In the history of the NBA, the first player to wear number 94 was Evan Fournier. It was with the Nuggets and then the Celtics, and it was a tribute to Val de Marne. Twelve years after Fournier's arrival in the NBA, it's the turn ofArmel Traoreborn in Créteil, to choose 94. This is what we learn from the always well-informed Etienne Catalanwhich recalls that Nolan Traoré's big brother wore number 37 in the summer league, but also that another player wore this number. This is George King, who played four matches for the Mavericks in 2021/22. A number that he will also wear in the G-League with the Clippers.
Signed in ” two-way contract“, Armel Traoré will therefore be the first to wear this number at the Lakers, and this summer, he turned in 7 points at 59% shooting and 5 rebounds for 17 minutes on average in the summer league. At DNA of Sports, he had spoken of this “pride” of playing at the Lakers, but also of being the first player from Blois to land a contract in the NBA.
Read >>> Armel Traoré's interview for his debut with the Lakers
“A lot of pride, especially being the first Blois player to wear an NBA jersey. A great pride and a dream, I would even say a goal that is becoming reality. But I still had my feet on the ground” he says about his first contacts with the Lakers. In a month, he will be at the “training camp”, and he will have his first sessions with LeBron James, from whom he hopes to steal a few things. “ In the sense that he's a winger like me, with roughly the same physical measurements. So obviously, I'm going to try to ask him for a lot of advice. »
Two-way contract : Designed to create a new bridge between the NBA and the G-League, this type of contract allows each team to secure the services of two or three additional players, to have them play mainly in their affiliated development league franchise but also up to 50 matches in the NBA.
