school, he was Liberty High’s all-time leader in points and rebounds. Having created such a legacy only raised expectations of what the player could achieve in his college tenure.

Which college did Julian Strawther attend?

On April 2019, it was reported that Julian Strawther had committed to playing for Gonzaga University. When discussing the reasoning behind this decision, Strawther stated “It was a comfort thing. Not everything has to do with basketball … I’m going to school there. (It’s about) just being comfortable, and I’m really close with everyone on the coaching staff.”

Julian Strawther’s tenure at Gonzaga (2020-23) saw him participating in 94 games throughout 3 seasons. He didn’t fair so well during his freshman season, averaging only 3.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.0 assists. Julian didn’t start in any of the 25 games that season. He didn’t have to, as the small forward/shooting guard was playing as a backup to Corey Kispert! The young player did not mind the low-playing time, since his team had made the championship game that season anyway. Furthermore, he still got his moments to shine. For example, Julian once scored 18 points in an 84–57 win over Alcorn State.

By the next season, however, things improved drastically for the young star. He started in 31 of 32 games and averaged 11.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1 assist. Julian declared for the NBA draft right after his sophomore season but eventually returned to Gonzaga. Good thing too. After all, he reached his peak during his final season of college by averaging 15.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. Julian scored his career-high 40 points back in January 2023 to lead Gonzaga to an 82–67 victory over Portland. In the 2023 NCAA tournament against UCLA, he made a 35-foot (11 m) basket for the lead with six seconds remaining. This helped the Gonzaga Bulldogs hold on for the win to advance to the quarterfinals.

Both his history and his experience define Julian Strawther. With time, one hopes that he continues doing wonders to strengthen his legacy.