For any basketball player, your dream is to someday play in the NBA. Even at the earliest age, you grow up watching your heroes on the court and imagine yourself in their shoes. This becomes even more palpable when you are a college athlete, knowing you are just one level away. And while fellow classmates Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, and Patrick Ewing, Jr. are off living the dream, Jonathan Wallace is not.

But, Wallace still has a unique opportunity: to play ball in Europe, as he was recently signed to Union Olimpija of Slovenia. For many, it may seem like a disappointment to have to play overseas instead of in the NBA. But, if you were to have told Jonathan as a walk-on freshman that he would be playing professional basketball after graduation, I am sure he would have been pretty excited. And, upon further inspection, there is a large upside to playing international ball.

Firstly, Jonathan Wallace gets to keep playing basketball. And while he will not be making as much money as some of his former Hoya teammates, a European club will pay more than a NBDL contract. And as Josh Childress showed back in July, some of the foreign leagues have quite a bit of money to throw around. And Childress is not the only player leaving the NBA for the riches of Europe. This is not to say that Wallace will be making big bucks, but he certainly will not go hungry in Slovenia.

Also, playing in Europe will give Wallace a chance to showcase his skills, as he will likely get significant minutes in his first season and will not have to deal with the intense scrutiny that accompanies many NBA franchises. And since NBA scouts are always looking overseas for new talent, good form from Wallace could get him noticed.

Jonathan Wallace may never get a chance to play in the NBA. However, he will almost assuredly be able to make a comfortable living playing the game of basketball, at least for the foreseeable future. And for anyone sitting at an office job reading this, playing basketball for a living at any level would be a dream come true.