Prospect Fully Commits to Knicks

The chase to make it to the NBA is officially on for James Nnaji.

The 20-year-old center was first officially noticed by the league when he was taken with the first pick of the second round in the 2023 NBA Draft, but he's yet to suit up in the world's top professional league.

He looks to make his NBA debut with the New York Knicks, and went all-in on the goal in severing ties with his overseas club in Barcelona in lieu of working his way through New York's developmental system.

Despite now filling in as one of the more physically promising specimen in the Knicks' prospect room, New York wasn't even the team that gave him his ticket to America. The Detroit Pistons took the original flier on the young Nigerian before he found his way to the Knicks in the Karl-Anthony Towns trade, sent to the league's biggest market alongside the All-Star.

He got his first chance to show the Knicks brass what they may have stumbled upon in NBA Summer League, using the limited Las Vegas games to demonstrate the formidable rim-play-finishing and screen-setting that can only be introduced by someone with the rippling muscles along his 6'11" frame.

The rising potential rookie Nnaji remains unsigned to an official NBA contract extension entering his third season of technical eligibility, with he and Mohamed Diawara competing for the final remaining Knicks contract under the second-round exception. He's a likely candidate to spend extensive time polishing his raw game in the G League in awaiting his NBA call-up.