Reyer’s former NBA guard has released three full-length albums since 2020
Denzel Valentine living his evolution through “The Journey” and other music
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Venice has provided inspiration to many in the art world over thousands of years. Given that, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one day Denzel Valentine writes a song about the Italian city. Yes, Denzel Valentine of Umana Reyer Venice – the former NBA guard who has released three full-length albums in the last five years.
Valentine released his latest single “Like McGrady” on September 25 of this year, a year which also saw him bring out the “Plead the 5th” single in late July, the seven-track album “Part-Time” in mid-May and even the 12-track album “The Journey” in late January.
The album cover for “The Journey” features Valentine in a collage of photos over the years, including wearing jerseys of the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA, the NBA G League’s Windy City Bulls and Maine Celtics, Michigan State Spartans from college, as well as his high school J.W. Sexton and Italian club Trieste from last season.
“I like to separate music and basketball, but also at the same time intertwine them,” Valentine told David Hein. “So, because I'm a realist and don’t like to lie and exaggerate stuff. ‘The Journey’ is just about my life experiences, what I've experienced to this point. And I just wanted to share that through music with everybody who wants to choose to listen to it.
“Also, I feel like I've gotten better as well. So I just had fun with it. I just made some songs, just kind of went in the studio and did my thing and it came out. It was a great turnout.”
“The Journey” was recorded in the summer of 2024 in Chicago with his producer and engineer Kylann Griffin, with whom he has worked since 2017.
The “Part-Time” cover, meanwhile, features two pictures of Valentine in a Trieste uniform. And that was actually recorded last season in Italy. Jayce Johnson, his teammate from last season, is listed as co-writer for all seven songs.
“Jayce actually came up with the name,” said Valentine. “We were trying to figure out a name for the project, and he was like, ‘Part-Time,’ because literally that’s what we are. We’re basketball players, but you have a life outside of it, so we’re part-time artists. So that’s why we named it ‘Part-Time.’”
He said Johnson would always be singing in the locker room and was pretty good.
“I’m like, ‘Bro, I've got to get you in the studio.’ We went in there our first time in February, maybe. And the first song on the album is called ‘Loose’. That was his first time ever doing a song, and he was so good from day one. I said you’re a natural. And that’s how we hit it off,” Valentine remembered.
Valentine has three albums, two EPs and 15 singles listed on Spotify.
The other album, “517: Made Me”, includes 11 songs and references the 517 area code in the United States, designated for the area around his home city of Lansing, Michigan. And the EPs are the four-track “It’s Bout Time” from June 2024 and the November 2022 release “Life Is What You Make It” with five songs from November 2022.
Valentine said his favorite songs are “Wreck” from “The Journey”, “Come Vibe” from “It’s Bout Time”, and “On Sight” from “517 : Made Me”.
The song that probably means the most to him, he said, is “Blackout” from “The Journey”.
“I’ve listened to that song multiple times and shed tears to it. It’s about my journey, how I grew up, and the struggles I’ve dealt with. It’s about all the hard work and sacrifice my parents made to get me here,” he said.
Valentine started off with straight rap music but then did some R&B and the pop music. Then the influence of Johnson showed he could do some alternative, borderline rock songs.
Even though basketball is his true love, Valentine said music provides an important release as a hobby.
“I feel like I am able to express my true feelings when I’m in the studio, and it kind of releases a dopamine,” he admitted. “I feel mentally better. It’s crazy. I always feel so much better after I go in the studio. And then the songs, they last a lifetime.”
Valentines listens to his songs and that gives him a great vibe, too.
“It reminds you of a great time that you had and how you were feeling at the time. It kind of motivates you to succeed and keep going,” he said. “It also gives me confidence too, because I’m like, ‘Dang, I actually made that.’ It’s kind of mixed emotions with it, but it’s all positive.”
Valentine is currently helping Reyer in the fight to make the BKT EuroCup Playoffs, with holding a 4-4 record in the national team break. And the 32-year-old is playing a strong role, averaging 7.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and a team-high 4.9 assists while shooting 34.1% on three-pointers.
That comes after a very solid campaign last year in Trieste, his first full season in Europe.
“I was playing for something, playing for the pride of a city, playing for the pride of the league, trying to get a championship. It felt really good to improve and reinvent myself in year nine. And I wanted to take that energy into this year and have another great year,” he said.
He now wants to leave a footprint in Europe.
“I feel like the new challenge is to show Europe and the world who Denzel Valentine is and what I can bring to an organization and a team. And that's winning, good vibes, and just the joy of basketball. And I think I have a platform to do that now with the opportunity that this team has given me,” he said.
And the added bonus of making music on top.
When asked if Venice has inspired him, he answered: “Oh, definitely. Music videos are coming: water taxis, gondolas, all that. I’ve got some stuff planned, for sure.”