For This Former Golden State Warrior, Stardom Knows No Borders

There aren’t many hoopers in NBA folklore like Juan Toscano-Anderson. The former Golden State Warriors champion and proud East Oakland representative is one of the only Afro Mexican American players to ever suit up in the Association’s history — and the sole Mexican citizen to hoist an NBA title.

An alumnus of Castro Valley High School, Toscano-Anderson (endearingly known as JTA) has long been a beloved figure in the Bay Area basketball community. But his popularity in Mexico is something else entirely: He’s one of the country’s most prized hoopers, with a celestial status that radiates superstardom below the border.

His cult following is evident in the newest season of The Break, a docuseries that follows three players in the NBA’s G League as they navigate the complexities of professional basketball at different points in their careers. Toscano-Anderson’s return to his family’s homeland — his mother’s side of the family immigrated to the U.S. from Michoacán in the 1960s — comprises a major storyline in the series, which premiered on YouTube at the start of this past basketball season.

Toscano-Anderson first moved to Mexico City to pursue hoops after he went undrafted out of Marquette University in 2015. At the time, Mexico provided his only shot at eventually reaching his NBA dream. From there, he earned his way onto Mexico’s national team, and soon after became the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional’s Most Valuable Player and a two-time champion. His hustle gained him a roster spot with the Golden State Warriors’ G League team in 2019, where he became a fan favorite.

Nearly a decade later, after contributions with Golden State, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz, Toscano-Anderson landed back in Mexico City as a veteran captain of the NBA G League’s Mexico City Capitanes. The team, which is the only Mexican-owned franchise to compete in any U.S.-based league, signed Toscano-Anderson at the start of the 2023-24 season, generating national fanfare in Mexico.

“Being able to embrace and indulge in my culture again, and being a representative of Mexican basketball and helping the sport grow [is] a highlight in itself,” Toscano-Anderson told me in a Zoom interview earlier this year. “I want to be that bridge, that pipeline to give Mexican Americans [a chance] when they can’t go straight to the NBA. If I didn’t have a Mexican passport, then I don’t know if I’d even be in the NBA. Having that gave me an opportunity to continue to play basketball.”

For an entire season, Toscano-Anderson grappled with an emotional homecoming in Mexico City, amid the birth of his son and the general uncertainty of playing in the NBA’s minor league system. It was a period filled with ups and downs, including Toscano-Anderson’s brief return to the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. (He concluded an injury-stunted season with the Capitanes.)

Eduardo Villalpando, a Mexican YouTuber, filmed Toscano-Anderson’s debut game at Arena CDMX in Azcapotzalco. “He’s like a superhero; he’s more famous than [president] Andrés Manuel López Obrador,” Villalpando said in his recording.

During our Zoom call, Toscano-Anderson explained how he felt during that game: “I’m going to represent my family, represent my country, and represent my son. I want to serve as an ambassador for Mexico and Mexican basketball. I want to give other people who look like me — Afro Latinos, Mexican Americans — I want to give them opportunities similar to mine.”

For The Break’s director Taylor Sharp — a North Carolina-raised, Brooklyn-based filmmaker and avid basketball fan — Toscano-Anderson’s story is unlike any other player he has ever documented.

“I was surprised to see so many Toscano jerseys in the crowd, 16,000 fans chanting his name [on opening night in Mexico City],” Sharp said. “He’s on a very short list of successful players [with Mexican heritage], and watching him play on ESPN in Mexico, that was a rare moment [for Mexican fans] to have one of their superstars.”

Sharp chose to focus closely on Toscano-Anderson’s connection to the country across multiple episodes, including “El Capitán” and “The Return.” Later in the series, Toscano-Anderson’s Northern California visit is filmed, as well as his final moments of the season as he interacts with jubilant Mexican fans who came out to meet him during a road game in New Jersey.

Whatever follows for JTA remains to be seen; he hasn’t yet announced his next steps or whether he’ll remain in Mexico City. But it’s evident that the baller will continue uplifting Mexico (and the Bay Area) as part of his storied legacy. For fans who don’t often see themselves represented in the world of professional basketball, seeing Toscano-Anderson’s ascension is more important than any final score.

All six episodes of ‘The Break’ can be streamed on the NBA G League’s official YouTube channel.