THE future of Indonesian basketball is getting and early NBA education.
Derrick Michael Xzavierro, 18, will be joining the NBA Global Academy, an elite basketball training program courtesy of Basketball Australia's Centre of Excellence at the Australia Institute of Sport (AIS) in Canberra.
It's a groundbreaking development for Indonesia basketball, with Xzavierro long touted as a cornerstone of the nation's basketball future.
"I’m extremely excited to join NBA Global Academy to learn from the coaches and train alongside some of the best high school-age basketball players in the world," he said. "This is a great opportunity for me to continue my development and take the next step in becoming a better player and leader."
Xzavierro is the first Indonesian prospect to join the NBA Global Academy, which serves as a hub of top global prospects outside of the US.
He previously participated in the Jr. NBA program in Indonesia in 2017 and made his debut for the national team in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers against Korea in February 2020.
Xzavierro also becomes the first NBA Academy commit to be evaluated through NBA Global Scout, a basketball development and talent discovery program hosted on HomeCourt, a mobile AI basketball training application and an official partner of the NBA.
The platform, which has been used by nearly 25,000 prospects from 197 countries, is designed to provide more opportunities for elite basketball players from all corners of the world to be discovered and evaluated for future basketball development opportunities.
"Derrick is a top prospect coming out of Indonesia who will fit seamlessly into our program," said NBA Global Academy Technical Director Marty Clarke. "We look forward to helping Derrick develop and prepare for the next level."
Indonesia coach Rajko Toroman has repeatedly compared the 6-foot-8 Xzavierro to Japeth Aguilar, believing that his size could only bode well in the nation's quest to give the Philippines a run for its money atop the Southeast Asian food chain.
Xzavierro has also previously being courted by colleges in the United States, led by Gonzaga.
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