Why Tony Snell is desperate for a return to the NBA

Tony Snell has been out of the NBA since the 2021-2022 season, and badly wants to get back into the league. It isn’t for reasons having to do with missing the competition or the camaraderie with his teammates. Snell is hoping to qualify for NBA benefits that will help take care of his children for many years to come. All statistics are sourced from Basketball Reference.

Snell is a veteran swingman who has played on six different teams in his NBA career. He was mostly known for his length and versatility on the defensive end, which are attributes teams generally value in the modern NBA.

He was originally selected 20^th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2013 NBA Draft. Snell played his college basketball at the University of New Mexico, and originally hails from Los Angeles, California.

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Snell spent a total of nine seasons in the NBA, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. However, that duration comes into play significantly for Snell, who has fallen one season short of an all-important 10-year milestone.

Players who have been in the NBA for at least 10 years are eligible to receive health insurance for the entirety of their children’s lives, according to the New York Post. Snell was already eligible for lifetime health insurance for himself, since he eclipsed the three-year service threshold for that particular benefit.

In June 2023, Snell revealed on NBC’s “Today” show that he had autism spectrum disorder, which is something he did not look into earlier in life. According to ESPN, he told the show that he couldn’t connect with people on the personal side of things, and wasn’t shocked by the news.

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However, what made Snell curious about his own medical situation was the diagnoses that his two sons received. They are also autistic, as the NBA player and his wife would learn. Ashley Snell told “Today” that their son Carter still wasn’t talking at 18 months, and needed to have at least six or seven toys in his hands.

In order to qualify for a tenth season of NBA service this year, Snell needed to have a team sign him by February 2, 2024. That date came and went without an offer, so it appears as if Snell’s quest to make to an elusive tenth campaign will have to wait.

The 32 year-old Snell has been playing in the NBA’s G League for an affiliate of the Boston Celtics, the Maine Celtics.

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Snell told Yahoo that reaching the threshold to trigger family benefits was something that his children truly needed. He spoke to Modern Parenting to communicate his desire to give his sons the support he didn’t have growing up, and didn’t know he needed.

TNT Sports’ Charles Barkley spoke out on a network broadcast on Snell’s behalf as the February 2 deadline approached, asking teams to step up so that Snell’s sons can be taken care of for life.

Even if Snell were to be signed by an NBA team ahead of the playoffs, it would not be enough to qualify for 10 years of service. It’s likely that he will be in the same boat heading into training camp for the 2024-2025 campaign, but may have a better chance to make a roster at that time.

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Snell told “Today” in June 2023 that he probably would not have made it to the NBA had his autism diagnosis been confirmed earlier in life. He felt that it would have put a cap on his potential, given that much more is known about the medical condition today than in previous decades.

Snell knows firsthand that autism is not a reason for individuals to give up on their dreams. To that end, he told the “Today” show that he has invested a lot of time into the Special Olympics, encouraging athletes and their families to push the boundaries of what they think is possible.

This is a difficult story for the NBA to navigate, because their qualification rules for premium benefits are clear. Some might believe the league should make an exception given his proximity to the cutoff, but this might also open up others on the precipice of the threshold to appeal their situation as well.

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