When the Seattle SuperSonics made Serge Ibaka the 24th pick of yesterday's NBA Draft, it wasn't front-page news locally. Ibaka was the second of three first-round picks added by the Sonics, who took UCLA guard Russell Westbrook fourth overall.
Back in his native Brazzaville, Congo, however, Ibaka is a major story because he became the first player ever drafted to the NBA from the Republic of Congo. A picture of Ibaka playing in the April Nike Hoop Summit was front and center on Friday's edition of
"Both my family and my whole country is very happy that I have been drafted," Ibaka said Friday through an interpreter as the Sonics introduced him and their other four draft picks (Westbrook, No. 29 pick D.J. White and No. 50 pick DeVon Hardin) to the media.
While the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire) has produced a pair of NBA players in veteran All-Star Dikembe Mutombo and L.A. Lakers center DJ Mbenga as well as two more WNBA players (Mwadi Mabika of the Houston Comets and the Indiana Fever's Bernadette Ngoyisa), Ibaka is a trailblazer for the smaller Republic of Congo.
He's also following in the footsteps of his father and late mother, both of whom were basketball standouts who played international basketball. From a young age, they pushed Ibaka towards basketball.
"They didn't want me to play any other sport," he said. "I started playing when I was six years old, because both my father and my mother were basketball players in Congo. That's why basketball was around. Then I started playing in Congo with my friends, like streetball on outdoor courts."
Along the way, it became clear that Ibaka had the talent to match or exceed his parents' accomplishments. He emerged quickly on the radar of NBA scouts, solidifying that position with his performance in last summer's adidas Nations tournament in New Orleans.
Following legal wrangling over his rights, Ibaka joined CB L'Hospitalet of the LEB, the second-division league in Spain. He averaged 11.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game, taking full advantage of the opportunity to play heavy minutes against a stronger level of competition.
"Coming from Africa to Spain at 17 years old and being the youngest player in this professional league - it is a second-division team but it is a professional league - it was a big step for me," Ibaka explained. "It's not the top league, but it's a great league. It was a difficult jump for me. I was happy to do it and I'm glad that I did it because it was the correct step in my career."
Ibaka continued to make an impression on scouts in the Hoop Summit, which pits a team of the top young international prospects against American high-school standouts. This year's game included the likes of UCLA-bound Jrue Holiday and Memphis-bound Tyreke Evans, two of next year's top incoming freshmen. Ibaka had eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks in the game and was declared the player in the game with the most upside by SI.com.
The Sonics were taking note and got an up-close look at Ibaka in a private workout at the Reebok Eurocamp earlier this month.
"He's a guy that our international scouts targeted pretty early," said Sonics General Manager Sam Presti. "We cross-check with our domestic scouts as well. We did a lot of filmwork on him and were able to get an individual workout while overseas in Treviso. We really kind of started to see him as someone that could have a huge upside.
"We think he might be one of the top-tier athletes in this draft. Tremendous body. Tremendous and ferocious offensive rebounder, but also able to make shots and has nice range for an athlete that size."
Several mock drafts had the Sonics taking Ibaka with the 24th pick, their second in the first round, but he was uncertain of his destination as he watched the draft last night from the stands at Madison Square Garden's WaMu Theatre. After hearing his name called by the Sonics, he went on stage to be congratulated by NBA Commissioner David Stern.
"I knew there was the possibility of being second round or first round," said Ibaka, "but I wanted to go as high as possible in the draft, so being 24th, I'm very happy about that."
During ESPN's coverage, they offered an area of improvement for each player. When the Sonics selected Ibaka, the TV broadcast highlighted his need for more experience. Given his age and limited action outside of his native country, Ibaka agrees with that assessment.
"First of all, I am only 18 and the most important thing is experience," he said. "I need to work on almost every aspect of the game since I am only 18 and every 18-year-old player needs to work on everything."
The Sonics will give Ibaka that opportunity. Presti described the ability to have Ibaka continue to play and develop overseas as attractive to the team. The Sonics plan to stay involved and play an active role as Ibaka works to polish his game. For his part, though playing in the NBA is very much his goal, Ibaka is patient.
"I will go play in the NBA when I feel I am ready, when the time is right," he said. "I will not rush anything. When the time is right and I feel I'm ready to be a part of a team, that's what I'll do."
When he does make it to the NBA, Ibaka will make history for his country. However, his hope is to be remembered as much more than the first NBA player from the Republic of Congo.
"It's definitely a dream come true, but this is only the beginning of something," Ibaka said. "It's not what I wanted to accomplish. This is only the beginning of what I want to become, which is a good NBA player. This is the first step."