A while back, I wrote about someone I knew who managed to travel from the U.S. to the U.K. without a passport. Of course, the story was from the “carefree” pre-9/11 days. Nowadays you may be able to travel domestically without I.D. (here’s how), but international travel without a passport nowadays is virtually impossible.
This brings us to Detroit Pistons’ rookie center, Jalen Duren.
Duren, age 19, was scheduled to fly to Paris with his team early last week. Unfortunately, he lost his passport (he left it in his car, which was being repaired) and therefore couldn’t fly that day.
So when the Pistons got their picture taken in front of the Eiffel Tower upon their arrival in the City of Lights, Duren was noticeably absent.
James L. Edwards III, staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Pistons, spilled the beans on Duren:
Jalen Duren is not currently with the Pistons because the league’s youngest player lost his passport lol. The team is working and hoping to get him here in time for the game.
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) January 17, 2023
Fortunately, Duren was eventually able to get his passport back and by Wednesday he was in Paris, back with the Pistons.
Teammates welcome Jalen Duren to Paris pic.twitter.com/sTlIsLI7vj
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) January 18, 2023
Their game against the Chicago Bulls was Thursday. Jaren, who had been out of the last 5 games due to an ankle injury, was able to play in the game for 18 minutes.
The Pistons won 126-108.
Pistons head coach Dwane Casey said: “He had [the passport] and left it in a car that he put in the shop. As he was going through the process of getting another passport, they found the other passport.
“It is a learning experience as well as a part of being [about] basketball and a part of life, and understanding how important passports are.”
I suspect Jalen Duran just learned a life lesson he’ll never forget. I’m betting he’ll also always know where his passport is, 24/7, for the rest of his life. 😉
Feature Image (cropped): Michael Barera / Wikimedia / CC-BY-SA 4.0
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