The book, entitled Kentomania: A Black Basketball Virtuoso in Communist Poland, recounts how Washington played professional basketball in the eastern Polish city of Lublin, won the Polish Cup in 1983, and played an episode in the iconic Polish comedy Miś (Teddy Bear).
He described his experience in the 2021 memoir, which has just been released in Poland.
"Poland was the most impactful five years of my life," Washington told Radio Poland's Danuta Isler after arriving in Warsaw to promote his book.
He added: "It molded me as a human being. It gave me different values. It made me understand that if you embrace a culture the people there will embrace you back. It was the most defining time of my life. Hence the book."
Click on the audio player above to hear the interview.