Almansa excited to follow ex-teammate Sarr's footsteps

Almansa follows in the footsteps of his former Overtime Elite teammate and No.2 draft pick Alex Sarr to the Wildcats as part of the NBL’s Next Star program.

The highly-skilled big man and strong rebounder, who can handle the ball, has elite footwork and great touch around the basket, participated in this year’s NBA Draft Combine but decided to withdraw from this year’s draft and build his stock for 2025.  

The 19-year-old, 208cm centre/forward comes with a remarkable basketball resume, winning MVP of both the Under-19 and Under-17 FIBA World Cups in 2023 and 2022 respectively, as well as the best player in last year’s Under-18 FIBA European Championships.

Izan Almansa 🤝 Alex Sarr.

From Real Madrid and OTE as teammates, to the FIBA World Cup and G-League Invitational as opponents, the connection between first two Next Stars in Perth Wildcats history goes way back!

📸: @OvertimeElite, FIBA pic.twitter.com/nfV5MwRs0x

— Perth Wildcats (@PerthWildcats) June 29, 2024

“Seeing how well Alex did and how well things went for him, it just clears my mind and any doubts,” Almansa told Wildcats media.

"Since the moment I withdrew from the draft, I knew I wanted to play for Perth.

"I would love to follow in (Sarr's) footsteps in becoming a lottery pick and also win a championship with the Wildcats."

Wildcats General Manager of Basketball Operations Danny Mills was rapt to sign a player of Almansa’s quality on the back of new Washington Wizard Sarr’s success in NBL24.

"We are thrilled to welcome Izan and his family to the Perth Wildcats. Izan is a player we have long recruited, and to be able to attract a player of his calibre on the back of the success we had with Alex this past season is a true testament to our presence as a club on a global scale,” Mills said.

Almansa was named at No.40 in ESPN’s 2025 draft rankings.