Sudan-born Australian forward Mangok Mathiang (main pix) and American guard Marcus Paige signed NBA contracts Wednesday with the Charlotte Hornets.
Mathiang lived in Melbourne for several years before moving to the United States, where he played four seasons for the University of Louisville and serving as team captain for last season’s 25-9 squad.
With the Cardinals, he averaged 4.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots a game. As a senior, he averaged 7.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots
He played for the Hornets in the Orlando Pro Summer League tournament, averaging 4.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 offensive rebounds in five games.
Paige, who helped North Carolina to the US college finals in four seasons there, was a 2016 second-round NBA Draft pick by Brooklyn whose rights were traded to Utah. He spent most of last season on a developmental league roster.
Mathiang and Paige were the first Hornets to sign new two-way contracts that allow NBA clubs to keep rights for two players in addition to the 15-man regular-season roster. – Agence France-Presse
