Russian Basketball Federation president backs Ishchenko's Dallas contract

Andrei Kirilenko, president of the Russian Basketball Federation (RBF), assessed the chances of Rostov-born player Vsevolod Ishchenko signing a contract with the NBA club Dallas Mavericks.

Ishchenko was selected by Dallas with the 56th pick in the draft. He played five games for the team in the NBA Summer League.

«Seva Ishchenko is getting better with every game. Today he had the most playing time on the team and a personal Summer League high of 12 points. For a player of his position, Vsevolod has a great quality — the desire and ability to fight for rebounds. I like their duo with De Larrea: either one can make a sharp pass in attack. Dallas plays attacking basketball, just right for Seva. You can see from the games that Seva deserves a contract with the Mavericks. I am very happy with how our guys performed in the Summer League. They are showing themselves to be needed players for their teams», Kirilenko told Match TV.

Now Dallas will decide whether Ishchenko will spend the 2026/27 season in North America or return to Lokomotiv-Kuban.

You can find out the details of Ishchenko«s journey from a Rostov backyard to a chance to get into the NBA in our article.