The 23-year-old Toumani Camara from Brussels is the second Belgian player ever to be selected in the draft, the system to balance players in the American NBA basketball league.
The Phoenix Suns selected Camara 52nd (of 60 players) in New York on Thursday (local time). If he signs a contract with the team, Camara may call himself the second Belgian to play in the NBA after Didier Mbenga. The now 42-year-old Mbenga twice crowned himself NBA champion with the LA Lakers, but was never chosen via the draft.
Draft is a method in North American sports to distribute new players among teams in a balanced way. The least-performing team gets to pick as (one of the) first, giving them another chance in the league.
A useful player
After four years in the US college circuit (two at the University of Georgia and two at the University of Dayton), the 2.03-metre-tall forward decided to enter the draft in an attempt to make his way into the NBA and launch his professional career.
NBA pundits have described Camara as "a useful player who can be deployed at any position."
Camara is the second Belgian to be picked for the draft in the NBA after Axel Hervelle in 2005, but the latter (a Liège native) never made the jump to the prestigious league.
