Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison laughs during a news conference after the 2024 NBA Draft, Thursday, June 27, 2024, in Dallas.It wasn’t until the clock began for the 51st pick when general manager Nico Harrison and the rest of the Mavericks’ front officemay have a familiar last name for Mavericks fans. His cousin is Alexis Ajinca, a French center who played 10 games with the Mavericks during the 2010-11 season.
“I think the beauty of him being a European player is that we have a lot of optionality and I think both things are on the table. We don’t have a lot of roster spots available, so I think that’s the beauty of his age and the fact that he is playing , we can figure it out.”to become the Detroit Pistons’ new senior vice president of basketball operations
Harrison said he and the rest of the Mavericks’ brass were “pleasantly surprised” to see that Ajinca was available toward the end of the draft. Ajinca is one of five French players selected in the 2024 NBA draft, joining No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher , Alex Sarr , Tidjane Salaun and Pacome Dadiet . The latter four were all drafted in the first round.“I think if you look at the Tony Parkers of the world, I think that kind of started it,” Harrison said.