Puerto Rico has produced many talents in the world of basketball. One such talent is the 23-year-old center, George Conditt IV. Before taking up a spot in the national team’s starting center, George had quite an impressive journey in high school and collegiate stints. However, he has now emerged as the face of the Puerto Rican defense, taking on some of the big names like Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Anthony Davis at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Conditt was born in Illinois, Chicago and he has his Puerto Rican connection through his mother’s ancestry, Carol Conditt. And his father, George, was a defensive lineman for the Cyclones. The rising star attended Corliss High School in Chicago and immediately became a player to watch out for.

The young buck put his height to good use and made a name for himself with his block party. In his senior year, Conditt put a threatening stat line of 14.7 points, 17.0 rebounds, and 8.0 blocks per game. Notably, he grew three inches from junior year to senior year. Moreover, with that performance, he led Corliss HS to a 24-5 record and almost helped the school make its first appearance in the state tournament. Above all, he received certain honors, like MVP honors at the Tournament of Champions, USA Today All-USA Illinois Boys Basketball second team, a three-star recruit by 247sports & ESPN, and many more.

Following that, George Condit IV picked Iowa State despite having offers from Illinois and New Mexico. In his four-season long stint with Iowa, the rising star averaged 4.3 points, recording 138 blocks and 48 steals. Comparatively, Condit’s performance took a dip after his sophomore when he scored 7.0 ppg in 31 games, starting seven of them. The big man’s average steadily dropped after that, as he averaged 4.9 points in his senior year.

After his Iowa stint, he signed with two professional teams back-to-back (Gigantes de Carolina (April, 2022) and Promitheas Patras (September, 2022). Moreover, he also signed up with Portland Trail Blazers‘ G-League Affiliate, Rip City Remix, and played the 2023-24 season, averaging 14.4 ppg and 9.1 rebounds.

George Condit IV and promising talent for Puerto Rico

Even though Condit didn’t make any notable impact in the professional leagues, he sure did add value to his national side. Amid his stint for the Rip City Remix, he played for Puerto Rico in the 2023 FIBA WC. In that tournament, he emerged as one of the most efficient players on the side, averaging 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. The team couldn’t make it big as they finished in 7th place.

A year later, the team is all set to face Team USA, Serbia, and South Sudan in the Paris Olympics group stage. In their first outing against the East African, the team suffered an embarrassing 90-79 loss, as the Sudanese basketball side stormed through their first-ever Olympic win. Nevertheless, Condit produced a promising performance, securing 13 points, and 6 rebounds along with a block and steal.

Next up, they face Serbia in a do-or-die game. Even though the Puerto Rican side has one more game, they play it against Team USA. So, they have no option other than defeating Nikola Jokic & Co.

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