Ahmed Nur stood at center court at the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center in South Carolina with a grin and thunderous applause after being named NBPA Top 100 Camp MVP. The forward checks in at No. 21 overall in the SCNext 100 for 2027, and the award included an unexpected prize: a late-July trip to Andalucia, Spain, to attend “The Sanctuary,” an offseason performance retreat for current NBA players.
NBPA head of Elite Youth & Basketball Shaun Livingston said the retreat was created “for the NBA guys to really have community with each other in every way,” and that integrating the Top 100 MVP was intentional. Livingston described The Sanctuary as “an NBA-style fraternity and community where guys are building with each other,” and the event drew established pros identified by organizers, including Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson, New Orleans Pelicans guard Jeremiah Fears and Portland Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe.
Nur said he went to Spain partly to test a theory he had heard at summer events — that the NBA game, with its spacing and movement, might look easier than it is. “You just look at the game, and you think, ‘I could do that,'” Nur told ESPN. The six-day stay exposed him to pro-level training, recovery and downtime, and Livingston urged the young prospect to “be curious” and take advantage of the access.
Nur took that advice, turning long workouts into extended conversations and pickup games into study sessions. “The speed alone is crazy. It’s definitely harder than you could imagine,” Nur said, noting the challenge of playing with veterans such as Jay Huff, Leonard Miller and Jeremiah Fears. Los Angeles Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt worked one-on-one with Nur during the visit and praised his size and instincts. “He’s a great young prospect,” Vanderbilt said, adding that Nur had been a “sponge” around professionals.
Nur said the visit clarified several priorities: the NBA’s physicality, players’ decisiveness and the importance of body care. “It’s really sharpened my mental and that’s the biggest thing,” he said, adding later, “This was a life-changing experience for me for basketball.”
