All About Washington Wizards Star Alex Sarr's Brother Olivier Sarr

The Sarr brothers both ball!

Washington Wizards star Alex Sarr's older brother Olivier Sarralso plays the sport, though their respective journeys to professional careers were not alike.

“I’m definitely proud of our paths,” Olivier told KSR+ in 2023. “It’s just about keeping the main thing the main thing, staying focused throughout the ups and downs and making it to your final goal.”

Three years before his brother was drafted to the NBA, Olivier went undrafted, but later entered the league and now plays for the Raptors' G League team. Alex told ESPN the night he was selected by the Washington Wizards that his sibling had shared a lot about playing in the league with him.

“Everything I’ve learned is through him and he gave me all his knowledge," a choked up Alex said. "It's really special to have someone like him in my corner."

Olivier had “a lot of influence” on his younger brother when it came to basketball. Speaking to Andscape in 2024, Alex said, “I used to watch his games. Just being on the sidelines on his practices. And still, to this day, we talk every day. He gives me advice after my games. I give him feedback after his games. So, we just both like pushing each other up.”

Here is everything to know about Alex Sarr’s brother, Olivier Sarr.

He’s older than Alex

Olivier is the older of the two brothers. He was born on Feb. 20, 1999, while his brother Alex arrived six years later on April 26, 2005.

In a moving tribute to Alex for his birthday in 2021, Olivier penned, “Been a big bro for 16 years and I couldn’t have wished for a better blessing... Happy birthday lil bro, I love you ❤️.”

He’s French

Olivier hails from France like his brother Alex but they were born in different cities. The elder brother was welcomed in Niort and the younger in Bordeaux.

Olivier told GoDeacs.com in 2020 that if he could have a superpower, it would be teleportation, so he “could travel around the world at any time” and be able to see his family in France whenever he wants.

He left France to attend school in America

Olivier left home to attend Wake Forest University, where he played basketball. In a 2020 Q&A with GoDeacs.com, the athlete shared that the “feeling of being a part of a family is” what made the school in North Carolina special to him. “I feel like I'm home here!” he said.

Alex told Andscape in 2024 that he was amazed by his older brother leaving France to go to school in the United States. “When he left home, I was 12. He was 18 going to Wake Forest. And that was my favorite college team ever. At the time, I was just watching every game, following the standings and all of that,” he recalled. “I was just a fan and I was just impressed by him being able to play college basketball, because we didn’t know any better than that.”

Olivier ended up transferring from Wake Forest to the University of Kentucky in 2020. “Winning was my goal. Winning was something I really wanted to do. I tried to do that at Wake,” he told The Athletic in 2020. However, there were “limits.”

“That’s why I came to Kentucky,” Olivier said. “Whatever it takes, I want to sacrifice whatever the team needs me to sacrifice and play my role at my best to help the team win. Win the national championship, really.”

He’s an NBA player, too

Olivier declared for the NBA Draft in 2021.

“After years of hard work and dedication, I will be graduating and pursuing my professional career by declaring for the 2021 NBA Draft,” Sarr said, via the University of Kentucky Athletics. “I am so excited about what the future holds and ready to take on new challenges. I will forever be a part of ‘La Familia.’ ”

Although Olivier went undrafted, he ended up signing a ​​Summer League contract with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021. The following year, the basketball player signed a two-way contract with the Portland Trail Blazers, and in 2023, the Oklahoma City Thunder signed him to the same style of deal.

After rupturing his achilles, Olivier signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Raptors. He was released from the team in October 2025 and joined the Raptors' G League affiliate shortly after.

He supported Alex at the NBA Draft

Olivier was by his brother’s side the night of the 2024 NBA Draft and the siblings shared a hug after Alex was picked by the Washington Wizards.

After getting drafted, the Versace global brand ambassador was overcome with emotion discussing his brother. Explaining why he was choked up, Alex told ESPN, “I went through his draft and I know how it feels to go undrafted, you know, and for me to be able to be a topic now, you know, it’s really special.”

In an Overtime Elite video, Alex acknowledged that he got emotional talking about Olivier the night of the draft. “I was just talking about my brother, remembered his draft. Thought about, you know, how far we came,” he said. “I feel like it's a full circle moment.”

Days after the 2024 NBA Draft, Olivier shared a carousel of photos of himself and Alex in New York, including pictures from his sibling’s big night. “I am my brother’s keeper,” Olivier captioned the post.

He’s ruptured his Achilles

After winning the G League championship in 2024, it was announced that Olivier had ruptured his left Achilles tendon. At the time, the basketball player also lost his grandfather.

“Life’s unfair at times but I believe everything happens for a reason,” he wrote in a message on Instagram. “This day has been an emotional roller coaster. Won the Gleague finals, ruptured my Achilles and finally lose a soldier: my grandfather.”

He continued, “I want to thank everybody that reached out in support, I truly appreciate the amount of love and encouragement that I received. This journey is going to be hard but I know myself and I know I have the best people in my corner to support me through it all.”

Olivier admitted in a 2024 Overtime Elite video that it’s “hard to realize that” he ruptured his Achilles. “It's a long road ahead, but I know I got the right people in my corner,” he said. “Ain't gonna lie, it's tough. Freaked me out.”

Asked by Alex what was driving him, Olivier quipped, “Come back and bust your a-- in the league.”

He and Alex have ties to Senegal

The brothers’ father,Massar Sarr, who also played professional basketball, is from Senegal. Alex told Olympics.com in 2025 that in order to stay close with relatives, he and Olivier would go to Senegal every summer with their dad.

"My father is Senegalese. Every summer, he made sure to take my brother and me to Senegal so we could stay close to our cousins and family there," he said. "It’s very important to me, and I plan to go back, help my family, and see if I can do something for Senegal in the future. That would be really interesting."

Read the original article on People