Kostas Antetkounmpo signs two-year deal with French basketball team ASVEL

Kostas Antetokounmpo’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers has officially come to and end. On Friday, French basketball club LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne announced that they signed Antetokounmpo to a two-year contract. Antetokounmpo had been previously linked to Olympiacos Piraeus and Panathinaikos Athens, two top-flight Greek basketball clubs.

Antetokounmpo, the No. 60 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, had his two-way contract claimed by the Lakers in 2019, when he was waived by the Dallas Mavericks. At the time, the move was seen as a precursor to recruiting his older brother Giannis Antetokounmpo, and while that may have been partially true, they also reportedly had interest in him as a prospect.

Unfortunately for Antetokounmpo, he was never able to find his footing with the Lakers, in the G League or on the big stage. During his lone season with the South Bay Lakers, Antetokounmpo put up respectable numbers (14.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game), but it was clear that he lacked the skills necessary to contribute at the NBA level. As a result, Antetokounmpo only appeared in 20 games in his two seasons with the Lakers.

Antetokounmpo will have the chance to prove himself with a first division French basketball club that also plays in the EuroLeague. He’ll join former Phoenix Suns guard Elie Okobo, who also signed with ASVEL on Friday. Okobo was the No. 31 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Perhaps the Lakers will live to regret letting Antetokounmpo go, but at the moment, there’s no reason to believe that he’s on the verge of becoming a productive NBA player. Hopefully he has more success overseas.

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