The next few months may be the most exciting and challenging time of basketballer Aleksey Shved’s life. The 23-year-old joined the Minnesota Timberwolves after leaving CSKA Moscow over the summer – before he left, he spoke with RT on the move.

For Shved, it’s a dream come true to join the NBA. The Russian dramatically improved his game over the last few years, and was a key reason his country’s team won a bronze medal in London this summer.

He’ll have a big helping hand when he moves to Minnesota, since he will be joined by NBA veteran Andrei Kirilenko. Shved is thrilled to have such a good friend as a teammate.

“He’s been playing in the NBA for 10 seasons and he’s vastly experienced.He’s always the kind of guy you can go to for some advice. He’s a great person to have around, and is a good friend of mine, both on and off the court,” Shved said. “I am sure he will help me out when I get there, and I’ll try and take his advice on board.”

via RT.com