French prospect Jonathan Jeanne has been medically cleared to play and will now explore all his option to come back on the court, his agent Charles Misuraca told Sportando. Jeanne was diagnosed with the Marfan syndrome in June 2017, just a few days before the NBA Draft in which he was supposed to be a potential first-rounder. Many executives both in NBA and Europe feared that Jeanne’s career in basketball could have been over but now there’s hope to see him again on the court.
The doctor who gave Jeanne the green light to return is the same that cleared Isaiah Austin, a former Austin big man who suffered from the same disease, Sportando added in his story. Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue. Connective tissue holds all the body’s cells, organs, and tissue together. It also plays an important role in helping the body grow and develop properly. Austin has already played in several leagues around the world, including China, Lebanon, and Serbia, so the hope remains the same also for Jeanne.
The French big man lastly played in the 2016-2017 season with Nancy Basket in French Pro A, the top division. During that season, Jonathan Jeanne averaged 3.6 points, 3.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 43 percent from the court. Jeanne wanted to play this season but didn’t receive the medical permission at the beginning of the French season, so he remained still continuing to work without a team.
Jeanne and his agent will now explore all the possibilities on the market, both in Europe and internationally, to get back on the court as soon as possible. In 2015, he helped the French under-18 national team to a sixth-place finish while tallying 8.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots per contest during the U18 European Championships.
