Frank Ntilikina

Frank Ntilikina
Ntilikina with the New York Knicks in 2018
No. 11 – New York Knicks
Position Point guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born (1998-07-28) July 28, 1998
Ixelles, Belgium
Nationality French, Rwandan
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
NBA draft 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8th overall
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career 2015–present
Career history
2015–2017 SIG Strasbourg
2017–present New York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  France
FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship
2014 Latvia
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
2016 Turkey

Frank Bryan Ntilikina /nɪˈliːkɪnə/ ni-LEE-kin-ə;[1] born 28 July 1998) is a French professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2] He was selected by the Knicks as the eighth overall pick during the 2017 NBA draft. Ntilikina was born in Belgium and grew up in the French city of Strasbourg. He stands 6 ft 6 in (196 cm) tall and plays both point guard and shooting guard positions.[3]

Early life

Ntilikina was born in Ixelles, Belgium on 28 July, 1998 to Rwandan parents.[4] but he moved to Strasbourg, France at age three.[5] 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.[6]

Ntilikina was invited to participate in the Jordan Brand Classic International Game in April 2014,[7] tallying six points, three rebounds and one assist in 23 minutes off the bench, and helped SIG to a French Youth League Championship title in the 2014–15 season.[8]

In February 2016, he attended the "Basketball Without Borders Global Camp" in Toronto, Canada, during the NBA All-Star Weekend.[9]

Professional career

SIG Strasbourg (2015–2017)

In December 2015, Ntilikina signed a professional contract with SIG Strasbourg until 30 June, 2019.[10] He had made his debut at the professional level even before the deal, seeing 15 minutes of action on 4 April, 2015, in a French LNB Pro A 2014–15 season contest against Boulogne-sur-Mer.[11]

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.[12]

He saw the court in 32 contests during the 2015–16 Pro A season, scoring 1.3 points per game, and he was named the league's Best Young Player.[13] 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 19.3 minutes per game. His successful campaign led him to winning his second straight Pro A Best Young Player award.

2017 NBA draft

In April 2017, Ntilikina entered his name into the 2017 NBA draft. By the June 12 NBA Draft entry deadline, he became one of only 10 international underclassmen to remain in the NBA Draft that year. Ntilikina also became one of 20 invites 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 travelling 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.[14]

During the build-up to the Draft, there was heavy speculation that the Dallas Mavericks were thinking of selecting Ntilikina with the 9th overall pick. Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was quoted as saying the Mavs wanted a 'pass-first point guard' and said 'We can maybe go a little bit more for a project',[15] both of which Ntilikina fit the bill for. When the Knicks ended taking Ntilikina with the 8th 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.[16][17]

On 22 June, 2017, Ntilikina was selected by the New York Knicks with the 8th pick in the 2017 NBA draft.[18]

New York Knicks (2017–present)

On 5 July, 2017, Ntilikina signed with the Knicks.[19] He was the second youngest active player in the NBA during his rookie year behind Ike Anigbogu.[20] Ntilikina made his NBA debut on October 19, 2017, in a blowout loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[21] he scored his first points on October 28 against the Brooklyn Nets in a 107–86 blowout win. he recorded 9 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal during the Knicks' home opener.[22] On January 15, 2018 Ntilikina recorded his first double double with 10 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal in a win against the Brooklyn Nets (119-104).[23] On January 24, 2018, he was selected to represent Team World for the Rising Stars Challenge during the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend.[24]

National team career

Ntilikina averaged 7.4 points, 2.0 assists, 1.6 rebounds, and one steal per game, en route to winning the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship with the Under-16 French Junior National Team.[25]

He was spectacular in helping France's Under-18 national team win the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, scoring 31 points, including 7-for-10 from three-point range, in the championship game against the Under-18 Lithuanian team.[26] He averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.2 steals a game in the tournament, draining 50 percent of his field goal attempts, including 58.6 percent of his shots from long distance,[27] en route to Most Valuable Player honors.[28]

Ntilikina dished out a game-high eight assists, to go along with 13 points and four rebounds, at the FIBA European Under-18 All-Star Game, in September 2015.[29]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 New York 78921.9.364.318.7212.33.2.8.25.9
Career 78921.9.364.318.7212.33.2.8.25.9

References

  1. ↑ "Frank Ntilikina pronounces his last name for America". YouTube. Retrieved 2017-06-22.
  2. ↑ "Frank Ntilikina". Basketball Reference. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
  3. ↑ "Frank Ntilikina profile SIG". SIGSTRASBOURG. Retrieved 2016-08-22.
  4. ↑ Givony, Jonathan (August 4, 2015). "FIBA Europe U18 Championship Scouting Reports: Point Guards". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  5. ↑ Keh, Andrew (January 4, 2017). "Frank Ntilikina, a Top N.B.A. Prospect, Is Learning to Play With Fire". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
  6. ↑ "F. Ntilikina: Deuxième parrain de Have A Basket !". Have a Basket. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  7. ↑ "JBC International Game Official Basketball Box Score" (PDF). Jordan Brand Classic. 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  8. ↑ "Frank Ntilikina". SIGSTRASBOURG. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  9. ↑ "DraftExpress: Basketball Without Borders Global Camp Evaluations: Guards and Wings". www.draftexpress.com. Retrieved 2016-02-28.
  10. ↑ "Frank Ntilikina signe un contrat de trois ans". SIGSTRASBOURG. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  11. ↑ "Strasbourg / Boulogne-sur-Mer - 27ème journée - 2014/15 – Résultat match - Pro A – LNB.fr". www.lnb.fr. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  12. ↑ "Crvena Zvezda Telekom Belgrade vs. Strasbourg - Game". www.euroleague.net. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  13. ↑ "Pro A : Frank Ntilikina élu meilleur jeune du championnat - Basket-BallWorld". Basket-BallWorld (in French). 2016-04-30. Retrieved 2016-05-03.
  14. ↑ https://www.sbnation.com/2017/6/22/15856890/frank-ntilikina-nba-draft-travel-knicks-workout
  15. ↑ https://www.mavs.com/mavs-may-closing-frenchman-frank-ntilikina-no-9-overall-pick-nba-draft/
  16. ↑ https://www.sny.tv/knicks/news/pg-frank-ntilikina-high-on-knicks-draft-board/237847802
  17. ↑ https://twitter.com/IanBegley/status/877568435143680000
  18. ↑ Ballow, Jonah (June 22, 2017). "Knicks Select Frank Ntilikina with the No. 8 Overall Pick in 2017". NBA.com. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Knicks Sign Frank Ntilikina". NBA.com. July 5, 2017. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Knicks' Frank Ntilikina includes Lonzo Ball among 'very talented point guards'". usatoday.com. 11 December 2017.
  21. ↑ "Knicks vs. Thunder - Box Score". ESPN.com. October 19, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  22. ↑ "Porzingis, Ntilikina propel Knicks past Nets for 1st win of season". New York Post. 2017-10-28. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  23. ↑ "Ntilikina's breakout game shows Knicks what's been missing". New York Post. 2018-01-16. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  24. ↑ "Ntilikina selected for Rising Stars Challenge". Newsday.com.
  25. ↑ "Perfect France Beat Hosts, Lift Title | U16 European Championship Men (2014)| FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
  26. ↑ "FIBA Live Statistics". www.fiba.com. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  27. ↑ "France at the FIBA U18 European Championship Division A 2016 - FIBA.com". FIBA.com. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  28. ↑ "France take home the title after thriller with Lithuania". FIBA.com. Retrieved 2016-12-22.
  29. ↑ "Red - Black | U18 All-Star Game (2015) | FIBA Europe". www.fibaeurope.com. Retrieved 2016-02-05.
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