2023-12-31 14:19:27
The applause meter remains one of the best measures of popularity. And in this little game, Nadir Hifi, leader of Paris, and Mike James, rear leader of Monaco, largely won on Saturday evening when the selections for the 2023 All Star Game were announced in a packed Accor Arena. of 15,000 fans. Slight advantage all the same for the first city, a 21-year-old French basketball hopeful, local to the stage and nicknamed the “Prince of Paname” by the announcer of the meeting. A confirmed advantage on the floor for Nadir Hifi, winner of a magnificent personal duel (44 points against 34 for Mike James) but loser of the all-star match (154-149 ap for the World selection).
So despite calls from the public to give the title of MVP (best player) to the former Portel player, it is the Monegasque who leaves with this trophy. Leather jacket, MVP embroidered on the back, Mike James then presented himself at a press conference. Did Nadir Hifi deserve the MVP more than him? ” No. He lost. If he had won, OK. But he lost,” he says, as phlegmatic as possible. Before the American concedes, nevertheless, a slight compliment. “I like him as a player. His energy, his speed… It’s just fun to face this kind of guy who loves the show. »
It must be said that Nadir Hifi and showmanship are one and the same. Starting with the France selection for his first All Star Game, the native of Strasbourg had warned in Friday’s press conferences of his desire to “smash everything” and be able to “challenge” the Americans. His teammates even announced that he would take all the shots and not pass… But after a regular shower in the first minutes of play, Nadir Hifi adjusted the sights. Result: 44 points including 10 successful 3-point shots. Record for the event equaled, his name now sitting alongside that of Yann Bonato (1995).
And now the French team?
“I could have looked for the 45 points but I missed my second throw,” he recalled when he benefited from three free throws in overtime, well warned by the announcer of the possible record. There were two minutes remaining then. I could have scored but hey… It’s still magical in front of so many people. » Nadir Hifi “would have preferred to score fewer points and win”, as he specifies. “Mike James, his head hurts,” he also wrote on his social networks. But with a little hindsight, how could Nadir Hifi forget this evening?
When announcing his presence in the 5 major of the All Star Game at the end of November, he wrote on these same networks: “Frankly, I don’t have the words. In Nationale 3 4 years ago, today in the major 5 of all star France”. Recalling an almost idyllic journey for the leader who arrived this summer in Paris after three seasons at Portel. It is also for these types of evenings that he joined the capital. The Bercy floor, Nadir Hifi had already spotted him well on December 23 during a success against Strasbourg (78-67), during which he scored 20 points.
Candidate for the NBA draft in 2023 but not selected, Nadir Hifi still dreams of America in the coming months or years even if he will no longer have the right to enter the draft. With regular performances in the championship and in the European Cup, added to this peak of 44 points during the All Star Game, he is getting closer. Just like the French team, another of his objectives. From the Paris 2024 Olympic Games? The probability does not seem very high yet. Unless you ask the opinion of the Bercy public.
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