Adelaide 36ers sign teen Raheim Brown Jnr as Development Player

The Adelaide 36ers have signed talented teenager Raheim Brown Junior as a Development Player, with the Year 10 Woodville High School student set to become the youngest player signed by an NBL club since 1982.

Brown Junior, known as RJ, joins the 36ers after an impressive rise through the South Australian basketball pathway.

The 15-year-old is a West Adelaide Bearcats junior and made his senior NBL1 Central debut this season, appearing in nine games for the Bearcats.

Despite limited game time, Brown Junior showed glimpses of his considerable potential, averaging 2.0 points, 1.56 rebounds and 0.56 assists per game.

His athleticism, speed and physical tools have marked him as one of South Australia’s exciting young prospects.

Brown Junior’s rise is a nod to the strength of the Adelaide 36ers High Performance Schools Program, run at Woodville High School and three other schools across metropolitan Adelaide.

His signing with the 36ers will see him surpass Cairns Taipans Next Star Luke Paul as the youngest player currently signed by an NBL club.

“RJ has unique and advanced athletic attributes and basketball skills for his age,” said Adelaide 36ers General Manager of Basketball Operations.

“At only 15, he has natural athletic ability and genetic attributes that allow him to compete with people much older than him, as we’ve seen in the NBL1 this last season.

“We expect RJ won’t look out of place in a professional environment, but we know that for him to continue to develop, he needs to be stretched in an environment where he’s not the dominant player.

“We’re grateful to Woodville High School for working with us to ensure RJ can complete his schooling while developing as an athlete.”

Brown Junior comes from a basketball family, with his father, Raheim Brown, having played professionally in both Italy and France. His father also founded The Dream Basketball Academy in Adelaide, where he has helped develop young basketball talent in the local community.

Brown Junior’s signing highlights the club’s commitment to identifying and developing emerging South Australian talent.