Mason Dunham

In October of 2014, a month into the fall semester, Jon Elmore left college and drove home to Charleston, West Virginia. His grandfather was dying. Otmer Elmore, in his grandsons' own words, basically raised them. He had played at West Virginia. So Jon and his brother Ot went home and took turns sleeping on a couch, so that somebody was always there. Here is what that cost them. The school they walked away from was VMI, where their father Gay Elmore had been the all-time leading scorer. Ot had already given up a season so the two of them could play four years together. Neither brother ever played one game there. Their grandfather died a few months later. And then VMI would not release them. A family friend helping the Elmores said they believed about $50,000 would cover the scholarship money and get both brothers freed. He said the number later came back at around $110,000. "The family was willing to come up with $50,000. They could not afford $110,000." The VMI athletic director said both brothers chose to leave, that the releases and the appeals went through the NCAA and letter of intent process and were not granted, and that the school wished the family well. Jon lost a year of eligibility over it. He enrolled at Marshall and paid his own way. And then he went and played intramural basketball. That is where Marshall found him. By December of 2015 he was on the varsity. Here is what he did once he got there. 19.8 points and 5.9 assists a game over 133 games. All-time leading scorer in Conference USA. All-time leading scorer at Marshall. In 2018 he put up 27 points in an upset of Wichita State for the first NCAA Tournament win in school history. He is the only player in the history of Division I basketball with 2,500 points and 750 assists. Nobody drafted him in 2019. So he went to Italy. Then Italy again. Then Greece. Then Hungary. Then Lithuania. Then the G League, and this is the part that should stop you. The Miami Heat signed him in September of 2023 and waived him the same day. The Sacramento Kings signed him in September of 2025 and waived him the next day. Then Turkey. Then back to the Stockton Kings, where he won a G League championship. Then Canada. Last night, on a training camp deal with the San Antonio Spurs, at 30 years old, after seven years as a professional on four continents, Jon Elmore walked onto the floor against the Atlanta Hawks. It was a preseason game. He is competing for the last spot on the roster and he still has to make it. But eleven years ago he was 18 years old, asleep on a couch in Charleston, taking his shift so the man who raised him would not be alone. He gave up the year. He never did get it back. For more stories like this, follow us on any platform @thesportsontap x @ONTapHoops