This interview is part of a series that takes an inside look at how some of Cal's most memorable athletes ended up wearing the Blue and Gold.

For never having played an NBA game, it's hard to argue with the success of Rod Benson's basketball career.

He led Cal as a junior in 2005 in both scoring and rebounding. He was a D-League All-Star in 2008. He's played professionally in France, North Dakota, and South Korea, where he reached the Korean Basketball League finals the last two seasons, and was named the league's Import Player of the Year in 2012 when he averaged 20 and 13 and led his team to the KBL's best record. Oh, and then there was this.

He's done a ton of other stuff too: he has own clothing line and his own movement, he's written for SLAM Magazine and Yahoo! Sports' Ball Don't Lie, plus has been featured in ESPN the Mag and in the E:60 television series.

You know what's crazy though? Had it not been for a 260-pound Jamaican named Damion Grant, Rod might've done it all while wearing a slightly more powder-y shade of blue...

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