Enkhiin-Od Sharavjamts becomes first Mongolian player to sign with NBA team

ULAANBAATAR / ORLANDO. Mongolian basketball player Enkhiin-Od Sharavjamts has become the first Mongolian to sign an official contract with an NBA team after agreeing a deal with the Orlando Magic. The Mongolian Basketball Association and domestic media reported that he signed an Exhibit 10 contract on October 5.

The agreement marks a significant milestone in Mongolian basketball, although its terms should be understood clearly. An Exhibit 10 contract does not guarantee a player a place on an NBA team’s regular-season roster. Instead, it can give a player the opportunity to participate in the team’s training environment and connect with its player-development system and G League affiliate. Enkhiin-Od was waived by the Orlando Magic after signing the contract, and his next step could be with the team’s G League affiliate, the Osceola Magic.

From Mongolian basketball to American college leagues

Born in 2002, Enkhiin-Od began playing basketball at an early age before competing at the high-school level in the United States and later moving into college basketball. His father, Mongolian Honored Athlete Tserenjanhar Sharavjamts, is known by the nickname “The Mongolian Shark” and is recognized as the first Asian player to compete for the Harlem Globetrotters. Even so, Enkhiin-Od’s career has been more than a continuation of a sporting family legacy; it has been a long-term effort to prove himself in the highly competitive US basketball system.

After enrolling at the University of Dayton in Ohio, he became the first Mongolian citizen to receive a scholarship to play in NCAA Division I basketball. During the 2022-23 season, he appeared in 32 games for the Dayton Flyers, averaging 5.6 points, 2.6 assists and 1.9 rebounds per game. After the season, he was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team, reflecting his progress at the college level.

Enkhiin-Od later played for the University of San Francisco, the University of Utah and the University of South Carolina, gaining experience under different coaching systems and in varied competitive environments. The path from college basketball to the NBA requires more than scoring ability; defense, decision-making, ball-handling, physical preparation and the ability to fit into a team system are also essential.

What the NBA pathway means

Enkhiin-Od declared for the NBA Draft in 2023, signaling his ambition to play professionally at an early stage. Although he was not selected, he continued his college career and developed his skills before joining the Orlando Magic for the NBA Summer League in the summer of 2026. It was an important opportunity to showcase himself to the team’s coaches and scouts.

Signing an Exhibit 10 contract does not automatically give him the right to play in NBA regular-season games. However, such a deal can provide a route to playing for a G League team, staying close to the organization’s system and pursuing a future place on the main roster or a two-way contract. In other words, this is not the final destination but the next stage in his effort to compete at the highest level of professional basketball.

A new benchmark for Mongolian sport

Enkhiin-Od’s achievement as the first Mongolian player to sign with an NBA team is more than an individual story. It shows that young Mongolian athletes can study and develop within the US college sports system and potentially progress to professional leagues of global stature.

However, his future success cannot be measured by the signing alone. His playing time in the G League, his role on the team, the consistency of his performances and subsequent opportunities to reach an NBA roster will be the key factors shaping his career.

For Mongolian basketball, Enkhiin-Od’s journey offers a real example and a new target for the next generation of athletes seeking to compete internationally.