By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Axel Toupane inked a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, the team announced Sunday confirming the previous report by Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Per the press release: “The Milwaukee Bucks have signed Axel Toupane (tu-pon) to a Two-Way contract.
A 6-7, 210-pound forward, Toupane appeared in nine games with the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League this season and averaged 17.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals in 31.7 minutes per game. He also shot 54.4% from the field, 38.6% from three and 73.9% from the free-throw line and posted three double-doubles.
A native of France, Toupane, 28, previously appeared in two games with the Bucks during the 2016-17 season while on a 10-day contract. Overall, he has played in 25 games with Denver, New Orleans and Milwaukee throughout his NBA career and holds career averages of 3.5 points and 1.3 rebounds in 14.1 minutes per game.
In addition to playing in nine games with Santa Cruz this season, Toupane played in 68 games with Raptors 905 of the NBA G League between 2015-17. Throughout his G League career, he is averaging 15.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
Toupane, who went undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, has also played internationally in France, Lithuania, Greece and Spain, including most recently in 2019-20 when he appeared in 36 games (29 starts) with Unicaja Malaga in Spain and averaged 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Toupane will wear No. 66 with the Bucks. The Bucks roster now stands at 16 players.”
Toupane, 28, is coming off a solid G League stint attached to the Santa Cruz Warriors. He posted 17.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game over nine appearances in the Florida bubble. He previously participated in the Golden State Warriors training camp ahead of the 2020-21 season.
The French international actually played a couple of games with the Bucks back in the 2016-17 season. He made his way to a total of 25 games between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Denver Nuggets to go along with his brief stay at the Milwaukee organization.
His European experience includes 70 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague contests as a member of Olympiacos, Zalgiris Kaunas, and SIG Strasbourg. He has also competed in Spain with Unicaja Malaga.