{"id":788686,"date":"2026-07-09T07:11:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T07:11:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/788686\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T07:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T07:11:15","slug":"here-for-a-reason-josiah-maama-living-out-his-nba-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/788686\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Here for a reason\u2019: Josiah Maama living out his NBA dream"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Josiah Maama, walking into the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 training facility was not a moment to wonder if he belonged.<\/p>\n

The proud Tongan from Glen Innes, East Auckland, knew exactly why he was there.<\/p>\n

Now part of the Spurs coaching staff for the 2026 National Basketball Association (NBA) Summer League, Maama says the opportunity is the reward for years of hard work, sacrifice and the support of the people who believed in him.<\/p>\n

Maama says he is \u201chere for a reason\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cA dream come true, to be in anything related to the NBA,\u201d Maama told PMN News. \u201cThen obviously coaching is my passion\u2026 it\u2019s a vocation for me\u2026 to be able to pursue that vocation in one of the best levels in the world. It\u2019s really fun and really humbling too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m glad that I get to represent proudly for not just Tonga, but for Glen Innes as well, East Auckland and all my family back home as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Josiah Maama. Photo\/Supplied<\/p>\n

The NBA Summer League is where franchises give newly drafted players and emerging talent the chance to prove themselves while coaches continue developing at the highest level of the game.<\/p>\n

Maama has already built a strong coaching reputation in New Zealand. He helped guide Dilworth Boys College to their first Auckland Premiership title in 2025.<\/p>\n

Alongside his brother, Sione Maama, also helped lead the Junior Tall Blacks to their first International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Under-17 title.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Brothers Sione and Josiah Maama celebrate after leading the Junior Tall Blacks to a historic maiden FIBA Under-17 title. Photo\/Instagram<\/p>\n

For Maama, reaching the NBA has come at a personal cost.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is my second year in a row missing my mom\u2019s birthday because I\u2019ve been overseas coaching. But at the same time, as much as that sucks, it\u2019s nice to always acknowledge that I wouldn\u2019t be here without her sacrifices.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m really grateful for that\u2026 It definitely takes a massive toll on your life, but these are the sacrifices you make if you want to be in these places and these spaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite arriving at one of basketball\u2019s biggest organisations, Maama says he never felt out of place.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt very competent and very prepared, obviously with my experiences in the past of coaching in New Zealand and other places, but also having amazing support from all the people back home.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a bit of a trippy moment seeing the championship banners in the background, seeing the Spurs logo on the ground,\u201d Maama said, reflecting on the moment and thinking, \u201cwe\u2019re here for a reason, we\u2019re here to add value, we\u2019re not just here because it\u2019s a buzzy or trippy experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mindset has helped carry him from East Auckland to Texas.<\/p>\n

Working under head coach and former NBA player Corliss Williamson, Maama says the experience is something his younger self could only dream about.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing it for\u2026 the 11-year-old Josiah who grew up watching Basketball and being a massive fan of the NBA, and not knowing what to do with life, and going through different struggles.<\/p>\n

\u201cHoping one day you\u2019d be doing something cool and something you were passionate about as a kid\u2026 this is what I was passionate about, used to sit on my couch and play football manager\u2026 now I get to play it in real life, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

After taking part in the California Classic, Maama and the Spurs now turn their attention to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

The tournament runs from 10-20 July (NZT), with the San Antonio Spurs opening their campaign against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday at 8:30am (NZT).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For Josiah Maama, walking into the San Antonio Spurs\u2019 training facility was not a moment to wonder if…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":788687,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[557],"tags":[64,63,590,85],"class_list":["post-788686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nba","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=788686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788686\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/788687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=788686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=788686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=788686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}