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Frank Ntilikina
Frank Bryan Ntilikina (/ˌniːliːˈkiːnə/ NEE-lee-KEE-nə; French: [fʁɑ̃ŋk nilikina]; born 28 July 1998) is a French professional basketball player who last played for Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. Nicknamed "Frank the Tank", Ntilikina stands at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) tall and plays the point guard position. He was selected by the New York Knicks as the eighth overall pick during the 2017 NBA draft.
Ntilikina was born in Ixelles, Belgium, on 28 July 1998, to Rwandan parents. He moved to Strasbourg, France at age three. He subsequently holds both French and Rwandan citizenship. He began his youth club career at the age of five, playing for St-Joseph Strasbourg, before making the move to Strasbourg IG's youth academy when he was 15.
Ntilikina participated in the 2014 Jordan Brand Classic International Game, tallying six points, three rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes off the bench. Two years later, he attended the "Basketball Without Borders Global Camp" in Toronto, Canada, during the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Ntilikina spent the majority of the 2014–15 season with the Strasbourg IG youth team, helping them win the French Youth League Championship. He made his debut for the SIG senior team on 4 April 2015 in a French LNB Pro A 2014–15 season contest against Boulogne-sur-Mer, seeing 15 minutes of action.
On 15 October 2015, Ntilikina logged his first EuroLeague minutes, scoring one point in 12 minutes and 16 seconds of play against KK Crvena zvezda. In December 2015, he signed a four-year contract with SIG Strasbourg. He saw the court in 32 contests during the 2015–16 Pro A season, averaging 1.2 points per game and earning the LNB Pro A Best Young Player award. In the 2016–17 season, Ntilikina became a key part of the Strasbourg team, as he appeared in 45 games for the team while averaging 7.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game. His successful campaign led him to winning his second straight Pro A Best Young Player award.[citation needed]
In April 2017, Ntilikina entered his name into the 2017 NBA draft. By NBA draft's entry deadline on 12 June, he became one of only 10 international underclassmen to remain in the NBA draft that year. Ntilikina also became one of 20 invitees for the green room on draft night. The night before the draft, Ntilikina played game 4 in the LNB Pro A Finals with SIG Strasbourg before traveling to Brooklyn, New York to participate in the draft personally. After that night, he played his last game with SIG Strasbourg with them losing the LNB Pro A Finals to Élan Chalon.
During the build-up to the draft, there was heavy speculation that the Dallas Mavericks would select Ntilikina with the ninth overall pick. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was quoted as saying that the Mavericks wanted a "pass-first point guard" and said "We can maybe go a little bit more for a project", both of which Ntilikina fit the bill for. When the Knicks ended taking Ntilikina with the eighth pick, the Mavericks chose point guard Dennis Smith Jr.
Ntilikina was also rumoured to be coveted by the Knicks' front office and coaching staff, with whom he met in person.
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Frank Ntilikina
Frank Bryan Ntilikina (/ˌniːliːˈkiːnə/ NEE-lee-KEE-nə; French: [fʁɑ̃ŋk nilikina]; born 28 July 1998) is a French professional basketball player who last played for Olympiacos of the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the EuroLeague. Nicknamed "Frank the Tank", Ntilikina stands at 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) tall and plays the point guard position. He was selected by the New York Knicks as the eighth overall pick during the 2017 NBA draft.
Ntilikina was born in Ixelles, Belgium, on 28 July 1998, to Rwandan parents. He moved to Strasbourg, France at age three. He subsequently holds both French and Rwandan citizenship. He began his youth club career at the age of five, playing for St-Joseph Strasbourg, before making the move to Strasbourg IG's youth academy when he was 15.
Ntilikina participated in the 2014 Jordan Brand Classic International Game, tallying six points, three rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes off the bench. Two years later, he attended the "Basketball Without Borders Global Camp" in Toronto, Canada, during the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend.
Ntilikina spent the majority of the 2014–15 season with the Strasbourg IG youth team, helping them win the French Youth League Championship. He made his debut for the SIG senior team on 4 April 2015 in a French LNB Pro A 2014–15 season contest against Boulogne-sur-Mer, seeing 15 minutes of action.
On 15 October 2015, Ntilikina logged his first EuroLeague minutes, scoring one point in 12 minutes and 16 seconds of play against KK Crvena zvezda. In December 2015, he signed a four-year contract with SIG Strasbourg. He saw the court in 32 contests during the 2015–16 Pro A season, averaging 1.2 points per game and earning the LNB Pro A Best Young Player award. In the 2016–17 season, Ntilikina became a key part of the Strasbourg team, as he appeared in 45 games for the team while averaging 7.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game. His successful campaign led him to winning his second straight Pro A Best Young Player award.[citation needed]
In April 2017, Ntilikina entered his name into the 2017 NBA draft. By NBA draft's entry deadline on 12 June, he became one of only 10 international underclassmen to remain in the NBA draft that year. Ntilikina also became one of 20 invitees for the green room on draft night. The night before the draft, Ntilikina played game 4 in the LNB Pro A Finals with SIG Strasbourg before traveling to Brooklyn, New York to participate in the draft personally. After that night, he played his last game with SIG Strasbourg with them losing the LNB Pro A Finals to Élan Chalon.
During the build-up to the draft, there was heavy speculation that the Dallas Mavericks would select Ntilikina with the ninth overall pick. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was quoted as saying that the Mavericks wanted a "pass-first point guard" and said "We can maybe go a little bit more for a project", both of which Ntilikina fit the bill for. When the Knicks ended taking Ntilikina with the eighth pick, the Mavericks chose point guard Dennis Smith Jr.
Ntilikina was also rumoured to be coveted by the Knicks' front office and coaching staff, with whom he met in person.
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