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UNC Basketball: Ty Lawson released and replaced, ending saga in Greece

By Blake Cockrum

BEIJING, CHINA - NOVEMBER 02: Ty Lawson #3 of ShanDong Hi-Speed in action during the 2017/2018 CBA League match between Beijing Ducks and ShanDong Hi-Speed at Shougang Basketball Center Gymnasium on November 2, 2017 in Beijing, China. (Photo by XIN LI/Getty Images)
BEIJING, CHINA - NOVEMBER 02: Ty Lawson #3 of ShanDong Hi-Speed in action during the 2017/2018 CBA League match between Beijing Ducks and ShanDong Hi-Speed at Shougang Basketball Center Gymnasium on November 2, 2017 in Beijing, China. (Photo by XIN LI/Getty Images) /
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Ty Lawson’s latest stretch in Greece has already come to an end, as the former UNC basketball star has been released by Kolossos.

Ty Lawson is back on the free agent market following a mutual agreement with Kolossos (Kolossos Rodou B.C.) that sees the former Tar Heel’s time in Greece come to an abrupt end. According to EuroHoops.net, the two sides agreed to end their relationship because they simply “didn’t fit well.” And by the time Lawson could even get out the door, he’d already been replaced by 27-year-old Serbian point guard Stefan Pot.

It’s a bit of a surprising development considering the hoops that Lawson had to go through to join the team just a couple of months ago. The 33-year-old veteran guard signed with the organization in January, but was not allowed to leave China after a September 2020 incident that resulted in his lifetime ban from the Chinese Basketball Association. That’s where Lawson was stuck for several months while trying to obtain a VISA to leave the country en route to his team on the island of Rhodes, in Rhodes City.

It’s just the latest entry in the strange Ty Lawson saga that has seen him go from rising NBA starter to international star to Chinese outcast to unemployed. Trying to connect the dots of Lawson’s past half-decade makes trigonometry seem like Saturday morning cartoons. Alas, here we are, and the former Tar Heel — considered by many to be the most dynamic at his position in team history — is left on the outside looking in, seemingly with gas still left in the tank.

He averaged an outstanding 27.3 points, 8.7 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game during his last professional stint — that was with the Fujian Sturgeons during the 2019-20 season. Numbers like that certainly make it seem like Lawson could contribute for several more years abroad. He does turn 34 in November and he’s, of course, not getting any younger, but if he’s able to get it together and stick with one organization, maybe he can finish out his career on a high note like former NBA star Stephon Marbury did in Beijing.

Marbury, though, is a beloved figure in China who established himself as a national sports icon, and was honored with stamps and statues and a dang museum. Lawson isn’t even allowed to visit the Great Wall.

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