Mike Palm is a former Western Washington University Men's Basketball player who is in his 13th season playing professionally in Sweden. Palm is WWU's all-time leading rebounder with 874 career boards. Professional photographer Dan Levine traveled to Sweden and shared this story about Mike, his family and the contributions he has made to the Sweden professional league.

By Dan Levine

Frigid late-winter days are yielding to more light. As temperatures rise a bit above freezing, the basketball fans of Boras, Sweden will grab a ticket to the hottest game in town to watch their version of March Madness, which means another playoff run by their team, Boras Basket, for a Swedish national championship. Boras Basket is well-loved and its games are well-attended in a city about the size of Bellingham.

The team is anchored by popular veteran 6-10 all-star center, Mike Palm. A 13-year pro who starred at Rogers High School in Puyallup and collegiately at Western Washington, Palm now finds himself in the twilight years of a stellar career playing in the Svenska Basketligan, Sweden's 11-team national pro league. Each pro team's roster is made up of native Swedes plus two "imports". The "imports" are typically Americans who have played NCAA Division I or II college ball.

Mike Palm was neither a stranger to Sweden, nor an "import" when he first considered the prospect of playing professional basketball in that country of nearly 10 million people. Rather, it would be a sort of "homecoming." You see, his story actually began when he was born there in 1979 to his Swedish dad and his American mom.The Swedish connection started with his dad, Ake Palm, who had caught the attention of PLU coaches in the mid-60s while playing for the Swedish national team in Austria. 6' 9" Ake was offered a scholarship to come play for the Lutes, where he played from 1968 to 1972. He led the team in points and rebounds and was named first team All-Northwest Conference in his final two years. He earned the moniker "Mr. Basketball", as noted in school's yearbook.

At the same time he was catching the attention of the visiting PLU coaches, an exchange student from Puyallup named Carol had caught Ake's attention. They later made each other's acquaintance and the relationship bloomed back on the campus of PLU. They married, returned in Sweden, and Ake continued to play basketball from 1972 to 1979. As his playing days approached their end, Ake was offered a job working in Carol's family auto supply business back in Puyallup. Since he was familiar with life in Western Washington, he decided it'd be the best place to raise a family.

So it was no surprise to anyone that as his son Mike grew (and grew) to become a standout at Rogers High School, earning the South Puget Sound League MVP award, and USA Today Honorable Mention All USA award while leading the Rams to a 6th-place finish at the 4A state tournament.

Following high school, Mike went on to star at WWU, where as a junior, he was an integral part of a 27-4 team that won the NCAA Division II West Regional title, and reached the semifinals of the 2001 Elite Eight. He was also honored that same year with the school's Male Athlete of the Year award. He remains the school's career rebound leader.

Upon completing his collegiate career, Mike thought he might have a shot at playing at the next level. He was thinking Swedish pro ball. After all, what gave Mike an instant advantage in selling his skills was the "gift" that had been naturally bestowed upon him by his parents: Swedish citizenship. Although he was only one year-old when his parents moved to America, they had maintained Mike's dual citizenship. If he were to make a Swedish team's roster, this would allow him to sign as a native Swede, without the team having to use up one of its valued "import" slots. So in September of 2002, he was able to parlay his successful collegiate career by signing his first pro contract with the Sundsvall Dragons.

Mike's arrival in Sundsvall caught the attention of Swedish National Team captain Jonas Larsson. Larsson himself was in the last years of his playing career, having spent several seasons with teams in France and Sweden. Not only was he aware of Ake Palm's days playing with the Swedish National Team, he became quickly impressed with Mike, as they later played together for the Swedish National Team. Mike's pro career blossomed, and his Sundsvall Dragons began to establish a winning tradition. With the Dragons, Palm became one of the league's best players, and he led his team to the 2008 Svenska Basketligan Championship.

Larsson soon retired but landed the job of General Manager of Boras Basket, which at the time, was one of the worst three teams in the league. His job was to find the formula to put a quality team on the floor, sell tickets, and make the game of basketball the center stage of winter entertainment. It was then that he would begin to dream of a way to get Palm to come play for Boras.

Back in Sundsvall, Mike met a native Swede named Emilia, who knew nothing about the game of basketball, but was quite impressed with Mike. "He was such a super-nice guy, and he was so non-judgmental and so nice to everybody."

Through later conversations, Larsson had discovered that Emilia's family was from Jonkoping, about 80 miles from Boras. While Palm was basking in his first professional championship, Larsson continued with his mission. A key part of building his team was to convince Mike Palm to come play for Boras and do what he had done in Sundsvall: Win games and bring home a championship. Shortly after hoisting the trophy with his Dragon teammates in the spring of 2009, his contract was up, Mike expressed a desire to go south and play for another team, namely Boras. Larsson made an offer. Mike accepted and Emilia and he got their wish to be closer to home. Larsson got the player he had coveted.

"He was the most important recruit in the team's history," recalls Larsson. "He's such a class act, a nice guy and such a great player. When he came here we were one of the bottom teams. With his way of playing, he's been a huge part of our climb up the ladder here in Sweden. Now we are seen as one of the best teams in Sweden. Twice we have been one of the two Swedish teams invited to play in the EuroCup."

Boras coach Pat Ryan is no stranger to a new life abroad. The Boston native starred at Division III Suffolk University and afterward, played professionally in New Zealand and Sweden, where he also married a Swede and settled into a life of coaching and teaching. After two years coaching in the far north of Sweden in Lulea, he was hired by Boras in 2009, the same year Mike arrived.

"For me, he's been like a rock you can lean on. Every game, every practice he works hard and plays harder. We've had an incredible run of stability for six years. A lot of that is Mike's big presence on our team. I couldn't have asked for a better player. In the Swedish league, he's one of the all-time greats."

Teammates love Mike, his playing style, and his work ethic. Larsson noted that there are always incoming younger players that are new to Sweden and Boras. Mike has shown patience with them by helping to guide them forward on the court, as well as helping them get accustomed to a new culture. Former teammate and import Chris McKnight, who is originally from Ohio where he starred at D-I University of Akron, really appreciated Mike's leadership style. "He always works hard and doesn't complain." When Mike hosted a team barbecue at his house, Chris noticed the food tasted more like home cooking. "Mike makes a mean burger, and I asked him, Mike, where'd you learn to cook like this?" Mike told him it was because he enjoyed cooking once in a while for his wife, Emilia and daughters Ariella and Melanie. But he also remembers what it was like being single and 7,000 miles from home. He even goes so far as to roll out the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the trimmings that makes the American imports feel right at home. "These guys come here from all over the world, and all they have is the team, so we are their family," he says wistfully.

Perhaps Mike just takes a queue from GM Larsson whose vision for his team is not only playing with passion and winning games. "It's about enjoying the journey, not just to play a game of basketball," says Larsson. "It has to be fun." Indeed, Larsson and team personnel have created an atmosphere and routine for players and coaches that more resembles a tight-knit family circle than a business. Larsson, like Mike, can cook (after all, he did play in France for several years). Along with running the team, he assumes the role of chef and treats the team to a pregame home cooked meals. The players love his lasagna, served with salad around a one really long table in the dining area of Borashallen, the arena where the team plays. After the boys have carbo-loaded, Larsson will gather plates, glasses and silverware like a well-trained waiter and ask them if they need anything else.

For Larsson, adding a key player component like Palm was just part of his overall strategy of making Boras Basket a complete entertainment experience for the townsfolk. As one of the league's premier franchises, Boras has built its success around an NBA-style entertainment model. The team and arena feature a restaurant where sponsors and fans can wine and dine before tipoff. There's fireworks, cheerleaders, and halftime entertainment to illustrate the team's commitment to make it much more fun than sitting at home on a cold winter's night.

Mike thinks he'll be able to play two or three more years. The team has learned to use him the best by optimizing his playing time and expecting his top productivity in 20-25 minutes. He has averaged nearly 18 points and 9 rebounds a game in his 13 years. Among his most memorable stories is when he had the chance to play alongside NBA superstar Scottie Pippen. "Scottie Pippen came and played with us in Sundsvall in 2008. That was a very great experience for me, because I grew up idolizing Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. So for him to come and play with me on the same team was very special. It wasn't just that, but he came and practiced with us, he talked to us, answered any questions. He came with me and couple guys to a restaurant to eat lunch together. He was a really great guy."

Mike admits that if he hadn't played in Sweden, he would have been done in 2002. "I came into a good situation." He misses his Puyallup family. Though the ability to Skype, Facebook, and e-mail makes it easier to stay in touch. Emilia's family lives a little more than an hour away. Mike and Emilia have found their own dream house outside of town that overlooks a lake, and offers stunning sunsets.

Mike has even started a small business that will eventually take the place of playing basketball. Years ago he invested in a CNC woodworking router. Emilia and Mike design. create and sell beautiful wood art.

He's happy living in the country of his birth. He has no desire to come back to America. It's as if history has repeated itself 40 years after Ake and Carol made their own decisions where to live--only the countries and end destinations are reversed. The two families exchange visits about once a year. On a recent visit to Boras, Carol was riding in the back seat with others on the way to one of Mike's games.

"It's harder when I gotta' come halfway around the world to see my grandkids!," she said. While looking in the rearview mirror, Mike kidded and said, "She should understand, `cuz she dragged my dad over to the states when I was one year old." He continued kidding by referring to his own situation by adding, "It's the women who make those decisions!"

Whoever's decision it was (romance aside), building a life around a rewarding professional basketball career might also have had a little something to do with it.