Olivier Sarr’s brother is latest recruit to skip college ball for new pro league
The Overtime Elite League announced its newest acquisition Thursday morning, and he has a last name that’s plenty familiar to Kentucky basketball fans.
Alexandre Sarr — the younger brother of recent UK center Olivier Sarr — has signed with the Overtime league, which is the latest professional route for basketball prospects looking for alternatives to college.
The younger Sarr is the league’s first European signee.
Olivier Sarr played three seasons at Wake Forest before finishing his college career at Kentucky this past season. Their father, Massar Sarr, played professional basketball.
Alexandre Sarr has spent the past few years with various European clubs and is seen as a top international prospect.
“Alexandre comes from a basketball family, learning from a father and brother who came before him. So he has heard of the work and dedication required to be a pro,” said Brandon Williams, OTE EVP’s head of basketball operations. “From his experience playing as a junior player in the Real Madrid club, Alexandre brings a youthful professionalism and a desire to be great, that will be a huge benefit to his teammates and our league.”
Former UConn head coach Kevin Ollie will be the head coach for Overtime Elite.
“Alexandre is a skilled and versatile athlete, a natural shot blocker, and a rebounder on both ends of the floor,” Ollie said in a statement. “We look forward to experiencing rapid development every day once we can work with Alexandre in the gym.”
Overtime has already signed several American players, including two sets of highly touted twins — guards Amen and Ausar Thompson and forwards Matt and Ryan Bewley — as well as point guard Jean Montero from the Dominican Republic. More player signings are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
The father of five-star point guard Skyy Clark — UK’s only commitment so far for the class of 2022 — told the Herald-Leader recently that the Overtime league approached his son with a contract offer, but Clark has turned that down and will be eligible to officially sign with the Wildcats in November.
Overtime Elite is promising guaranteed minimum salaries of $100,000 to each of its players, along with guaranteed offers of future college education opportunities, as well as equity in the company, which has become an established brand in basketball circles in recent years. Overtime players can also profit from use of their name, image and likeness, including sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
The league is set to begin play later this year, though the exact format is still to be determined.
Sarr — a native of France, like his older brother — is listed at 6-foot-10 and turned 16 years old in April. He signed with Real Madrid’s program last year, and it seemed unlikely at that point that he would ever play college basketball.
This story was originally published July 1, 2021 at 11:21 AM.
