Top Performers from the NBA's Basketball Without Borders

Noblesville, Indiana – The Basketball Without Borders event is a unique one. Every year, during all-star weekend, the NBA brings some of the best players from around the world together, so they can compete under one roof.

“We have four events per summer,” Brendan McKillop, Associate Vice President and Head of International Elite Basketball told. “A Basketball Without Borders camp in Europe, Africa, Americas, and Asia. So ideally this all-star weekend camp brings the best players from around the world together. It is all age-based, so this camp was for players born in 2006. We go all over the world to see these players in person and then bring them to play in front of all 30 NBA teams and major scouts like yourself.”

Basketball Without Borders was founded in 2001. The event has since grown to develop Basketball Without Borders Global, which launched in 2015 in New York City. The event has become a staple of All-Star Weekend.

“It is important for us to have this during All-Star weekend because all thirty teams are here. This year, we brought players from 22 different countries, so instead of teams sending their scouts out all over the world, everyone is under one roof so they can see the best of the best can compete against one another. From a talent evaluation standpoint, it has become something that NBA Front Offices and big scouts like yourself cannot miss.”

Since its inception in 2001, Basketball Without Borders has staged 72 camps in 48 cities across 33 countries on six continents. One hundred and fourteen former campers have been drafted into the NBA or WNBA, and 41 were on opening day rosters for the 2023-24. NBA All-Stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam, Lauri Markkanen, and Marc Gasol all came through Basketball Without Borders camps.

2024 Basketball Without Borders Camp Roster

A representative from 29 of the 30 NBA teams were present through the first two days of the 2024 Basketball Without Borders event with the final team expected on Sunday.

On3’s Jamie Shaw was on site to take in the first two days of the three-day event. Here are the top performers.

On3 MVP: PG Hamad Mousa (Qatar)

From the first drill of the camp, Hamad Mousa moved confidently. From the weave drills to the shooting drills, the three-on-two and five-on-four drills, he was vocal and he was consistent. Early on we were able to see that he had skill, the ball was on a string and he had legit size and fluidity. Once the games started, it all clicked for Mousa.

Listed at 6-foot-6, he was hard to take your eyes off in the open floor. He had a creative handle, with a flashy demeanor. The passes were precise as he played one step ahead of the defense, throwing with both hands off the bounce and in the halfcourt. He navigated angles well and he knocked down shots. While his shot pocket is a bit low, the release is soft and consistent and he was able to get it off in a game.

2. F Neoklis Avdalas (Greece)

Neoklis Avdalas has a basketball player’s frame, with his long arms and positional size. He moves very fluidly, is able to change direction, and utilizes his quick first step to get to his spots. Avdalas attacked the basket in straight lines and finished above the rim and through contact with both hands. In drill work, the jump shot looked good, with good balance and a clean release. In the games, the jump shot did not fall, but it did look the part. Defensively there is upside to work with with his length, mobility, and positional size. But his aggression in attacking his spots in the half-crout was impressive.

3. C Julius Halaifonua (New Zealand)

Coming into this event, Julius Halaifonua made a bit of a ripple having taken two stateside official visits, to Xavier and Virginia Tech. The class of 2025 center is listed at 7-foot-0 and 280 pounds. When he steps on the floor, you notice immediately that he is a very large player. What stood out with his game was his skill level. Halaifounua has a smooth jump shot with confidence and cleanliness. He scored on the block, going over both shoulders. He passed the ball well in the half-court, and I cannot recollect a miss from the corner-three spot.

4. 5-star F Will Riley (Canada)

Some players are just blessed with the ability to put the ball in the basket. Will Riley, continues to get buckets in volume. He has a unique ability in the mid-range to find open space and get to his shots. Listed at 6-foot-8, he has fluidity and touch. When his feet are set, Riley knocks down shots at each level. He will need to continue working on his balance and core strength, shooting the ball from range, off of movement. The aesthetics of Riley’s game can take a couple of viewings to get used to, but the stats speak volumes at the end of the day.

5. 4-star F Shon Abaev (Israel)

This was a good setting for Shon Abaev to showcase what he does best, score the ball. Abaev is a lefty who plays at Fort Lauderdale (FL) Calvary Christian. While he is not the best defender, he was active in the passing lanes and gave effort on the boards. Abaev is a natural one-on-one scorer, he has a crafty pace and a herky-jerky dribble that he uses to size up his man and get to his shot. Listed at 6-foot-8, he has a high release with soft touch that is consistent at each level. Abaev has upcoming visits scheduled for Illinois and Oregon.

6. 5-star C Khaman Maluach (South Sudan)

Khaman Maluach perhaps had the biggest reputation coming into the event. The 7-foot-1 center took an official visit to Duke earlier in the season and is recently coming off visits to Kentucky and Kansas. The physical frame stands out immediately for Maluach. While thin, he is not skinny. He has great length and the height is legit. He has explosion off the floor, using his high reach to affect play around the basket. While his offensive game is still raw, he can catch the ball on the block and get over his right shoulder. And he has some promise with his touch from range. Some very obvious markers in his game translate as he continues to move forward.

Other Basketball Without Borders Standouts

4-star G Efeosa Oliogu (Canada) has a physical build with a lot of explosive pop in the open floor. He has a quick first step that gets him into the paint and his physicality allows him to absorb contact and finish at and around the rim. The Atlanta (GA) OTE Elite four-star has some juice when he gets in transition.

5-star C Moustapha Thiam (UCF) moves in a unique way for a big man. The flashes are very intriguing for him as he is very athletic, both vertically and laterally. He has touch on the jump shot, although will still need work, and he was comfortable making some passing reads today. At times the game can be a bit quick for him, but the ceiling remains high.

4-star F Alex Constanza (Dominican Republic) has a great frame and showed natural skill and touch. Listed at 6-foot-8, he has a smooth shooting stroke off the catch. Playing within one and two dribbles he showed some interesting pull-up stuff in the mid-range as well. Athletically there are questions about his mobility, but he processed quickly here and knocked down shots.

G Nolan Traore (France) has a sturdy frame with long arms. He has soft touch on his jumper and being listed at 6-foot-4 he is a nice complimentary guard who can get his team into sets and not turn the ball over. While not entirely dynamic, he helped winning basketball especially with his shot making and ball movement. Alabama, Gonzaga, and Xavier have received visits.

G Jack Kayil (Germany) intrigued me with his shooting stroke, which he took with him from the drill sessions to the game. Everything about his ability to knock down shots was aesthetically pleasing with great balance and consistent release points. 

4-star F Jaion Pitt (Canada) is someone who seems to appreciate the dirty work. He is a versatile-type defender who can guard perimeter-based forwards or switch down on the block. He is strong and a good athlete with great length. Would like to see him diversify his handle, but he can attack in straight lines. The four-star from Glendale (AZ) Canyon International also knocked down a couple of threes off the catch.

G Savo Drezgic (Serbia) played very fast but did so under control. He has an intriguing change of pace, as he goes from fast to faster. He threw a couple of very nice passes in transition, as he kept the defense on its heels most of the day. 

3-star F Alejandro Aviles (Puerto Rico) has a strong frame and he plays hard. In fact, that is probably the write-home piece of his game, the motor. He rebounded well in his area and knocked down multiple threes off the catch. While the ceiling might be limited here, the floor he brings is high, with valuable production.

G Kasparas Jakucionis (Lithuania) has a sturdy build and a smooth jump shot. He took care of the ball and understood angles as he efficiently used his dribbles to get to his spots on the floor. Knocked down multiple corner threes, and looks the part as a complimentary guard.

4-star G Danny Carbuccia (Dominican Republic) was possibly the best paint-touch lead guard in the field. He had a quick first step along with a crafty handle and change of pace that got him to his spots. The passing has continued to improve and he can be an aggressive point-of-attack defender. 

F Noa Essengue (France) came in with a pretty robust reputation. He had a solid showing, with a good frame and athleticism. The handle and shot both got a little loose for him, but he was very good playing from 15 feet. That was when he was most effective. Would like to see him tighten up his overall game.

C Danny Merkovic (Montenegro) kind of just got things done. While a bit heavy-footed, he uses his frame and lower half very well to establish angles and position. He knocked down spot threes, moved the ball well, and seemed to gather every 50-50 ball in his area. Production was intriguing.

3-star G Christian Anderson (Michigan) is a quick-twitch guard who has been having a standout season at Mouth of Wilson (VA) Oak Hill Academy. Anderson was at his best hunting for his own shot, he had good footwork and an excellent feel for when to rise up and knock one down. There is an intriguing aspect to his game.

C Ladji Coulibaly (Mali) is raw, that goes without saying, but his athletic prowess is intriguing. He is a very good defender, right now that is better than his offense. He blocked shots and rebounded well, he also slid his feet. Offensively, his hands were questionable on anything thrown below his neck. But he ran the floor extremely well and rose high out of the dunker spot. 

G Luke Fennell (Australia) looks like he could be the next in line from the NBA Global Academy. Previous attendees included Josh Giddey, Tyrese Proctor, and Johnny Furphy. Fennell has a smooth feel for the game and is able to dribble, pass, and shoot in the open floor and the half-court. He has solid positional size and was a steady performer.

PG Aginaldo Neto (Angola) is a quick-twitch lead guard that is able to get to his spots in the half-crout. He did a good job adjusting his pace and probing the defense and getting to his spots. Neto showed a pull-up jumper in the paint and quickness in defending the point of attack.