Frank Ntilikina shares the reasons that brought him back to Europe after a 7-year NBA stint. The French combo guard confirms Partizan's long-standing interest in him and reflects on the way the NBA market works.
Frank Ntilikina was flabbergasted upon exiting the court that had been placed in the Panathenaic Stadium on the occasion of the 6th Pavlos Giannakopoulos tournament.
"Amazing venue!" he exclaimed.
"Being able to play basketball in this kind of environment is a blessing. Basketball has given us a lot of opportunities, and this one is right up there," the Frenchman pointed out, full of excitement.
Frank Ntilikina
| Team: |
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade |
| Position: | PG |
| Age: | 26 |
| Height: | 196 cm |
| Weight: | 86 kg |
| Birth place: | Brussels, Belgium |
"It's the best venue I've ever played in so far. I can't complain. I had played in playgrounds, but not in an Olympic arena."
The tournament provided the perfect setting for a night to remember, as Ntilikina's Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade took on (and won against) hosts Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens in the event's closing game.
For Ntilikina, 26, returning to Europe after a seven-year NBA stint is also a chance to meet some familiar faces. Even though he left Strasbourg in 2017 to join the New York Knicks, where he stayed for four seasons, he's kept up with his friends from the French national team.
"I've been close with guys like Mathias [Lessort] over there, but also with basketball. I love watching games. Even if it's a different style of play, it's high-level basketball," he commented on the EuroLeague.
The 2023-24 campaign was tough for Ntilikina because he got injured in the last preseason game with the Charlotte Hornets. He came back at the beginning of February, but he missed more than half of the season. Moreover, this year, he was focusing on playing in the Olympics with France.
"He wanted to play at the highest level and compete for something," Ntilikina's agent, Olivier Mazet, told BasketNews.
"He wanted his team to have expectations of him. He lived the NBA dream, so he wanted to feel this fire again," the player's rep added.
Partizan made him an offer before he signed with Charlotte [in 2023], and Ntilikina talked things over with head coach Zeljko Obradovic and GM Zoran Savic.
"If he wasn't in Charlotte, he would have signed with Partizan last year," Mazet revealed. "When we told them that [this summer] Frank is on the market, they immediately showed interest."
The French combo guard confirmed that he was sitting on the fence for quite some time, until opting for another NBA deal.
"I was thinking a lot about doing it or not. Staying in the NBA for one more year was my priority. But I really thought about the opportunity," he admitted.
After a difficult season due to injuries, the Hornets waived Ntilikina last February. He only logged 5 appearances with Charlotte, averaging career-lows of 8.6 minutes, 1.0 point, 1.2 rebounds, and 11.1% FG shooting.
"Zeljko and Partizan called me again, and it was like a no-brainer to me. Me and Zeljko had the same conversation. When that offer came and with the way my season went, I was trying to get some playing time and enjoy playing basketball again. Now I'm happy it happened," Ntilikina reflected and pointed out that the best thing about Partizan is their passion for the game, passion to win.
Ntilikina, the 8th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, was one of many European players who came back to the Old Continent this summer. The list includes former EuroLeague MVP Sasha Vezenkov and NBA veterans Evan Fournier and Boban Marjanovic.
Much has been said about the new CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) that creates a big salary difference between star players and the rest. Hence, it's no surprise that those who are paid the league minimum are inclined to consider overseas options.
Ntilikina is skeptical about the existence of such a differentiation.
"I don't know," he said.
"Sometimes, those star players can be role players on other teams, or vice versa. It's a difficult question and it depends on the environment, timing, a lot of stuff..."
Ntilikina recorded 26 starts in 57 games with the Knicks in the 2019-20 season. Overall, he appeared in 336 NBA games, a number he could have easily reached if he had been playing in the EuroLeague for those seven years.
"The NBA is recycling players. It's like a recycling league," he observed. "You have 60 new players that come to the league. If I go deeper into that, the average career of an NBA player is less than four years."
Ntilikina thinks more and more players now tend to look at the EuroLeague as an exciting competition.
"They see the challenge and don't hesitate to come play here. We have a great environment and great teams. Financially, it's not like the NBA, but it's also a blessing to play the game and earn money.
I think the talent level in the EuroLeague is growing and will continue to do so in the next few years."
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