Basketball: Penney gunning for NBA spot

10.15am

Tall Blacks shooting guard Kirk Penney has turned his back on Europe and will attempt to fulfil his basketball dream in the National Basketball Association's Development League.

Penney missed out on NBA opening day rosters when it was found his visa had expired. Before it can be renewed, he needed to find an employer in the United States, which he has found with defending NBDL league champions Asheville Altitude.

The Altitude, based in North Carolina, selected Penney in the first round of the NBDL draft with the sixth pick overall.

"Kirk is a complete player, a real pro," head coach Joey Meyer said.

"A skilled international player, he is an excellent offensive player who knows how to put the ball in the goal."

Penney, a two-time Olympian and college standout at the University of Wisconsin, became the second New Zealander in the NBA last year after Sean Marks when called up briefly by the injury-stricken Miami Heat.

When his short-term contract ended, he joined Auna Gran Canaria in the Spanish league, where he averaged 10.7 points and 2.2 rebounds, before joining the Tall Blacks for their Athens Olympic campaign.

This year, he will begin the season in the NBDL waiting for a call-up to the NBA in the year.

Probably more significant than Asheville's title defence is the fact that 28 players have been called up to the NBA in the development league's three-year history.

- NZPA