NBA Lottery Pick Alex Sarr Helps Alt Hoops Leagues Earn Another Win

Alex Sarr doesn’t know where he’ll spend his next few years of employment, but the big man from Toulouse, France, is soaking up the moment as he awaits to hear his name called at the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday night.

“It’s a blessing,” Sarr said during an unreleased episode of Sportico’s Business Beyond the Game. “You only get drafted once, and I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

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Sarr chose to enter the NBA after starring in Australia’s National Basketball League this year, playing his part as a member of the NBL’s Next Stars program, a development pathway for NBA draft eligible talent. He carried the Perth Wildcats to the semifinal round of the NBL playoffs this past season where averaged nine points and four rebounds. Before that, the 7-foot international prospect played for Atlanta-based league Overtime Elite for two years, where he polished his skills as a skinny yet versatile forward.

“Every prospect is different,” he said on the BBTG videocast. “You got to really think what’s best for you. You might not be ready for the professional game and being coached as a professional player. … It really depends what type of player you are and how ready you are.”

Sarr, who is following in the footsteps of former OTE stars turned 2023 NBA lottery picks Ausar and Amen Thompson, represents the new generation of players who are taking alternative routes from the NCAA to achieve their NBA dreams. Sarr, who moved to Spain to play for EuroLeague’s Real Madrid Baloncesto at age 14, is poised to become the highest drafted player ever to have played for OTE, which launched in 2021.

“I think you just learn how to adapt to different situations,” he said. “I moved when I was young out of the house to play in Spain. I had to learn how to live in another country. Now I know how to adapt pretty fast to new environments.”

The son of a former pro basketball player, Massar, and the younger brother of Oklahoma City Thunder center Olivier, Sarr is the latest prospect to take advantage of newer development properties that were not available a decade ago to up-and-coming hoops stars. He turned 19 two months ago and has already earned hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“My mind was already set on me turning pro when I was 18,” he said. “I was just getting ready for it.”

The early development as a pro basketball player, he says, has prepared him to handle life as an NBA player, including managing the millions of dollars that come with his rookie contract. He’s projected to make $10.5 million in the first year of his deal if he indeed is selected by the Atlanta Hawks, who hold the top overall pick Wednesday night. He reportedly didn’t work out for the Hawks, however.

Sarr, will join players such as Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball and Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey as NBL alums picked in the first round of the NBA draft. The big man should give the NBL another boost of momentum as it looks to gain more attention across the states. The league recently announced former NBA stars Kenny Smith and Carmelo Anthony as future expansion team owners.

Sarr, like other first-rounders in this draft packed with international players, isn’t easily recognizable by the average NBA fan while walking down Fifth Avenue in New York City. That could become the norm as more and more lottery picks decide to skirt the attention of NCAA fan bases to compete overseas or in domestic development leagues such as OTE.

The Toulouse native is moving around New York City with relative ease this week, attending promotional events for both OTE and NBL while fulfilling media obligations before he heads to Barclays Center with friends and family Wednesday night.

“The whole draft process went really fast,” he said. “I’m just [living] in the moment.”

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