Two siblings is not an uncommon sight in basketball. Be it the Gasol brothers or the Currys, choosing the same profession within a family is always an interesting story for the fans. One such tale developing in recent times is in the Sarr household. Projected as the No.1 overall draft pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2024 NBA drafts French wonderkid Alex Sarr, is considered the cream of the crop among all the upcoming rookies. However, this surname made quite a few inroads in the country earlier as well in the form of his brother Olivier Sarr.
While the 7-foot-1 was displaying his skills for the Perth Wildcats in the NBL, elder brother Olivier Sarr had to make his way to the Oklahoma City Thunder after toiling hard for 4 tough seasons in college basketball.
Olivier Sarr carving his reputation in the NCAA
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The beginning of his college career did not go as fortunately for the center as he would have imagined. Beginning his NCAA path at Wake Forest, he only contributed 3.2 points and 3 rebounds as a freshman. Next year too, he only grabbed 6.2 points and 5 rebounds per clip. But he did lead the team with 25 blocks.
However, his junior year brought some good numbers for him. He became a starter for the Demon Deacons and led the team in points from the second rank. He made 13.7 points in every outing. Sarr was also leading the team in rebounds and blocks with 9 and 1.2 per game respectively. Olivier also had 11 double-doubles in what would be his last season. He also grabbed the Third Team All-ACC honor.
Following the firing of his then coach Danny Manning, he entered the NCAA transfer portal for the 2020-2021 season for better opportunities. Choosing John Calipari‘s Kentucky over Duke, Baylor, Florida State, and Gonzaga, he signed the immediate eligibility waiver. However, his numbers again saw a drop. For the Wildcats, he averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 rebounds.
Although he had one year of eligibility due to the NCAA’s additional season option due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he went for the 2021 NBA draft.
Sarr’s journey after college
The pro leagues have not exactly been a walk in the park for Olivier Sarr. After an unsuccessful experience in the 2021 NBA drafts, the 6 ft 10 in center chose to enter the NBA Summer League and represented the Memphis Grizzlies. Subsequently, the Thunder signed in October but immediately waived him off. Then, he became a part of Oklahoma City’s G-League. Two months later, he associated himself and became a pro in Thunder courtesy of a 10-day contract. After his 10-day stint in the pro league, he made his return to the City Blue only to grab another 10-day deal with the Thunder.
He participated in 22 games as a pro, registering 7 ppg, and 4.2 rpg while shooting 57.4% from the field and 44.8% three-pointers. After being with the Blue for a month, Sarr signed a two-way contract with the Thunder. Following this, he took part in 9 games for the franchise where he garnered 4 points and 3.4 rebounds per contest. Another waiving off was in order as on April 6th, 2022, he was no longer a part of the locker room. This resulted in him joining the Phoenix Suns in his second consecutive NBA Summer League.
The trajectory of his career was taking a surge when the Portland Trail Blazers showed interest in him. However, his shot at becoming a pro was short-lived when the franchise offered him a two-way contract. Sadly, he never took the court for the Blazers and a month later, the ownership had to let him go. This opened the doors for him to play for the Thunder yet again.
How is Sarr’s reunion with the Thunder going so far?
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Post his departure from Portland, his 2023 started with his re-introduction in the G-League with the Blue. A third two-way contract was in order in February which was quickly followed by another in August. In this 15 appearance in the Thunder jersey, the No.30 spent an average of 6.5 minutes on the floor. As a result, he was able to score 2.3 points while grabbing 2.4 rebounds in each game. Moreover, his shooting numbers showed some improvements with a 57.9% efficiency in field goals and a beyond-the-arc accuracy of 33.33%.
His contributions were instrumental in the OKC’s Blue making it to the 2024 G-League Finals. Unfortunately, he suffered from a ruptured Achilles in finals. Still, that didn’t stop his teammates from lifting the title. But, his injury is keeping him out of the playoffs so far.
Through the thick and thin, Olivier Sarr is still going strong. His popularity might not be as same as his brother’s, but his passion surely is. Basketball fans will love to see more of him in the near future. What kind of impact will he have on his return from injury? Only time will tell.
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