FORMER AS POLICE JOSH NZEAKOR KNOCKING ON THE NBA’s DOOR

Josh Nzeakor’s basketball talent is well-documented, and early this week the man who led AS Police of Mali in the inaugural Basketball Africa League (BAL) season, reminded everyone why the sky is the limit for him.

In his first game of the year, the 24-year-old, currently on the books of the NBA G League side Memphis Hustle, was almost perfect and made the most of his 17 minutes on the court to contribute 6 points,  on 2-for-2 shooting, and added 7 rebounds in a 132-130 defeat to Santa Cruz Warriors.
“So far so good,” the 6’8 forward described his G League experience in an exclusive interview with the BAL website.

It’s almost every basketball player’s dream to play in the NBA, and Nzeakor’s signing with the Memphis Hustle might suggest that the NBA door is ajar. Since his BAL debut in May last year, Nzeakor says that he has “received some interest from NBA summer league teams; played in the TBT Tournament and now playing in the G League.” Back in May, Nzeakor led AS Police with a team-best 20.6 points, 8.3 rebounds, and recorded two double-doubles. There was nothing else he could have done to avoid the Malian champions’ 0-3 record. “I feel like I played the best I could with the AS Police and I am proud of my efforts,” the Nigerian-American noted.

In one of his best BAL performances, Nzeakor scored 33 points while shooting 14-for-21 from the field, but AS Sale of Morocco prevailed 88-79.

At the time, Nzeakor admitted that it was “definitely tough when you play against a team that you know that you could possibly beat. Losses like this always are really frustrating. It’s a learning process and we weren’t able to pull it out tonight.” Nzeakor says that he has taken some lessons from the BAL tournament, one of them is that “There is a lot of high-level basketball players in Africa and a lot of great athletes. You have to bring your best game to the court every night.

“I believe the BAL has huge potential, there is a lot of untapped talent in Africa that needs a large stage to showcase their skills and the BAL will allow that much-needed opportunity for the upcoming talent on the continent,” Nzeakor pointed out. Season two of the BAL tips off in March in Dakar before making a stop in Cairo and finishing off in May in Kigali.

Can Nzeakor make a BAL comeback this season? “It is possible I play for a new team this next season, we will see,” he replied.

Asked about his BAL experience, Nzeakor noted: “The experience was great I was really impressed by the quality of the league and the players’ accommodations. Everything ran smoothly and according to schedule!"

About the BAL

The BAL, a partnership between the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is a new professional league featuring 12 club teams from across Africa. The BAL, which is headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, builds on the foundation of club competitions FIBA Regional Office Africa has organized in Africa and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to operate a league outside North America. Fans can follow the BAL @theBAL on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube and register their interest in receiving more information at bal.nba.com.