After leaving college in the United States, a professional basketball player usually has three options: make the NBA, spend time in the D-League, or take his talents overseas. Dionte Christmas is an example of a player that chose that third alternative. After being cut by the Philadelphia 76ers in the preseason of 2009, the rookie out of Temple signed a contract in Israel with Hapoel Alufa. His decision would take him all over Europe, from Italy, the Czech Republic, and Greece, to Russia, with CSKA Moscow in the Euroleague.

Christmas didn't forget about his NBA dreams, though, and he routinely played in summer league and preseason hoops. It was in 2013 that he finally struck a deal with the Phoenix Suns, and he scored 9 points and added 4 rebounds in his debut. Despite inking multiple deals with other NBA teams in the coming years, he would never see the court again in the big league.

This season has been hectic for the 29-year-old, who has picked up an Italian League ring and a Greek League scoring title up till now. It started with a short-lived deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and then a quick reunion with the Israeli Premier League. Most recently, Christmas suited up for four games for AEK Athens in Greece, averaging less than three points and two rebounds. He has not played an official game since leaving AEK on February 9, 2016.

But that will change soon. In only the past few days, he found a job with Turku Konyaspor in the Turkish Super League, the top division in the country. The team is coming off a tough loss in leading scorer Clay Tucker, who now competes in Puerto Rico, and it's up to Christmas to fill him in. Konyaspor has its fair share of Americans, with Johndre Jefferson and Sean Williams, and Christmas will have to immediately make an impact to lift his team out of relegation. They sit at second-to-last place in the league, and unless they can peak right now, they'll be sent off to the second tier. The NBA may not be out of the picture yet for the shooting guard, and making noise in Turkey will definitely help his case.