In an interview with Kombini, Paris Basketball star Nadir Hifi (23 years old) confided that his next goal was to join the NBA.
On June 22, 2023, while Victor Wembanyama was called number 1 by Adam Silver during the NBA draft, followed by his compatriots Bilal Coulibaly, Rayan Rupert and Sidy Cissoko, Nadir Hifi was not drafted by any franchise. The leader then about to celebrate his 21st birthday, however, was coming off a huge season with Le Portel (16.8pts average) and had just been recruited by Paris Basketball for three years, the capital club saying it was
“ready to do everything possible to enable him to achieve his NBA goal“. Two and a half years later, Nadir Hifi still wears the Parisian jersey, where he enjoyed a dream 2024-25 season with a French championship title to boot, but has still not played a single minute in the NBA.
Nadir Hifi: “I’m becoming more and more ready”
This is now his goal, as he said at the start of the year in a Kombini video. “Today, my goal is clearly the NBA. I think I’m getting more and more ready, watching the NBA. How I am also evolving, on my game and my maturity”explains the native of Strasbourg, whose model is Kobe Bryant (“for his mentality, his work ethic”) et LeBron James (“the way he manages his lifestyle, the investment he puts into his body”), and who cites Steve Curry, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal to complete his dream five majors.
A missed opportunity in the summer of 2024
In the summer of 2024, Nadir Hifi had the opportunity to play in the Las Vegas Summer League with Minnesota. He had shone (14.5 points on average in 14 minutes) but had to return to France following a family problem. He has not had any other chances since, and assured in September 2024 with First Team
that his main handicap lay in… the length of his arms!
“What I lack for the NBA is my size, my wingspan. In Minnesota, they measured my wingspan twice because they were shocked. I have small arms… With an adaptation time of one or two years to prepare and train for the NBA, with my talent and even if my size will be a small problemI think I can show things. » His arms haven’t grown in recent months, but Nadir Hifi has become a confirmed Euroleague player, averaging 20 points in 18 games this season. Enough to convince an NBA franchise to recruit him?
