Center recalls early career path before facing former team in finals

A center who entered the league undrafted in 2017 said his first professional season was spent largely in a 5,000-seat arena playing before mostly empty seats. He signed a two-way contract and appeared in 36 games that year while continuing to develop his skills.

Early professional experience The center recalled averaging 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds in 17.0 minutes across 46 games, including 18 starts, during the 2018-19 season. He described the period as an extension of college basketball and said he enjoyed the time spent with young players on a roster that finished with the worst record in franchise history.

Path to current roster After four brief stints with other organizations, the 30-year-old signed a four-year, $41 million contract last summer to serve as a backup on a young roster. He recorded a career-high seven blocks in a 2025 playoff game and later blocked a shot in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals that helped advance the team to the finals for the first time since 2014.

"Talking about being on [the NBA Finals] stage, it's a little different than the [literal] stage at the Westchester County Center that is on one end of the court," the center said Tuesday. "It's definitely a cool, full-circle moment playing the Knicks and having started there," he added.