SIG Strasbourg (2015–2017) Ntilikina spent the majority of the 2014–15 season with the Strasbourg IG youth team, helping them win the French Youth League Championship. He made his debut for the SIG senior team on 4 April 2015 in a French
LNB Pro A 2014–15 season contest against
Boulogne-sur-Mer, seeing 15 minutes of action. On 15 October 2015, Ntilikina logged his first
EuroLeague minutes, scoring one point in 12 minutes and 16 seconds of play against
KK Crvena zvezda. In December 2015, he signed a four-year contract with SIG Strasbourg. He saw the court in 32 contests during the
2015–16 Pro A season, averaging 1.2 points per game and earning the
LNB Pro A Best Young Player award. In the 2016–17 season, Ntilikina became a key part of the Strasbourg team, as he appeared in 45 games for the team while averaging 7.2 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 19.3 minutes per game. His successful campaign led him to winning his second straight Pro A Best Young Player award.
2017 NBA draft In April 2017, Ntilikina entered his name into the
2017 NBA draft. By NBA draft's entry deadline on 12 June, he became one of only 10 international underclassmen to remain in the NBA draft that year. Ntilikina also became one of 20 invitees for the green room on draft night. The night before the draft, Ntilikina played game 4 in the LNB Pro A Finals with SIG Strasbourg before traveling to
Brooklyn, New York to participate in the draft personally. After that night, he played his last game with SIG Strasbourg with them losing the LNB Pro A Finals to
Élan Chalon. During the build-up to the draft, there was heavy speculation that the
Dallas Mavericks would select Ntilikina with the ninth overall pick. Mavericks owner
Mark Cuban was quoted as saying that the Mavericks wanted a "pass-first point guard" and said "We can maybe go a little bit more for a project", both of which Ntilikina fit the bill for. When the Knicks ended taking Ntilikina with the eighth pick, the Mavericks chose point guard
Dennis Smith Jr. Ntilikina was also rumoured to be coveted by the Knicks' front office and coaching staff, with whom he met in person.
New York Knicks (2017–2021) On 22 June 2017, Ntilikina was selected by the
New York Knicks with the eighth pick in the
2017 NBA draft. On 5 July, Ntilikina signed with the Knicks. He was the second-youngest active player in the NBA during his rookie year behind
Ike Anigbogu. Ntilikina made his NBA debut on 19 October 2017, in a 105–84 loss to the
Oklahoma City Thunder. He scored his first points on 28 October against the
Brooklyn Nets in a 107–86 win. He recorded nine points, two rebounds, five assists and a steal during the Knicks' home opener. On 15 January 2018, Ntilikina recorded his first
double-double with 10 points, 10 assists, seven rebounds, two blocks and a steal in a 119–104 win over the Brooklyn Nets. On 24 January 2018, he was selected to represent Team World for the
Rising Stars Challenge during the
2018 NBA All-Star Weekend. His rookie season in New York was considered by many as underwhelming, and he was often claimed to be a
draft bust. Ntilkina was limited to 43 games in his second season due to injuries. Heading into his third season, Ntilikina was coming off a strong performance in the
2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. In the early part of the season, he took over starting point guard duties and began to show great signs of defense. On 23 November 2019, Ntilikina racked up six steals in a 111–104 loss to
San Antonio Spurs. However, like his previous two seasons, he struggled to shoot the ball and eventually was demoted in favor of
Elfrid Payton.
Dallas Mavericks (2021–2023) On 16 September 2021, Ntilikina signed with the
Dallas Mavericks. He made his debut on 21 October 2021, in a 87–113 loss to the
Atlanta Hawks, playing four minutes.
Charlotte Hornets (2023–2024) On 5 August 2023, Ntilikina signed with the
Charlotte Hornets. On 8 February 2024, Ntilikina was waived by the Hornets.
Partizan (2024–2025) On 20 June 2024, Ntilikina signed a two-year contract with
KK Partizan of the
Basketball League of Serbia (KLS),
ABA League and
EuroLeague. He helped Partizan win the
2024–25 ABA League championship and the
2024–25 Serbian League championship. In 29 ABA League games, he averaged 7.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, and in 21 EuroLeague games, he averaged 7.0 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. On 1 September 2025, it was reported that Ntilikina had extended his deal with Partizan until 2027, but he ultimately parted ways with the team later that month.
Olympiacos (2025–present) On 26 September 2025, Ntilikina signed a two-year contract with
Olympiacos of the
Greek Basketball League (GBL) and EuroLeague. ==National team career==