Former Pacific University basketball player Ethan Chung is living a hoop dream

Too good to be true? Seemingly, but in this case definitely not.

Despite twice thinking his basketball playing career had ended, former Pacific University basketball player Ethan Chung is living a hoops dream he didn’t even think was possible.

Since graduating from the Forest Grove university in 2023, the California native of Taiwanese descent worked out for and ultimately made a Taiwan professional basketball team, had a 40-point game, and next month is set to start alongside former NBA players Dwight Howard, DeMarcus Cousins and Quinn Cook as part of the Taiwan Mustangs.

If that seems crazy, you won’t get an argument from Chung who still can’t believe what has, is, or will be happening.

“I never could’ve imagined that after finishing playing at Pacific that I’d be teammates with three former Laker players,” a chuckling Chung said. “I come from a D-III program. This kind of stuff isn’t supposed to happen to me, but it is and I feel extremely fortunate.”

Chung stems from San Ramon, California, and played basketball at Dougherty Valley High School where he averaged roughly 10 points, five rebounds and three assists per game. Despite a love for the game, he never planned to play basketball beyond the prep level before he was offered an opportunity to do so by Boxers head coach Justin Lunt.

During his time at Pacific, Chung played in 55 games and started 41, averaging 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and just under two assists per game. Those aren’t typically numbers that would get you to the next level and because of that the business major was knee-deep in a job search before an opportunity to continue his career on the hardwood reared its head.

A Taiwanese sports agent reached out to Chung via Instagram regarding a workout for teams in Taiwan. The agent had been scouting another player in the Northwest Conference and liked what he saw from the Boxer guard. The opportunity caught Chung a bit off guard, but at the same time he was excited by the prospect of playing more ball.

“I was pretty set on being done with basketball after my senior year at Pacific,” he said. “I was interviewing for jobs and close to getting a job back at home, then this came up and it was kind of crazy. I didn’t really know much about basketball in Taiwan, so it really opened my eyes to how big the basketball world is.”

From there he traveled to Taiwan and spent six months training and working out for teams in a newly formed league called The Asian Tournament. He didn’t immediately get an offer, but two months after returning home to California, Chung signed with the Mustangs and began his endeavor as a professional basketball player.

For the past two months he’s been traveling back and forth from the Philippines where he and his teammates train between five-game sets in Taiwan. Chung said that while initially a bit overwhelmed by the speed of the professional game, he’s become far more comfortable over his time playing with the Mustangs and feels he’s vastly improved since leaving Pacific a year ago.

“My first six months in Taiwan, I did feel a little bit over my head because I don’t think too many professional basketball players come from a Division-III background, so that was a big jump for me,” Chung said. “Even today, I’m still getting used to the pace and physicality of pro ball, but I’m getting used to it and I feel like I’m getting better.”

That was likely never more evident than when he scored 40 points and had five assists in a win over the league’s Aces on May 24, that included 11 three-pointers.

The Mustangs are 7-3 in their first 10 games and Chung said it’s not just he that’s improving, but his entire team since they first rolled the ball out two months ago.

“The more we got to practice together and the more time we spent together, the more comfortable we got,” Chung said of the Mustangs. “We’re definitely making positive progression.”

And they’ll be getting even better later in July when the Mustangs are expected to be joined by future basketball Hall of Famers Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins, along with two-time NBA champion Quinn Cook. For Chung, who group up a rabid Lakers fan, the idea of playing alongside NBA stars such as Howard, Cousins and Cook is truly a dream come true.

“It’s surreal,” Chung said. “In a little bit over a year, going from ‘I don’t know if I want to play professional basketball,’ to me playing with three former Lakers… it’s something I would have never ever imagined, and it’s just been a roller coaster of a journey.”

And not one without it’s difficulties.

Chung speaks very little Mandarin and said he misses his family and friends. But he also said he’s been trying to make the most of the experience in a foreign land, getting out when he has the chance and enjoying what Taiwan has to offer culturally — especially the food.

“The first month being overseas by myself, that was a huge adjustment,” Chung said. “I try not to just stay in my room all day after practice, but rather try to get out there and find new things to try. I’m a big ‘foodie’ and Taiwan is definitely my favorite country for the best foods.”

And what does he see in the weeks, months and maybe years ahead regarding the game? More of the same as he finishes out this season, but possibly even a heightened experience on the court he a year ago thought he’d seen the last of.

“I’m hoping that by the end of The Asian Tournament I have a contract lined up for me on a team in Taiwan,” Chung said, “but if not, my plan is to just do the same thing I did last year and workout for different teams and keep proving myself.”