For aging journeyman basketballer Steve Sir, the NBA is a long, long shot.

Fortunately for Sir, long shots are exactly what he excels at.

Two months ago, the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks called the Edmonton pro athlete, saying they were looking for a player like him to play on their summer league team.

"They asked. 'Is this something you would want to do?' I immediately said, 'Yes'."

Sir, is 33 years old, a nine-year pro whose career has seen him play in Europe, Mexico and Canada.

So why would the NBA come calling now?

Sir is a gifted three-point shooter. He excels at sinking baskets from beyond the court's three-point line.

In fact, the man whose basketball career began at Edmonton's Ross Sheppard High School still holds the American college record for the highest percentage in three-point shooting.

And that skill set is just what the NBA teams are looking for.

"With the emphasis right now on the three-point shot in the NBA, of spacing the floor and creating more space for guys to get to the rim, the need for shooting is at an all-time high," Sir told Edmonton AM's Mark Connolly Monday.

Edmonton basketball player Steve Sir has been invited to play for the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks summer league team. (Courtesy of Halifax Rainmen) "It comes at an interesting time where I'm a little older, but I still shoot the ball at an efficient level."

Sir said he is getting tired of the vagabond life of a professional player toiling in the European and Canadian leagues.

"When you describe to people the idea of travelling abroad to play basketball it sounds very exotic and fun.

"Eventually it becomes … a job.

"It's a grind at times. You stick to it because ultimately you love playing the game."

While the summer league is part of the NBA's developmental system, it's as close to the NBA as a player can get without playing in the regular season.

It's like an extended training camp for draft picks, free agents, all vying for roster spots for the NBA team.

So might Sir, at the age of 33, eventually find himself a rookie on the Bucks?

"I haven't wanted to put a tag on it like that," Sir said. "Just getting to this point is pretty heavy."

He points to statistics that suggest that one in 800,000 players make the NBA while maybe one in 500,000 make the summer league.

"That said, I'm going down there as prepared as I possibly can be," he said.

"If I go down there and give the best of myself … good things will happen.

"If that means it's a crack, great. If it doesn't then it will just be a great experience in of itself."