Pops Mensah-Bonsu’s basketball career has taken him across the globe since graduating GW in 2006 – to Spain, Italy, his native Great Britain and eventually back to North America to play in the NBA. And for a brief moment this week, he returned to the city where it all began.

In his self-described “second home,” Mensah-Bonsu had one of his best games to date in the world’s premiere league. The former Colonial standout tallied nine points, a career-high 12 rebounds and five steals in 20 minutes of action Monday as his Toronto Raptors edged the Washington Wizards in one of the season’s final games.

It was a far cry from a few months ago, when Mensah-Bonsu was sitting in his Barcelona apartment with a torn shoulder and no team, his basketball future very much up in the air. He eventually landed a contract with the Austin Toros of the NBA’s Developmental League before the San Antonio Spurs came calling for his services.

His stay with the Spurs would be short-lived, though, and he was cut after just three games. Luckily for Mensah-Bonsu, he had apparently impressed enough in his brief stint to earn a contract with Toronto for the rest of the season. He’s earned a regular role in his nearly six weeks with the Raptors, serving as one of the team’s primary frontcourt reserves. But he still appreciates the opportunity for playing time whenever he gets it.

“Coming from where I came from .,” he started after Monday’s game, before being cut off by eavesdropping teammate Shawn Marion.

“Where’s that?” the four-time NBA All-Star playfully interjected in reference to the new fan favorite once again evoking his unique path to the top of his profession. Mensah-Bonsu paused to look up at the seated veteran and smiled.

“Anyway,” he continued after his glare at Marion. “Being able to come this far and play 20 minutes in an NBA game, that’s a big achievement for me.”

If Marion is tired of hearing about his teammate’s background, it’s because Mensah-Bonsu has become somewhat the talk of the town in Toronto. Amid an otherwise lackluster season that saw the Raptors fall from consecutive playoff appearances to one of the worst records in the Eastern Conference, the addition of Mensah-Bonsu has been a late-season breath of fresh air.

His high-octane playing style and burst of energy off the bench seem to have caught a number of eyes up north. His rebounding proficiency – he’s averaged more than five per game in just over 13 minutes of court time per outing – and trademark emphatic dunks likely have a lot to do with the attention he’s been garnering as well.

“He’s always played well since we put him out there,” said teammate Chris Bosh, a member of last summer’s gold medal-winning Olympic squad. “He’s been playing like he belongs here.”

And perhaps he does. Not only has Mensah-Bonsu fit in on the court, but he seems to be acclimating in the locker room just as well. Veterans looked on with amusement as the media gathered around his locker Monday, joking with and about him in a way that suggested he’s become one of their own. Anthony Parker, the team’s elder statesman whose locker was next to Mensah-Bonsu’s, prodded his young colleague to use British colloquialisms like “bloke” to play up his heritage in his post-game interviews.

“He’s a great guy,” Bosh said. “Once you can understand what he’s saying because his voice is so deep and you get past that British accent, he’ll be good to go.”

Mensah-Bonsu seems to feel like he belongs too. He’s come a long way since his first dozen NBA games of sporadic minutes with the Dallas Mavericks in 2007. This season alone he’s played for four separate teams and battled a troubling shoulder injury suffered in Spain.

Stability, strangely enough, has come at the game’s highest level. These 21 games over the past eight weeks have allowed him to develop a sense of focus that comes with the comfort of continuity.

“The jitters have gone, the nerves have gone,” Mensah-Bonsu said. “So now I just try to focus on doing the things I do best.”

So far, so good. Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo recently said he will extend a contract offer to Mensah-Bonsu after the season, allowing the 6-foot-9 alumnus the most stability he’s had since his days in Foggy Bottom.