Jarred Shaw (Dallas, 35) is a 6-foot-11 forward-center who played college basketball for the Oklahoma State Cowboys (2009\u201311) and the Utah State Aggies (2012\u201314). He went on to make a living as a professional player, though it was one of those hard-traveling, journeyman careers built on constant moves around the world. Undrafted in 2014 and unable to draw the attention of top European clubs beyond an initial stint in Ankara (2014\u201315), he went on to play in Argentina, Tunisia, Thailand, Japan, Uruguay, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Beirut, and Indonesia \u2014 the country where he has played since 2022, suiting up for three different teams. The most recent: the Tangerang Hawks.<\/p>\n
Shaw\u2019s life takes a dramatic turn<\/p>\n
There, in Indonesia, his career and his life have taken a dramatic turn. As detailed in a Guardian report <\/a>in which Shaw tells his own story, he could be sentenced to death for possessing about $400 worth of cannabis edibles \u2014 in this case, gummy bears. He had received the illegal goods along with medication for his Crohn\u2019s disease and was arrested in May by around ten plainclothes officers \u2014 a moment captured on social media \u2014 while picking up the package in his hotel lobby.<\/p>\n In a country where he seemed to have found stability \u2014 he was a league champion in 2023 and has scored more than 1,000 points over three seasons there \u2014 he already knows he\u2019s been banned for life from the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL). But the situation is far more serious: he now faces a trial that could result in a lengthy prison sentence or, in the worst-case scenario, the death penalty.<\/p>\n Speaking from a prison on the outskirts of Jakarta, Shaw told The Guardian: \u201cI use cannabis for medical reasons. I have an inflammatory condition called Crohn\u2019s disease, which can\u2019t be cured. There are no medications, and the only thing that helps my stomach pain is cannabis. I made a stupid mistake.\u201d Normally, he explained, he uses the products in Thailand during the offseason, since that\u2019s where he spends his breaks. But when his condition worsened, he broke the rules and ordered those 132 illegal gummy bears \u2014 in Indonesia, a country far less lenient with cannabis than Thailand.<\/p>\n While admitting his mistake, he insists it shouldn\u2019t carry the death penalty or years behind bars. \u201cI\u2019ve never been through anything like this. They\u2019re telling me I could spend my whole life in prison for some cannabis edibles… these months since I was arrested have been the worst of my life. My mind has been in a dark place. I feel alone and helpless. I didn\u2019t even want to get out of bed.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCannabis is a medicine\u201d<\/p>\n His recovery, he says, began thanks to his faith and the prison\u2019s permission to use the gym and leave the cell he shares with twelve other men. \u201cI just turned 35, but I still feel young, and I\u2019d love to keep playing basketball.\u201d He also stresses that he doesn\u2019t use cannabis recreationally: \u201cIt\u2019s for anxiety, depression, insomnia, and Crohn\u2019s disease. I don\u2019t use it to party or have fun. It just eases my stomach pain \u2014 sometimes I can\u2019t even keep food down. What they see as a drug, to me is medicine. It\u2019s a cultural problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Indonesia\u2019s strict drug laws<\/p>\n In Indonesia, drug trafficking offenses can carry the death penalty. In 2016, one Indonesian and three foreign nationals were executed by firing squad, and there are currently around 500 prisoners \u2014 about 100 of them foreigners \u2014 on death row for drug-related crimes. Airport police have not ruled out the death penalty in Shaw\u2019s case either: \u201cWe are still investigating. We want to uncover the international distribution network behind this case and stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n The initial charge is for possession of one kilogram of cannabis. At his first court appearance, police presented 869 grams of gummy bears \u2014 merchandise worth around $400 on the market. Five months have now passed without another hearing, and Shaw remains in jail while raising funds for his defense. \u201cThey want to make it look like I\u2019m some big-time dealer. But why would I want to sell cannabis here? It was only for personal use.\u201d<\/p>\n