Despite being a student in the United States, Reyes continued to play with the Chile national team before deciding to switch to football after failing to qualify for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

He was accepted into the NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPPP) and signed with the Washington Football Team after impressing scouts at a demonstration event in 2021.

Sammis Daniel Reyes Martel was born on October 19, 1995, in Talcahuano, a port city in the Greater Concepción metropolitan area of Chile.

[5] While on a US tour with the Chilean youth national team in 2010, Reyes was scouted by American recruiters and offered a scholarship to attend Westlake Prep, a school in the Miami metropolitan area.

[1][2] Reyes signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at the University of Hawaii in 2014, but suffered a hand injury while practicing with them that forced him to miss his freshman season.

[8][9] Later feeling homesick and disapproving with the school's decision to fire head coach Gib Arnold mid-season, he dropped out and returned to Florida to recover from his injuries.

Reyes ended his basketball career after Chile failed to qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup and began working as an athletic trainer until social distancing regulations arising from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 prevented him from continuing.

[1][15] Reyes had been advised by several teammates and coaches to play the sport since first arriving in the United States, with him only trying it out for a week in high school before stopping as he believed the higher risk of injury would hinder his chances at making an NBA roster.

He spent 10 weeks training and learning the sport at IMG Academy in Bradenton before participating alongside other IPPP players at the University of Florida's Pro Day on March 31, 2021.