Going 4-0 in the FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament held on their home soil, Puerto Rico turned a lot of heads ahead of the Paris Olympics. But as they prepare for their first game of the tournament against South Sudan, their star guard Tremont Waters has brought forth a major issue in the Puerto Rico Basketball Federation (FBPUR). Poor treatment of athletes!

But who is Tremont Waters and how has he suddenly emerged as the voice of Puerto Rico basketball? Let’s dive in.

Tremont Waters’ early life and college

Born on January 10, 1998, Tremont joined a family of six brothers with parents Vanessa and Ed Waters. The New Haven native caught the basketball bug early because of his father, who always instilled Tremont with important life lessons using sports. “What I love about sports, basketball teaches him leadership, how to lead by example, and how to be responsible for other people. I just want him to one day get a degree from college and be able to feed himself, his loved ones, his kids later on in life.” His father said in an interview.

Well, those early lessons from his father helped Tremont bag a spot at LSU and he spent two years in the program building his basketball resume. Averaging 15.6 points and 5.9 assists, he collected several major accolades including Freshman of the Year in 2018 and an All-SEC First Team selection. As expected, the NBA came calling.

Tremont Waters’ pro basketball career

With an impressive college run, Tremont was selected as the number 51 pick in the draft by the Boston Celtics five years ago. However, his game couldn’t transition to the pros as he averaged only 3.8 points during his two years in Boston. Moreover, he suffered a horrific tragedy during his rookie season as his father tragically passed away by suicide. He then joined the Raptors, followed by the Wizards, where he played his most recent NBA game two seasons ago. Not achieving much in the league, Tremont decided to head overseas to continue his pro career.

His first landing spot? Paris. There, he played 23 games and found his groove, averaging over eighteen points and five assists. His most recent run was in China’s CBA, where he played 51 games for the Guangdong Southern Tigers and averaged an impressive 20.8 points. Carrying the same momentum to the national stage, Waters averaged 15.3 points in the four qualifying games and helped his team book a ticket to Paris.

What did Tremont Waters say about the Puerto Rico federation?

Although Waters helped his country qualify for the Olympics, he had a lot of pent-up frustration that eventually burst out through his IG stories, “I haven’t been able to sleep for the past three weeks, but I didn’t let it affect my performance on the court. This isn’t about being negative or belittling the federation; it’s about opening eyes and changing the culture positively.” Shining a light on the federation’s poor resources and treatment, he further wrote, “I speak on behalf of all of us! This is our home, and we want to be treated as such and feel the same love within the federation that we feel on our playing courts.”

More importantly, Waters was not afraid to put his point forward and was even prepared to bear the consequences, “I don’t care if they ‘cancel’ me because I know this is my God-given mission, and I speak for those who feel they can’t speak. I stand by what I’m saying and believe in treating others as you want to be treated.” With the lengthy and extremely heartfelt statement, Waters hoped that it would initiate a change in how the players of his nation are treated by the national federation. However, he assured his fellow countrymen that these issues won’t affect his performance on the court as he called himself a true “Olympian”.

Before you go, do not forget to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.