By Vedran Modrić
During the 2016 Adidas Eurocamp I had a chance to talk with Toronto Raptors GM and also founder of Giants of Africa program. This is what he said in a exclusive interview with Eurohopes.
Can you tell me how you started in the NBA? I read that you first got hired as a scout by Orlando Magic when you were bringing one Nigerian player for a tryout.
I got my first chance through Gary Brokaw (then scouting director of Orlando Magic) and John Gabriel was the GM at the time, and Doc Rivers was the head coach then so i was not a big scout at the time but they gave me a chance.
So first couple of months you were unpaid right?
Yes, basically you are going to the tournaments, travel a lot and look for talent but they were very supportive and they gave me credentials which is great.
In Denver Nuggets you became a first GM in the NBA who came from Africa.
I was lucky that I worked in Denver before, before I went to Toronto the first time and Josh Kroenke gave me a great opportunity to become a GM. That opportunity changed my life.
You are one of the GMs that travels a lot. I saw you twice in Zagreb, Croatia this year and Belgrade, Serbia and on a lot of other places.
Well other GMs also travel a lot but I do it maybe just more random. Sometimes I just get up and go because its my background. You know I started as a international scout so I'm very used to it. And I feel comfortable doing that. But other GMs do it also.
Toronto Raptors have two picks in the 1st round of Draft 2016 (nº 9 and nº 27) and whats your strategy? Do you pick best available player or position you need?
Well nº 9 is different from nº 27 and its different approach. I think its best talent just because where is now our team. If you are building a team then you look at particular position and the best talent may not be that particular position that you have in a team at the moment. We will see what's the best talent for us.
What about Bruno Caboclo? How is he doing? Saw him in D-League couple of times and I mean he is 1995-born so he is still younger than some of the players in Draft 2016.
He is doing ok. Had a great ending of the D-League. Last 10 games he was really good. Hopefully he can continue to grow and progress. We are happy that we have our own D-League team so he can get a lot of playing time.
Is it a problem now that you are a big team to develop younger guys like Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright and you have to win at the same time?
It's a difficult thing to do but it's not a problem. Our coach and coaching staff have done a great job with the talent we have. Developing and figuring the way to put them in. We are a growing team so its never enough talent.
Last question is about Giants of Africa program. Can you tell me more about that?
Well my high school friend Godwin Owinje and me started the project. We grew up together in Nigeria and we always wanted to give back to the kids and the community. And it started in Nigeria but then spread through the whole Africa. First it started as a basketball camp but now we are trying to build courts in the places that are not really developed. Giants of Africa is also a fund raising program in Canada and in the USA. One of the things we do every year is Nelson Mandela nights and we have great support from many people.
Photo: mademags
During the 2016 Adidas Eurocamp I had a chance to talk with Toronto Raptors GM and also founder of Giants of Africa program. This is what he said in a exclusive interview with Eurohopes.
Can you tell me how you started in the NBA? I read that you first got hired as a scout by Orlando Magic when you were bringing one Nigerian player for a tryout.
I got my first chance through Gary Brokaw (then scouting director of Orlando Magic) and John Gabriel was the GM at the time, and Doc Rivers was the head coach then so i was not a big scout at the time but they gave me a chance.
So first couple of months you were unpaid right?
Yes, basically you are going to the tournaments, travel a lot and look for talent but they were very supportive and they gave me credentials which is great.
In Denver Nuggets you became a first GM in the NBA who came from Africa.
I was lucky that I worked in Denver before, before I went to Toronto the first time and Josh Kroenke gave me a great opportunity to become a GM. That opportunity changed my life.
You are one of the GMs that travels a lot. I saw you twice in Zagreb, Croatia this year and Belgrade, Serbia and on a lot of other places.
Well other GMs also travel a lot but I do it maybe just more random. Sometimes I just get up and go because its my background. You know I started as a international scout so I'm very used to it. And I feel comfortable doing that. But other GMs do it also.
Toronto Raptors have two picks in the 1st round of Draft 2016 (nº 9 and nº 27) and whats your strategy? Do you pick best available player or position you need?
Well nº 9 is different from nº 27 and its different approach. I think its best talent just because where is now our team. If you are building a team then you look at particular position and the best talent may not be that particular position that you have in a team at the moment. We will see what's the best talent for us.
What about Bruno Caboclo? How is he doing? Saw him in D-League couple of times and I mean he is 1995-born so he is still younger than some of the players in Draft 2016.
He is doing ok. Had a great ending of the D-League. Last 10 games he was really good. Hopefully he can continue to grow and progress. We are happy that we have our own D-League team so he can get a lot of playing time.
Is it a problem now that you are a big team to develop younger guys like Bruno Caboclo and Delon Wright and you have to win at the same time?
It's a difficult thing to do but it's not a problem. Our coach and coaching staff have done a great job with the talent we have. Developing and figuring the way to put them in. We are a growing team so its never enough talent.
Last question is about Giants of Africa program. Can you tell me more about that?
Well my high school friend Godwin Owinje and me started the project. We grew up together in Nigeria and we always wanted to give back to the kids and the community. And it started in Nigeria but then spread through the whole Africa. First it started as a basketball camp but now we are trying to build courts in the places that are not really developed. Giants of Africa is also a fund raising program in Canada and in the USA. One of the things we do every year is Nelson Mandela nights and we have great support from many people.
Photo: mademags
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