Basketball followers might acknowledge a well-known face on Netflix‘s Squid Recreation actuality TV spin-off, Squid Recreation: The Problem. Who’s TJ Stukes from Squid Recreation Problem? Maintain studying to be taught extra about participant 182’s background.

Netflix’s Squid Recreation: The Problem options 456 gamers who’re attempting to win the streamer’s largest money prize in actuality TV historical past: a whopping $4.56 million. The actuality present relies on 2021’s Squid Recreation, the South Korean collection that includes a bunch of 456 cash-strapped residents who’re lured right into a lethal competitors in hopes of profitable an enormous prize of 45.6 billion received (or 38.7 million US {dollars}.)

Launched on Nov. 22, The Squid Recreation Problem recreated nearly the whole lot from the viral survival drama, from the recognizable inexperienced tracksuits to the child-like video games together with red-light, green-light. However in contrast to the 2021 collection which kills rivals once they lose a recreation, there are (fortunately) no deaths within the real-life actuality model.

Squid Recreation: The Problem govt producers John Hay, Toni Eire, and Stephen Yemoh spoke with Leisure Tonight on Nov. 22 in regards to the huge enterprise to solid the present. They revealed that there have been three casting administrators, together with two within the U.S. and a crew within the U.Ok. who had been in control of casting U.Ok. and world contestants.

“We had over 80,000 folks apply. Large. We had been in search of the identical belongings you would in any casting, however simply the entire thing was supersized to a extraordinary diploma,” defined Hay. “The sport is a take a look at of human nature, so that you need the widest doable number of people to play it and reveal themselves via the method.”

Eire continued, “That’s one thing that was an actual north star for us, that we needed to have an inclusive solid representing folks from plenty of completely different backgrounds. And we additionally had no concept who was going to get via every spherical, so we had no concept which tales we’d get to inform at any level.”

Nonetheless, there’s presently one competitor who was an expert athlete, which may give him an enormous benefit within the competitors to this point. Study extra beneath.

Who’s TJ Stukes from Squid Recreation Problem?

Who’s TJ Stukes from Squid Recreation Problem? Stukes, one of many 456 contestants on Squid Recreation: The Problem, is a retired skilled basketball participant and an actor.

In The Problem, Stukes (aka participant 182) was launched throughout the “Warships” recreation in episode three. He’s the captain of one of many groups and instructs his gamers the place to put their ships and the place to search out the enemy ships to eradicate them.

Stukes was born and raised within the Bronx and Mount Vernon and was within the foster care system. At 6 foot 18 inches, Stukes started his basketball profession at Independence Group Faculty and Kansas’ Pittsburg State College, in accordance with his July 2023 interview with Beatrice Journal. Throughout this time, he met his now-wife Samantha, and the couple now share two youngsters: Amare and Alana Aofia-Stukes.

After school, TJ signed with the Harlem Wizards as “Tomahawk” Stukes in 2009. Stukes retired in March of 2023 after twenty years in basketball and has been an assistant basketball coach for Northern New Mexico Faculty since then.

“One of many greatest challenges as a coach is the transition from a participant to a coach. At one level I used to be extraordinarily vivid that I used to be not prepared to teach as a result of I anticipated my effort from different folks and that’s not honest in any respect,” he defined within the interview. “I’m not them and they don’t seem to be me so I’m studying to regulate and adapt as I all the time do. I’ve had a mentor to look as much as and that’s my spouse. She is without doubt one of the greatest coaches I’ve witnessed, so I usually observe and choose her mind.”

As for his profession within the arts, Stukes has appeared in numerous performing tasks, together with a actuality present on MTV2, an Adidas industrial and a job alongside Adam Sandler within the Netflix movie, Hustle. He advised Beatrice that he hopes to change into a full-time actor sooner or later.

“My expertise as an actor was an unconventional one! I used to be a part of an enormous actuality present on MTV2 method again in 2005. The present was referred to as Nike Battlegrounds and it was hosted by Lebron James. That was once I grew to become enamored by the trade,” he added. “I actually wished to behave and never play basketball for a very long time, simply due to the stress I put my physique via, nevertheless I bought rejected for MANY roles and that discouraged me closely. So I caught to basketball and watched as alternatives handed me by till I put my head down and advised myself I’ll get one thing!”

Moreover, Stukes and his spouse competed and received $50,000 on TBS’ 2021 recreation present, The Dice, hosted by former NBA participant Dwyane Wade, in accordance with KTSM. The article additionally famous on the time that the couple owned a gymnasium in Northeast El Paso referred to as Southwest Desert Hoops which “trains adults in addition to at-risk youth athletes of their group and assist them get into school.”

Watch Squid Recreation: The Problem on Netflix.