In an era where endless scrolling often replaces quiet reflection, Oscar Tshiebwe stands out in a way few professional athletes do. The G League rebounding machine is not only dominating the glass. He is also writing books, reading more than 50 titles a year, and intentionally cutting social media out of his life to sharpen his mind.
“The first book is called Courage in the Dark. It’s just trying to encourage people how, in life sometimes, there is no achievement without courage. So I wrote this book because if you read that book, you’re going to discover where I started, where I came from, how I started playing basketball until where I am today.”
“The difficulty, the tough times, everything I went through, you’re going to find in that book, just to encourage you. It’s much more about faith.”
“And the second book is coming up in about a week. It’s called How to Discover Your Purpose. So I read so many books, and I learned and compared my life with myself, and I wrote that book. It’s 120 pages. It’s helping people how to discover your purpose.”
“I’m always writing or reading. I read at least 50 books every year. Fifty books every year. My teammates, people make fun of me because they say books are not life. You just read and write. So I think reading is one of the things I discovered that helps you with your mind. Instead of being on social media, I took out social media on my phone. I live at home, on my computer. It’s just distraction.
“But if you feed your mind with the right things, you always think right. If you feed your mind with trash things, you always think trash.”
“If you’re going through depression, worry, anxiety, you don’t need those things. You need to focus on building your mind. Think right, live right. Think wrong, live the wrong life. So that’s what I think.”
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What truly separates Tshiebwe, though, is his reading habit. He reads at least 50 books every year, a number that feels staggering in a digital age where many people struggle to finish even one. Reading a single book a year would be a win for most adults. Fifty places him in a category of extreme mental discipline. His teammates joke about it. Some even tell him books are not ‘real life.’ Tshiebwe disagrees completely.
All of this is happening alongside elite production on the court. Tshiebwe, currently on a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz, is a cornerstone for the Salt Lake City Stars. He is the best rebounder in G-League history and is leading the league in rebounding for the third straight season at 16.7 boards per game. His career G League averages sit at 16.2 points, 17.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 57.4% from the field.
Oscar Tshiebwe is proof that development is not only physical. While most players work on jump shots and footwork, he is also training his mind, one page at a time.
