Nigerian superstar Quadri Aruna has declared for Major League Table Tennis’s Season 4 Draft.

Aruna is a three-time Olympian, a five-time ITTF African Cup winner, and a seven-time African Champion. The 37-year-old has an all-time record of 390 wins and 183 losses (68.1%) in 573 ITTF and WTT matches.

In May 2022, Aruna became the first African player to reach the Top 10 of ITTF’s official Men’s Singles rankings. His current standing at No. 34 makes him Nigeria’s top-ranked player and Africa’s No. 3 singles player across both genders, behind Egyptians Hana Goda (Women’s Singles No. 27) and Omar Assar (Men’s Singles No. 30).

Aruna is widely regarded as one of the greatest table tennis players in the history of Africa, alongside Bay Area Blasters superstar Elsayed Lashin (SPINDEX: 2755). The two have faced off many times throughout their storied careers, most notably Aruna’s victory over Lashin in the Finals of ITTF Africa Cup 2014.

Aruna is currently projected to become the fourth No. 1 overall pick in MLTT history, following Carolina’s Enzo Angles (2763) in Season 1, Florida’s Liam Pitchford (2897) in Season 2 and Atlanta’s Yuya Oshima (2807) in Season 3. Some other stars selected in the MLTT Draft include New York’s Koki Niwa (2788), Bay Area’s Lily Zhang (2592) and Texas’ Joao Monteiro (2724), among others.

Aruna’s destination will depend on the final standings once MLTT’s third season ends. The teams with the lowest winning percentage have the highest chance of earning the No. 1 overall pick, which currently favors teams such as the Florida Crocs (.369), Los Angeles Spinners (.463) and Atlanta Blazers (.403).

MLTT uses the Draft as its method for assigning its incoming players to teams, a method unique to the American table tennis league. The MLTT Draft functions similarly to the drafts for U.S. sports leagues, such as the National Football League (NFL) and National Basketball Association (NBA). 

MLTT will hold its Season 4 Draft in late April or early May, shortly after the conclusion of Championship Weekend (April 18-19). Any player can declare for the Season 4 Draft until registration closes on March 23.

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