PORTLAND, Ore. — Rayan Rupert reaches into his Trail Blazers locker to fetch his “French” cellphone, the one he uses when he’s back in his homeland, and the one with pictures from his youth. He scrolls and finds a photo from 2015 when he was 11.
In the photo, he is standing next to NBA forward Nicolas Batum, who had just concluded his 10-day youth basketball camp in Le Mans, France. Twenty minutes before the photo, Batum had announced Rupert as one of three recipients of his most valuable player award, which meant an all-expense paid trip to Charlotte, N.C., to watch him play for the Hornets.
From MVP of
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