PRETORIA, South Africa -- Former G League player and BAL standout Babacar Sane confirmed to ESPN that he will be with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the upcoming NBA Summer League, before joining Senegal for international duty.
The 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) season ended in a quarter-final exit for US Monastir and Sané, but there is a silver lining for the former NBA Academy Africa player.
Speaking to ESPN in the mixed zone following Monastir's defeat to Petro de Luanda on Monday night, Sané said: "I'm going back to the US and getting ready for Summer League and then after that, I've got the African Championship [with the Senegal national team]."
When asked if he knew who he would play for at Summer League, Sané said: "Probably Minnesota."
Pushed further by ESPN on whether or not the move was confirmed, he said: "Yes, because my agent told me."
Sané, who is from Ziguinchor in the south of Senegal, was arguably the BAL Elevate Program's first success story. In 2022, the forward joined G League Ignite off the back of a successful season with Dakar Université Club in the BAL and appeared to have the world at his feet.
He had bright moments with the Ignite - notably 17 points and 18 rebounds against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in January 2023.
However, heavy competition for places and the eventual dissolution of the team at the end of the 2023-24 season put Sané and then-Ignite teammate Thierry Darlan in an uncomfortable position.
College was no longer an option, as they had turned professional already, and they no longer had a team to play for. Both declared for the 2024 draft initially, but Darlan ultimately withdrew with a view to trying again this year, while Sané went undrafted.
"You make decisions and you don't look back. I feel like that was really my path to go through it. I went through it and I'm not going to look back and be like: 'I could have waited and gone to college,'" Sané told ESPN in a separate interview.
"One thing about me: I make decisions and I don't look back, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I had because when I was there, I really enjoyed my time there and there were great people around that really tried to help push us to be successful.
"My time in Ignite - I've seen kids that really wanted to get into Ignite - so it was really a blessing for me to be part of that program."
Sané takes a similar view of his experience at last year's NBA Draft: "It [was] my destiny to go undrafted. I feel like I've done everything I could have done. I'm going to keep working to get to the league. Certain players get drafted; certain players don't get drafted and still play in the league. I feel like it's my path to go undrafted and still get to the league."
The 21-year-old played for Salt Lake City Stars and Iowa Wolves in the last G League season. Upon its conclusion, he returned to Senegal for the BAL. However, rather than going back to a Senegalese side, he was part of the US Monastir team that qualified for the playoffs in top spot in the Sahara Conference, which saw ASC Ville de Dakar eliminated on home soil.
"It's been a really great experience coming back home, seeing family and friends showing up to the stadium, showing love and support. It really means a lot to me because my family doesn't get a lot of chances to see me play in real life - only on TV - so it's a blessing to me," he said.
Sané knows precisely which league he intends to have his family watching him in. He told ESPN that he has had interest from Europe, but he is focused on making it to the NBA.
He said: "I have a lot of propositions. People say I can go to Europe, but I have a goal for myself to play in the NBA and I believe I will make that dream come true, to play in the NBA one day. Europe right now is not in my plans to be honest."
Sané is working on his defense and shooting, with the latter being an attribute that has stood in the way of many of Africa's top talents when they first found basketball. Given that the sport is still developing on the continent, most children grow up with few opportunities to hone their shooting even if they have all the physical attributes to succeed in basketball.
Centers Khaman Maluach - who is expected to be one of the top picks at the 2025 NBA Draft - and current Florida Gators NCAA champion Rueben Chinyelu had plenty of work to do on their shooting when they first entered the BAL in the same year Sané did. They, too, have bridged the gap somewhat.
"Khaman is my guy. I feel like playing in the BAL really helped him a lot, preparing him to stay ready to play against grown men - and the Olympics also [was a major help]. He's a really good guy - him, Thierry Serge Darlan and Rueben," Sané said.
A busy period awaits. Assuming there are no last-minute hiccups with Sané's Timberwolves move, he will be in Las Vegas for the tournament taking place July 10-20.