It’s been a remarkable year for the Dallas Mavericks’ 6-4 guard. Just to recap: Ntilikina won a silver medal with France at the Tokyo Olympics, he published a children’s book about his life, signed a global ambassador deal with Adidas last month and now he has one more accolade for the resume.The Dallas Mavericks selected Ntilikina as the winner of the February ’22 Chime Community Spotlight Award, due to his extraordinary commitment to serving children and youth here in North Texas and around the world.
The 23-year-old participated in a recent Mavs Reading Challenge and virtually read to a first-grade class at Adelle Turner Elementary School.
He also talked about the importance of books and the motivation behind his new French children’s book called “Dunk.”
“It’s important to spread the love of basketball, expressing the love of sports and togetherness,” Ntilikina said. “I think sports is a big key and a great tool that we can use to bring people together. We can use this game to teach kids about life.”
Earlier in the season, Ntilikina worked with teens at the Dallas County Juvenile Department’s Youth Village and hosted a Jr. NBA Clinic. Together they celebrated the game, learned the fundamentals, and Ntilikina taught the young people about teamwork, respect, and sportsmanship.
Ntilikina is incredible with children and shows extra grace and patience. He understands what it’s like to be young because it wasn’t too long ago that he was in a classroom or working on his game as a child.
He arrived in the league at just 18 years old, and Ntilikina is already a fifth-year NBA veteran at age 23. He’s not even close to his prime yet, which makes his professional career even more special.
However, for all the work he puts in on the court, his dedication and love for the community really makes him shine.
“Frank earned the Chime Community Spotlight this month as a recognition of the light, smiles and connection to the youth he brought in each of the events he joined,” said Hannah Sherertz, Dallas Mavericks Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and the Mavs Foundation.
“The kids loved playing basketball with him and had lots of questions during the reading timeout. Frank came to the team ready to jump into community events and impact the youth where he could, especially in two areas of service that are close to him – basketball and reading.”
And for Mavs’ fans still learning how to pronounce his name, it’s NIL-uh-KEE-nuh.
“The T is silent,” he said.
Ntilikina was born in Belgium and moved to Strasburg, France, at a young age. His parents are from Rwanda and fled the country during the Rwandan Civil War and landed in Belgium, where he was later born. Their story and life taught him perseverance at a young age, giving Frank a unique set of eyes to see the world.
His children’s book “Dunk” teaches how a young Ntilikina is ready to do anything to defend his dream. His childhood is all about basketball. While his two older brothers spend their time reading books and his mother works hard, Frank is determined to prove himself on the court. But the announcement of an imminent move upsets his daily life. What if he must give up basketball and his friends?
“We were thrilled to bring Frank’s love of reading to this reading timeout, with Frank having written his own book, he was so inspiring to the young readers,” Sherertz said.
“He encouraged them to keep learning and always be curious. Frank had a natural connection with the students, even virtually. I think he could see himself in them, even being from a different county and culture. They shared moments about relating to the main character in the book and shared many experiences of when he was their age.”
Ntilikina’s other off-court endeavors continue to soar to new heights. On Feb. 20, 2022, Ntilikina announced that he signed a deal with Adidas and will serve as a spokesperson for the brand in France. He’s also been a model for various high-fashion events over the years and appeared in the 2017 issue of Vogue with international superstar model Gigi Hadid.
He has a reputation as a defense-first player on the court who makes an outstanding teammate. But he’s still young, and the sky’s the limit for this future star.
“You look at his defense, it’s incredible what he can do with his length,” coach Jason Kidd said. “But he’s still young. I know we call some guys old at 23 or 24. But he came into the league at 18. So I think we’re getting him at the right time on his journey to have success for him. We got lucky to get him.”
Ntilikina also knows that he can show love to the game by giving back to the future generation.
“I remember what it was like to be a kid and looking up to professional players,” he said. “So now being in it, I look back and realize the role they had in my life. I try to help others the best that I can.”
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