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Class of 2025 recruit Noah Neumann finished his high school basketball career at the Good Vision Academy in Houston, TX. On Wednesday, the point guard, who also played basketball for the Houston Raptors in the Adidas 3SSB Circuit, dropped a huge announcement about his future on Instagram.
Neumann announced that he would play pro basketball in China for the Macau Black Bears in the East Asia Super League (EASL).
"HISTORY IS MADE… Noah Neumann is officially the youngest American professional basketball player ever to play in China," the caption of the post read.
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The post also saw comments from his younger brother, Nelson Neumann, 2020 NBA champion Dwight Howard, South Carolina Gamecocks signee Eli Ellis and Northwestern Wildcats signee Jake West:
"So proud of you big bro! You really made your dreams into reality. You really are a trendsetter. Youngest ever to play pro basketball in China. You really are 1 of 1. Love you," Nelson Neumann commented.
Jake West posted a dancing GIF.
"Welcome to @theasiantournament," Dwight Howard wrote.
"Let’s gooooo," Eli Ellis added.
The unranked guard also received offers from the McNeese State Cowboys, Pepperdine Waves and Sam Houston Bearkats before he chose to play overseas in China.
Off the court, Neumann is a content creator on TikTok, who became famous for sharing basketball content and comedy videos. He has more than 1.2 million followers on that platform.
Why did Noah Neumann choose to play in China?
In a conversation with Sports Illustrated, Neumann talked about his decision to play in China. The 5-foot-11 point guard claimed that he wanted to "pave his own path":
"I have a chance to make history," Neumann said via SI.com. "I refuse to live in the Matrix and do what everybody else is doing. I’m paving my own way in a life that excites me. I feel that I am well-prepared thanks to my coaches and my support system here. I’m ready to go make a name for myself and represent H-town and the USA.
"This is a huge accomplishment in the sense that it is a dream fulfilled. Since I was about 5, I have been saying that I was going to play professional ball. And so this is now coming to fruition, and that’s very exciting," he added.
The EASL involves 12 teams from Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia and more.
