The global showcase for teenage talent has a Spanish accent. Eghosa Odeje is the only Spanish player among the 78 selected for the debut of Basketball Without Borders Next Up, the new NBA and FIBA campus taking place in Istanbul from August 26-29 with high school prospects from 44 countries across six continents.
Who is Odeje
The name is worth noting. A 6'9" center and just 15 years old—one of the youngest participants at the event—Odeje is currently training in the United States, between Prolific Prep in Florida and Alabama Fusion, and his calling card is defense: last season he averaged 11.6 points, 8 rebounds, and an impressive 5.5 blocks per game.
His profile is that of a natural shot-blocker who is adding layers: defensive impact and shot-blocking ability as the foundation, and an increasingly diverse offensive arsenal near the rim. Numbers and profile that explain why the NBA and FIBA have ranked him among the 78 best prospects of his generation worldwide.
What is BWB Next Up
The Istanbul event debuts a new format within a historic program. To mark the 25th anniversary of Basketball Without Borders, the NBA and FIBA are launching this evolution with two annual camps that will bring together the 80 best male and female prospects from outside the United States; the women's edition will debut this fall. The program is also returning to a city with history within BWB, which previously hosted the European editions in 2002 and 2008.
The menu at Basketbol Gelisim Merkezi is that of an elite academy: athletic testing, movement efficiency evaluations, development stations, three-on-three tournaments, life skills seminars, and five-on-five games. And the faculty is top-notch: among the coaches and players present are Kenny Atkinson, head coach of the Cavaliers, three-time All-Star Khris Middleton, Jalen Suggs, Thomas Bryant, Saddiq Bey, and Bub Carrington.
For Spanish basketball, the reading is bittersweet and familiar: the talent is there, but it's being developed in Florida. Odeje is another chapter in the phenomenon we've been following all summer—the Spanish generation growing up in the American high school circuit on the path to NCAA and NIL money.