By admin 
Long before he became one of the peskiest guards of the modern era, ready to literally get into a dog fight with the biggest stars on the hardwood in an attempt to throw them off their game, Patrick Beverley was looking for his basketball luck in some unexpected places.
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Even though the regular path to the NBA is anything but easy, Beverley’s extreme example only goes to show there are so many different ways to eventually get there, and taste the glory of playing in the best basketball league in the world.
For Pat Bev, that path went through the Ukrainian second division, far away from everything he was used to back home.
Beverley chose basketball
Beverley recently opened up about the struggle he experienced after his sophomore year in college. Pat Bev suited up for two years for the Arkansas Razorbacks and led the team in rebounds (6.6), steals (1.3), and three-point percentage (37.8%) during his second season, while already showing flashes of the type of game that would define him throughout his NBA tenure.
However, after his second year, he was deemed ineligible to play due to academic issues. Rather than fighting to stay there, Beverley, tired of the whole situation away from the court, decided he needed a fresh scenery.
And that fresh scenery proved to be the right kind of stepping stone for everything that was waiting for him.
Pat Bev signed with Ukrainian club Dnipro on a one-year contract just as he turned 20. And that experience of playing in a completely different environment from what he was used to stuck with him all these years.
“I made the decision. I’m choosing basketball. You feel me? And, two days later, I get a call to play in Ukraine. Second division Ukraine. Hopped on that plane so fast,” Beverley
“Just imagine, not even first division. No plane, no busses, we took trains everywhere. 12 hour train rides. I’m going to places I ain’t never seen. I’m probably making 6,000 a month, I don’t even care. I’m just hoopin’,” Pat Bev described.
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From Ukraine to the NBA
The Ukrainian Basketball League operated alongside the country’s top-tier SuperLeague during the 2008-09 season, meaning Beverley wasn’t exactly taking the glamorous European route toward the NBA.
But for Beverley, it was a chance to build a new life. Back then, he wasn’t thinking about million-dollar contracts, endorsement deals or climbing on top of the scorers table after pacing his team to the NBA playoff birth.
He was just enjoying what he knew he did best. Playing basketball. In 46 games for Dnipro, Beverley averaged 16.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks.
Beverley had a couple more stops in Europe, including Greece and Russia, before finally getting the chance to prove himself in the Association.
From the Ukrainian second division, Beverley was selected with the 42nd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. During his 12 seasons in the league, suiting up for seven different franchises, Pat Bev became a three-time All-Defensive Team member and earned north of $82 million.
Not bad for someone who once didn’t care about the money and had to catch 12-hour trains just to go somewhere in Europe and hoop.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 4:26 AM.