2LT National News

(Photo credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports)

French big man Alex Sarr, projected among the top three picks in the 2024 NBA Draft, made his intentions official Friday on ESPN.

The 7-foot-1 center with a 7-foot-4 wingspan played this season with Perth of Australia’s National Basketball League.

“I had a great year playing professional basketball in the NBL,” Sarr said in the ESPN interview. “There was a lot of growth in my game and as a person.

“I’m ready for the next step, so it was obvious for me to declare for the draft. I’m grateful for the year I spent in the NBL with the Perth Wildcats.”

Still just 18 years old, Sarr scored 9.7 points per game for Perth, adding 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in only 17 minutes per game. He hit 52 percent of his field-goal attempts (30 percent from 3-point range) and 71 percent from the free-throw line.

Sarr left France at the age of 14 to join Real Madrid. After two seasons there, he joined Overtime Elite in Atlanta for the next two seasons.

In September, during a closely watched two-game series in Las Vegas against G League Ignite, Sarr averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per game.

The 2024 draft is not seen as a particularly strong one, and Sarr is in the conversation to be the top pick, which would make French big men the past two No. 1 selections. Victor Wembanyama, odds-on favorite for NBA Rookie of the Year, went first in 2023.

–Field Level Media