By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
After Alex Sarr went from Perth Wildcats to the Washington Wizards as the second pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, the NBL outfit added another talented European player in Izan Almansa.
“Perth Wildcats are delighted to announce the signing of highly-touted Spanish teenager Izan Almansa as the club’s NBL25 Next Star,” the Australian club officially announced.
The Spaniard was named MVP of both the Under-19 and Under-17 FIBA World Cups in 2023 and 2022 respectively, as well as the best player in last year’s Under-18 FIBA European Championships.
Almansa was a member of Real Madrid’s Youth Academy for two years before developing his game in the USA at Overtime Elite and then playing for the G-League Ignite last season, including a pair of games against the Wildcats in Las Vegas.
He participated in this year’s NBA Draft Combine but decided to withdraw from this year’s draft and build his stock for 2025, following in Sarr’s footsteps.
“Seeing how well Alex did and how well things went for him, it just clears my mind and any doubts. Since the moment I withdrew from the draft, I knew I wanted to play for Perth. I would love to follow in his footsteps in becoming a lottery pick and also win a championship with the Wildcats,” Almansa said.