Is there a better story in the NBA than Juan Toscano-Anderson right now? It's hard to find one.
The East Oakland native has traveled far and wide to keep his basketball career alive ever since graduating from Marquette in 2015. He contemplated quitting but Toscano-Anderson, whose mother is Mexican, decided to sign in the Mexican professional league, reinvigorating his love for the game and jump-starting his professional career.
Toscano-Anderson told ESPN's Zach Lowe he plans to travel to Mexico after the NBA season, but this time to celebrate a lifelong dream. In the coming days, the versatile wing is expected to sign a standard NBA contract with the Warriors after Golden State signed him to a two-way deal last December.
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"I'm not funding the whole trip though," Toscano-Anderson said to Lowe. "Everybody has to get their own plane ticket."
RELATED: Kerr wants to see JTA in Warriors uniform for 'a long time'
Toscano-Anderson spent a handful of professional seasons in Mexico before joining the Warriors' G League affiliate in Santa Cruz ahead of the 2018-19 season. He made his NBA debut last February and has far outplayed his current contract with the Warriors this season.
Over 51 games (15 starts), the 28-year-old is averaging 5.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He also is shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc. But his impact goes beyond the box score.
Golden State Warriors
"Twenty-eight years old, he's bounced around the entire world playing basketball, and I think our fans love him," Steve Kerr recently said about Toscano-Anderson. "I know we love him as a coaching staff. The guy just gets it. He plays with great energy, he's smart, he's tough.
"He's improved his skill now as a passer and a shooter to a point where he's really making a lot of plays out there for us."
The hard work has paid off, and JTA is ready to celebrate back in Mexico.