By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Adding three more years to his contract, Nigerian center James Nnaji committed to FC Barcelona until the end of the 2026-27 season.
Nnaji, 18, inked the contract extension, the Catalonia giant announced Friday.
Last season, the young center debuted in both the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and Spain’s Liga Endesa. He entered the Barca youth system before the 2020-21 season.
Per the press release: “Barça and James Nnaji have reached an agreement for a contract extension for the center until 30 June 2027. The Club is making a firm commitment to the Nigerian whose previous contract ended in 2024.
This 2022/23 season Nnaji will continue to move between the first team and Barça Atlètic with the Club’s aim being to establish him in the first team squad in 2023/24.
Great development
Nnaji came to Barça in the summer of 2020 aged 16 to play for the junior team and in two years his development has been quick. His physical ability, as well as his ability to learn, has made him a fixture in the Barça Atlètic team and also in first-team training sessions.
The center made his debut for the first team in November 2021 in a Euroleague game against Zalgiris Kaunas. Nnaji, in total, has made 25 appearances for the first team, 13 in Europe and 12 in the Endesa League.
In the league against BAXI Manresa, he produced the best ever debut by a U18 player with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 blocks for a rating of 19.”