00:00With the 60th pick in the 2026 NBA draft, the Washington Wizards select Malik Lewis from San
00:08Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago and the Southeast Melbourne Phoenix of the NBL. For most young
00:15basketball players, reaching the NBA is the ultimate dream. For Trinidad and Tobago's Malik
00:21Lewis, that dream is now within reach. The 21-year-old has signed with the Milwaukee Bucks,
00:28becoming the first homegrown Trinidad and Tobago player since 1999 to earn a spot with the NBA
00:34franchise. But the journey to basketball's biggest stage was anything but easy. One of
00:40Lewis' biggest challenges came when he left home to continue his development in Spain.
00:45Transition into Spain was more like a very big culture change. I feel like it's the complete
00:51opposite from Trinidad. First of all, they don't speak English, right?
00:56Yeah, so I'm just hearing Spanish as the normal language, walking in the streets.
01:00I imagine that you speak Spanish now.
01:02Yeah, I do.
01:03A new country, a new culture and a new language. Lewis embraced the challenge learning Spanish
01:09while competing against some of Europe's top basketball talent. Those experiences, he says,
01:15helped prepare him for the next level.
01:17After that, going to Mexico for a year, spending one year in the G League there. Ever since I've
01:23started playing basketball, I think I've played against people older than me. So I feel like
01:27that was good for my development, playing against guys that, you know, they have families and
01:34they have to feed their families. So they're not looking at you as a kid. So throughout my
01:39whole career, I've just been playing against, against pros.
01:43Lewis, he's left the line. Oh! Yes, sir!
01:49Now his focus is on proving himself with the Bucs and continue to develop his game.
01:54Lewis says earning a place on the roster is only the beginning.
01:58Just being myself, developing as best as possible, as best as possible, developing my mind, body,
02:04and skill. Mm-hmm. And what do you hope to accomplish in the first season?
02:10Just, um, get, get into the, to the roster. It gets in more playing time and just building on that.
02:16And for young athletes in the country hoping to follow a similar path, Lewis has a simple message.
02:22Stay focused, stay disciplined, and believe in yourself.
02:26I would tell him to stay true to himself. You know, don't change the way you are.
02:29Um, don't, don't get peer pressured, don't get dissimulated by anything.
02:34Continue doing what you're doing because you're going on the right track.
02:36Lewis now joins a growing list of Caribbean players making their mark on the international stage.
02:42As he prepares for the challenge of competing at the highest level of the sport,
02:46his achievement stands as a milestone for basketball in TNT
02:50and an inspiration for the next generation of athletes.
02:53Charlotte Kisto, TV6 Sport.
02:56Lewis can say a pop fly to the basket.
02:58Lewis can say a pop fly to the basket.
02:58Lewis can say a pop fly to the basket.
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