About Tyren

My name is Tyren and I want to get real with you for a minute.

I’ve always dreamed big, wanted to make something of my life, and deeply cared about people since I was 4 years old.

However, as a kid I grew up in a place with not much opportunities. Dreaming wasn’t too popular. Surviving and maintaining was the main goal.

I was small, skinny, very goofy, constantly taken for a joke. My peers didn’t take me serious until later in high school.

School came easy to me. My mom was a teacher and she didn’t play. I failed one class in my life. That was health class. I refused to wear those little shorts. So I had a 0 for participation. I was cool with that. That’s where my confidence started to grow. I didn’t care who made fun of me for failing. That use to be a big issue for me. I never wanted to look like a failure.

My confidence was high, but still no one took me serious. There were many moments I thought I would only be good enough to be a teacher or work in a power plant. I was picked last in sports, no one took me serious when I said I would be a pro, and experienced constant tension at home. The catch is I was the only one with the tension. I internalised all of my feelings.

I played football, basketball, and baseball. I went to school 30 minutes away from my home. The area I grew up in is kind of like a fraternity. If you didn’t live in that community you were an outcast.

I had to constantly prove my worth. No matter how good I did I was still never taken serious.

Then one summer I grew from 5’8 to 6’4. Finally made the junior varsity team after being cut the previous two years. I dominated junior varsity. That summer I worked like a slave on my game. I knew I would be a starter the next season because all the players were seniors.

I dominated and led my team to a state championship . Ended up losing by one point.

Next season I was all world and one of the best players in the state. I earned a scholarship to play at the University of Louisiana .

From being cut two times to earning a full scholarship.  I was in heaven.  I felt like I had made it.  Little did I knew my biggest challenges were ahead.

I was the 9th freshmen to sign that season.  As for as notoriety I had the least accolades.  I was raw and had no feel for the game.  Only thing I had was some athleticism and ambitions.

I was on the bench for three straight seasons.  The player that was in front of me suffered a huge knee injury.  I finished the season pretty strong.  I played by default.  There was no one else.  Last game of that season I finished with a double double.  Had to give them a glimpse of what was to come.

Motivated by my coach.  He told me “I have some guys that’s coming here that will take all you guys spots”.

I use that as fuel to lock myself in the gym all summer.  I ask the head coach for the key to the gym and worked on my game around the clock.

Senior season came and I was the MVP of the Sun-Belt Conference.  I went from being a bench warmer to being the MVP in one season.

I was on a few mock draft boards to go early 2nd Round in the 2010 NBA Draft. So I left college early to train with Tim Grover. I got invited to Portsmouth Invitational. A place invite for the top 64 seniors in the country. Played really well there.

Got invited to the Reese’s All Star Game at the final four in Indianapolis. Played really well.

I ended up having 30 pre draft NBA workouts. Ended up going undrafted.

Signed my first contract to play in Belgium. Lost in the championship.

Returned home to NBA D-League. Selected Pick 14th in the first round to Rio Grand Valley Vipers. Houston Rockets affiliate team. I was selected to the D-League All-Star game.

Next season I signed in France with Chalon-Reims. Lost in the championship again.

Frustrated with not being in the NBA I decided to take some time off. I ended up signing late in Toulon, France. The team was in 13th place when I met them. We finished 6th.

I returned to Aalst, Belgium for a second year. Had a great season we lost in the first round.

Next season I signed my biggest contract in Usak, Turkey. We both decided to go our separate ways after one week. I took some more time off devastated. I thought that team would get me back to the highest level of basketball. I ended up signing in Japan that season. I signed with Kyoto. We lost in the final four.

Next season I signed in Lavrio, Greece. We decided to go our separate ways after two months. Broke and defeated I ended up signing a deal in Mexico out of desperation. Turned out to be my best experience as a pro. I signed with Ojinaga in the Chihuahua League. We lost in the championship.

Still broke and desperate I signed with my current team ADA Blois in France. Not knowing where the team was or which division it was in. I just took the job and said I was gone MAKEMPAY. We won the championship my first season and I was the MVP of the league. I’m still finishing this story…

When you read my pro career you see a lot of ups and downs. All of these experiences turned me into the person that I am today. I was young, cocky, and dumb. My financial literacy was horrible. I made over a million dollars playing basketball and I was always broke.

We read the stories about lottery winners and athletes going broke. I decided to change that narrative. I educated myself religiously.

Learned different skills to not be so dependent on basketball. Started a lifestyle company called TRÜF which focuses on getting people to get the most out of themselves. I started doing basketball camps around the world. This is my way to get in touch with the younger generation. I also put out as much content as possible. I do this through my podcast, videos, books, online courses, live events, and one on one interactions.

I’m so grateful where life has taken me and the life that I’ve chosen to design on a daily basis. I believe we are the authors of our own life, and I’m blessed for the adversity I’ve faced. It makes me appreciate my life now and have compassion for others who suffer in a much bigger way.

I hope I can get you feeling the same way. That’s what this site is all about.

MAKEPMAY!!!

Live a TRÜF Life

TYREN JOHNSON