Sea Eagles star Shaun Lane takes inspiration from Ben Simmons
TOWERING over most of his mates you would think Shaun Lane was destined for basketball. He tried his hand at social hoops but was determined to become an NRL player. That’s why is meeting with NBA star Ben Simmons was all the more special.
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BEN Simmons Mania has hit Sydney and The Throwback basketball store in Darlinghurst is bursting at the seams.
Among the businessmen, social influencers and hoops tragics lining the aisles is a fan familiar to rugby league supporters around Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Clutching a replica Simmons No. 25 Philadelphia 76ers jersey in his hands, Shaun Lane is rapt to have secured the big man’s autograph.
“It was really cool to talk to Ben,” the Sea Eagles forward said.
“It is not every day you get to meet a basketball player of his quality. Ben was only in Sydney for one day and not many people got to meet him, so I was pretty lucky.
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“Ben has so much potential, so hopefully he can go on to become an MVP-calibre player.”
Lane, who is 1.98m tall, standing alongside Big Ben at 2.08m was a sight for shoppers.
Most folk require a step ladder to get anywhere near the NBA Rookie of the Year in the height stakes, but not Lane. He was only a few inches shorter than Simmons when the pair posed for a photo.
“I was expecting him to tower over me,” Lane grinned. “I’m only 6’6’’ but I rocked up and he was only a little bit taller than me.”
Lane, 23, copped good-natured grief from his friends for posting his picture with Simmons, but he is comfortable grabbing all the opportunities that come his way.
At age five, doctors declared he was destined to be taller than the average person.
Lane battled serious whooping cough and asthma as a toddler, prompting specialists to conduct a series of assessments.
“I had to get pretty extensive treatment,” he said. “They performed all these tests on me and compared me, in terms of growth charts, to the normal person.
“In terms of height, I was in the 99th percentile as a child and they said it will continue into adulthood.
“They said I was going to be about 6’8’’ when I got older, so I always knew I was going to be tall.
“A lot of kids caught up to me in height when I was young, but from 16 I just shot up a foot in the space of six months.
“I knew I would have a growth spurt because my brother had the same thing at the same age.”
Towering over most of his mates, you would assume Lane was destined for a career in basketball. He tried his hand at social hoops but he was determined to become an NRL player.
“I guess rugby league has always been the biggest passion for me,” he said. “Basketball wasn’t something I got into too much until I was at high school in about Year 9, when I shot up in height.
“My brother Brett also got interested in basketball, so we decided to join a social team on Wednesday nights in Alexandria for two seasons.
“We played for a bit of fun but the quality of competition and refereeing wasn’t very high. But we had fun and enjoyed ourselves.
“Basketball was just something I enjoyed playing casually for a shoot-around and to sometimes play one-on-one.
“It’s always good to get away from football a bit, and I also
enjoy playing NBA2K on the PlayStation.”
Lane didn’t pursue basketball but he follows NBA stars such as Simmons and LeBron James on television. It allows him to switch off from day-to-day NRL land, especially when the rugby league bubble becomes intense.
And it hasn’t been an easy season at Brookvale.
Seeing Simmons swamped by fans and cameras in Sydney last week gave him valuable perspective.
“Ben had full-time security follow him around everywhere,” he said. “He told me he had a pretty full-on day. His flight landed at 10am and then his whole day was busy up until 10 at night.
“In comparison, it is pretty good as a rugby league player. We don’t get bothered too much.”
Lane, though, deserves all the attention he can possibly muster. He has been a standout for the Sea Eagles in a disappointing season.
In a blow for Manly, Lane has signed a three-year deal with Parramatta — his fourth club in five years — which starts next season. The in-form back-rower said it would be a bittersweet departure from Brookvale.
“It is always hard to leave a club once you’ve had a bit of success there,” he said. “It has been a good year for me personally and I feel like I’ve turned my career around.
“Baz (Trent Barrett) has also given me the opportunity to start in the back row, so it is hard to leave considering I’ve found my feet at Manly.
“But I just see moving to Parramatta as a good opportunity and hopefully I can continue my rise in form.”