Petr Cornelie owned one NBA jersey while growing up eastern France — Carmelo Anthony’s.
Cornelie acknowledges he rocked Anthony’s name and number because he usually played as the former Nuggets star in the NBA 2K video game. But it turns out that wardrobe choice was a little bit of foreshadowing.
As one of Denver’s “draft-and-stash” Europeans prospects, Cornelie is set to play in his third NBA summer league after being selected in the second round in 2016. Starting Friday in Las Vegas, Cornelie and Vlatko Cancar, a 2017 second-round pick, will get their opportunity to demonstrate if they are ready to make the transition from playing professionally in Europe to the best league in the world.