“It’s real and I got to work towards my dreams”: French hooper Alex Sarr opens up about his experience playing for Real Madrid’s cadet youth team 

Alex Sarr is considered one of the top prospects for the coming draft. He is an athletic 7-foot-1 big man with an impeccable ability to protect the basket. While most of his highlight-reel-worthy plays culminate near the paint, Sarr also harbors the potential to become a reliable shooter.

So, when Paul George invited the French player to his podcast, he asked him about his pro years with Real Madrid as a 14-year-old. Sarr immediately reflected on the challenges and the opportunities the Spanish team provided:

"Obviously, leaving home. When you're that young it's tough. I'm in another country, people don't speak my language. So, you got to get used to all this," Sarr said. "But after a few weeks, you get teammates around you. You get a lot of people, your coaches and you realize it's real now and I got to work towards my dreams."

Sarr was part of Real Mardid's cadet youth team for two years. From there, he moved to the United States to join the Overtime Elite crew in Atlanta and test his skills against the nation's best young players.

Despite the shift, Alex Sarr represented France thrice in age-restricted tournaments. Joining the French junior team in 2021, Sarr led them to win the FIBA U16 European Challengers, a silver at the U19 World Cup (2023), and a bronze at the FIBA U17 World Cup (2022).

Alex Sarr wants to make a steady impact in the NBA

In a league where fans expect players to immediately make their presence known, Alex Sarr enters with some cushioning for himself. When asked about his hopes for his NBA career, Sarr, like every ambitious rookie, eyed the Rookie of the Year award. However, he has a projected timeline for other notable honors:

"I think [future] looks like being part of a winning team in five years, having that established around me, hopefully, the team I get drafted in," Sarr said. "And I will say individually, probably just winning Rookie of the Year. Getting All-Star appearances, making All-NBA teams, maybe at fifth, fourth year - three years."

Sarr is coming off a successful season with the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League in Australia. He averaged 9.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks while playing 17 minutes through 27 games and helping his squad reach the playoff semifinals.