- Source: Izan Almansa
Izan Almansa Pérez (born June 7, 2005) is a Spanish professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).
Early life and youth career
Almansa was born in Murcia, Spain, to Cristina Almansa, a Murcia native, and Steve Horton, an American professional basketball player for CB Murcia. After Horton retired, he returned to the United States. Almansa grew up in Spain playing association football and dreamed of playing it professionally. He did not begin to play basketball until he was nine years old, following a friend who had signed up. Almansa initially joined the UCAM Murcia youth ranks and measured 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in) by age 12. In his final year with UCAM, he led the Infantil (under-14) squad to a sixth-place finish at the Spanish National Championship – the club's best performance ever at the Infantil level – while averaging 18 points and 18 rebounds per game. In a group stage victory over La Salle Laguna, he recorded 32 points, 28 rebounds, and six steals.
In the summer of 2019, Almansa was recruited by Real Madrid. He went on to play two years with the Real Madrid Cadete (under-16) team. Almansa also played three games with the Real Madrid reserves in the fourth-tier Liga EBA during the 2020–21 season.
Professional career
= Team OTE (2021–2022)
=On 5 August 2021, Almansa signed with the Overtime Elite (OTE), a professional basketball league for high school-aged players, ahead of its inaugural season. In the 2021–22 season, he played for Team OTE against the other two OTE teams, as well as prep schools and postgraduate teams. Almansa averaged 6.4 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field and 36.4 percent from three-point range.
= YNG Dreamerz (2022–2023)
=Ahead of the 2022–23 OTE season, Almansa was drafted by the YNG Dreamerz, one of six teams in a restructured league. In his second season in the competition, he averaged 9.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game, finishing fifth in the league in the latter category. In the final regular-season game, Almansa recorded 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists to clinch the second seed. He helped his team reach the championship series, where they lost to the City Reapers, led by twins Amen and Ausar Thompson.
= NBA G League Ignite (2023–2024)
=On 30 June 2023, Almansa signed with the NBA G League Ignite. In his team debut on 10 November, he recorded seven points, seven rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a 107–102 loss to the Ontario Clippers. Almansa recorded his first double-double two weeks later against the South Bay Lakers, putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes. He was chosen to compete in both the Rising Stars Challenge and the G League Next Up Game at the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis. In 48 games with the Ignite, Almansa averaged 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game on 54.3 percent shooting.
On 23 April 2024, Almansa announced that he had declared for the 2024 NBA draft; his entry was confirmed by the NBA on 2 May. However, he subsequently withdrew his name on 16 June to explore options in Europe and Australia.
= Perth Wildcats (2024–present)
=On 29 June 2024, Almansa signed with the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL), joining the team as part of the league's Next Stars program for the 2024–25 season.
National team career
Almansa was selected to play at the 2021 FIBA U16 European Challengers, though Spain later withdrew from the tournament.
Almansa led the national under-17 team to a silver-medal finish at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup in Spain, which was their first-ever medal at the event. He averaged 12.1 points, 11.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals per game on 55.7 percent shooting and was named the tournament MVP – the first non-American player to ever win the award. Spain lost in the final to the United States, with Almansa recording nine points, 15 rebounds, two assists and two steals in the 79–67 defeat.
Just a few weeks after the U17 World Cup, Almansa represented the national under-18 team at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship in Turkey. He averaged 15.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.6 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 25 minutes per game, leading Spain to a gold medal and winning tournament MVP honors once again. He became the first player to ever win tournament MVP awards at both the FIBA U17 World Cup and the FIBA U18 European Championship.
In November 2024, Almansa was named in a Spanish senior national team squad for a pair of FIBA EuroBasket qualifier games against Slovakia.
Personal life
Almansa received the Princess Leonor Award – given to the best under-18 Spanish athlete – from the King of Spain, Felipe VI, at the 2022 Premios Nacionales del Deporte.
In 2023, Almansa enrolled at the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia to pursue his Bachelor of Business Administration through an online program specially developed for athletes in concert with the Spanish Olympic Committee.
References
External links
Izan Almansa at RealGM
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- Izan Almansa
- Overtime Elite
- NBA G League Ignite
- Tyler Smith (basketball, born 2004)
- 2024 NBA All-Star Game
- 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup
- 2023 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup
- FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup
- Rising Stars Challenge
- FIBA
