Gonzaga's Rasir Bolton keeps open mind heading into Serbian basketball league: 'Always staying true to myself'

Bolton remains a key figure in the Spokane community from his philanthropy during his time at Gonzaga

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Even as a pro, Rasir Bolton hasn’t stopped learning the game of basketball.

The former Gonzaga Bulldogs guard spent much of his two seasons in Spokane figuring out how he could be effective away from the ball, while players like Drew Timme, Chet Holmgren and Julian Strawther shined in the spotlight. Bolton thrived as a spot-up shooter, as he made 42.5% of his 3-point attempts across 69 games with the Zags (all starts) from 2021-23. The Petersburg, Virginia, native helped guide the Bulldogs to the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight before moving on to the pro level.

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, Bolton signed with the Antwerp Giants of the BNXT League, which is regarded as the highest tier of basketball in Belgium. Bolton was named a league MVP finalist after putting up 17.7 points per game to go with 3.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals in 28 games as a rookie while the Giants went 21-7 overall and finished second in the Elite Gold division.

“It was really fun for me,” Bolton said of his first season overseas. “I think it was huge for me, just getting real in-game experience with pros and playing against guys from all over the world.”

Now Bolton readies for another learning experience — the 6-foot-3 guard signed a deal with the MMK Spartak Subotica (also known as Spartak Office Shoes), a Serbian club that was crowned champion of the NLB ABA League 2 (the second-tier division in the ABA) this past May. 

“I went into my first year not really knowing what’s going on, new to Europe, new to the place, new to the city, just going in with an open mind,” Bolton said. “So I think just going into Serbia the same way. Accepting everything that’s going to come with it. The ups, the downs, the good games, the rough games, the tough practices, the summer workouts. Just going in open-minded and trying to stay positive and always staying true to myself.”

Bolton shared more about his time at Gonzaga, his pro career in Europe and much more on a new Gonzaga Nation episode.

WATCH THE FULL EPISODE BELOW:

Produced by Thomas Gallagher.

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