Frenchman Noah Penda credits past experience for being 'ready' to join the Magic

USA Today

2 days ago

Jeff Weltman: Noah (Penda) is a very unique player. A very good ballhandler, very good passer and an excellent defender. When we first saw him, he struck us on one of our first trips to Europe as a guy to flag for the rest of the season.He is 6-7, with a 7-foot wingspan. pic.twitter.com/wcKpCFxnwe
ORLANDO, Fla. -- After playing professionally for the past three years, Noah Penda believes he is ready to make the jump to the United States and contribute to the Orlando Magic.
Penda, born in Paris, was selected with the 32nd pick in the 2025 NBA draft on Thursday, following a productive season with Le Mans Sarthe in the LNB Élite, the top league in France. He was one of 13 European players drafted this year, including a record six from France.
The 6-foot-7 forward was named the LNB Pro A Best Young Player last season, averaging 10.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 steals on 44.7% shooting from the field in 30 games. He ranked fourth in the league during the regular season in steals and 13th in rebounding.
Prior to joining Le Mans, Penda played two years for JA Vichy of the LNB Pro B league, the second division of French basketball. He was the 2023-24 LNB Pro B Best Young Player, posting averages of 9.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.25 steals in 36 games.
"Noah is a very unique player," Magic president Jeff Weltman said. "He is exceptionally skilled. (He is) a very good ballhandler, passer and an excellent defender, so he is kind of a unique player. When we first saw him, he struck us on one of our first trips to Europe this year as a guy to flag for the rest of the season, so we have been tracking him pretty closely."
Orlando entered Thursday with the 46th and 57th picks, respectively.
To select Penda, who was considered a possible late first-round pick, Weltman & Co. knew they needed to move up, so the team sent their two second-round picks, along with future selections in 2026 and 2027, to acquire the draft rights to Penda from the Boston Celtics.
The move was seen as aggressive by some, considering the team has seldom used second-round picks to select players. However, with the group attempting to position itself to win now, the front office identified Penda as a player who can step in and help achieve that goal.
"I think I'm just ready to be on an NBA court just by the fact that I play defense on multiple positions and I don't (make) a lot of mistakes on offense," Penda said. "I think things are going to evolve, and I'm going to be able to do a lot more with the way Americans work."
Penda was viewed as one of the top international prospects this year, thanks to his scoring, versatility on the defensive end of the court and size at 242 pounds. He also intrigued the organization with his nearly 7-foot wingspan.
The Magic, who ranked second in defensive rating last season, believe he can provide coach Jamahl Mosley with yet another perimeter defender who can switch positions and impact games at a high level, with his length, activity and IQ.
"Just watching him and seeing how he has played, his physical stature, the IQ (and) the ability to guard multiple positions," Mosley said of Penda. "Sitting in that realm, for us right now, the switchability, I think, sits a lot on the forefront for us."
The players have arrived 🪄 pic.twitter.com/t3Bau7XXIG
In addition to playing for Le Mans, Penda represented his country in the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket. He helped the Frenchmen to the gold medal, averaging 11.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, three assists and 1.7 steals on 56.3% shooting from 3-point range in seven games.
Penda will lean on that prior experience to help the Magic, who will enter next season as one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference. He is confident he can contribute at a high level and is grateful the organization was aggressive in acquiring him on Thursday.
"I think it is a reward of all of the work I've been putting in," Penda said. "I feel like it is really a mark of trust that the organization is putting in me and faith. I'm just really glad to be in that position where I know that people are trusting me for the future."