Cheick Diallo (born September 13, 1996) is a

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Mali ...

an professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Kyoto Hannaryz The Kyoto Hannaryz (京都ハンナリーズ ''Kyōto Hannarīzu'') are a Japanese basketball team playing in Kyoto Prefecture; they are part of the Western Conference of the B.League. The Hannaryz are coached by Roy Rana. Coaches * David Benoi ...

of the

B.League The B.League is a professional men's basketball league that began in Japan in September 2016. The league is operated by the Japan Professional Basketball League and was formed as a result of a merger between the National Basketball League that w ...

. Diallo was a five-star recruit and the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the

2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game The 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game is an All-star basketball game that was played on April 1, 2015, at the United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls. It was the 38th annual McDonald's All-American Game for high school boys. The ...

. He played one season of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

before declaring for the 2016 NBA draft, where he was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

Early life

Diallo was born and raised in

Kayes Kayes (Bambara language, Bambara: ߞߊߦߌ tr. ''Kayi'', Soninke language, Soninké: ''Xaayi'') is a city in western Mali on the Sénégal River with a population of 127,368 at the 2009 census. Kayes is the capital of the Kayes Region, administ ...

, Mali. It took approximately 15 hours to drive from his hometown to

Bamako Bamako ( bm, ߓߡߊ߬ߞߐ߬ ''Bàmakɔ̌'', ff, 𞤄𞤢𞤥𞤢𞤳𞤮 ''Bamako'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Mali, with a 2009 population of 1,810,366 and an estimated 2022 population of 2.81 million. It is located on t ...

, the country's capital city. He was the youngest in his family and had five brothers. He often played basketball with his older friends and family which brought out his skills. Diallo moved to the United States in February 2012 in pursuit of a basketball career. He was not fluent in the English language at the time. He recalled the time, "It was so tough. I left my parents, my friends, my brothers, everything, just to come here.'" Diallo began playing basketball in 2010.

High school career

Through its international program, Diallo began attending Our Savior New American School in

Centereach, New York Centereach () is a hamlet and census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 31,578 at the 2010 census. History The hamlet of Centereach was first called West Middle Island, but primarily became known as ...

. He played with

Chris Obekpa Christopher Ewaoche Obekpa (born 14 November 1993) is a Nigerian professional basketball player who last played for the Rivers Hoopers. He played college basketball for St. John's University in Jamaica, New York from 2012 to 2015. As a freshman ...

in his freshman season and, at first, was dominated by the fellow African big man. Diallo said, "I didn't know what I was doing. I couldn't make a point. bekpablocked me every time." In later seasons, he became more effective for his team and attracted attention through his shot-blocking, rebounding, and versatility. Diallo was invited to the NBPA Top 100 camp in 2013 and went on to become its first MVP from Africa. As a junior in 2014, he averaged 18.5 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game while leading his team to a 28–3 record and a division championship. As a senior, Diallo averaged 17.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. Diallo was named MVP of the

after scoring 18 points and 10 rebounds leading the East team to a 111–91 win over the West. Diallo was also named MVP of the 2015

Jordan Brand Classic The Jordan Brand Classic is a high school All-Star basketball game played annually in April. The game's rosters feature the best and most highly recruited high school boys in the senior class including alumns like Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Bl ...

, tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds. Diallo was rated as a five-star recruit and ranked as the No. 7 overall recruit and No. 3 power forward in the 2015 high school class. On April 28, 2015, Diallo committed to

College career

Diallo missed the first five games of his freshman season with

after the NCAA failed to clear him to play due to eligibility concerns. On November 25, 2015, he was cleared to play for the Jayhawks in their game against Loyola on December 1, after the NCAA ultimately ruled Diallo had received a limited amount of impermissible benefits. In his lone season at Kansas, Diallo averaged 3.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game. In April 2016, Diallo declared for the NBA draft, forgoing his final three years of college eligibility. In May 2016, at the

NBA Draft Combine The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players are measured and take medical tests, are interviewed, perform various athletic tests and shootin ...

, Diallo registered a 7-foot, 4½-inch wingspan and an 8-foot-11½ standing reach.

Professional career

New Orleans Pelicans (2016–2019)

On June 23, 2016, Diallo was selected by the

with the 33rd overall pick in 2016 NBA draft. Diallo was traded to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

later that night. On July 22, 2016, he signed with the Pelicans after averaging 10.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in five Summer League games. He made his NBA debut on October 29, 2016, recording one rebound and one block in six minutes off the bench in the Pelicans' 98–79 loss to the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

. Diallo played in just two games for a total of seven minutes over the Pelicans' first 23 games of the season. On December 10, 2016, he played in just under 31 minutes off the bench and scored 19 points in the Pelicans' 133–105 loss to the

. He also recorded 10 rebounds and shot 8-of-15 from the field. On April 11, 2017, he scored 19 points in a 108–96 loss to the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. The following day, in the Pelicans' season finale, Diallo had 12 points and 16 rebounds in a 103–100 win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. During his rookie season, he had multiple assignments with the

Austin Spurs The Austin Spurs are an American basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cedar Park, Texas, and are affiliated with the San Antonio Spurs. The team plays their home games at H-E-B Center at Cedar Park. The team has made the postseason in ...

Long Island Nets The Long Island Nets are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Uniondale, New York, and are affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets. The team plays its home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County ...

and

Greensboro Swarm The Greensboro Swarm are an American basketball team of the NBA G League based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and are affiliated with the Charlotte Hornets. The Swarm play their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Fieldhouse. The team became ...

of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

, pursuant to the flexible assignment rule. On March 9, 2018, Diallo scored a season-high 14 points in a 116–97 loss to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...

. On March 18, 2018, he set a new season high with 17 points in a 108–89 win over the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

. On February 6, 2019, Diallo scored a season-high 18 points in a 125–120 win over the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

. On February 22, he had 16 points and a career-high 18 rebounds in a 126–111 loss to the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...

. Diallo matched his season high of 18 points with perfect shooting in a 128–115 win over the

on February 23.

Phoenix Suns (2019–2020)

On July 23, 2019, the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

signed Diallo to a two-year contract. On November 24, Diallo scored a career-high 22 points in a 114–102 loss to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

Avtodor Saratov (2021)

On February 2, 2021, Diallo signed with

Avtodor Saratov BC Avtodor (russian: БК «Автодор» Саратов), commonly known as simply Avtodor and internationally as Avtodor Saratov, is a Russian professional basketball club based in Saratov. It plays in the FIBA Europe Cup and in the VTB Unit ...

of the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus an ...

Fuenlabrada (2021)

On April 14, 2021, Diallo signed with

Fuenlabrada Fuenlabrada () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the Community of Madrid. , it has a population of 193,586, making it the region's fourth most populated municipality. Placename The etymology of ''Fuenlabrada'' comes from the contra ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, wi ...

Motor City Cruise / Detroit Pistons (2021–2022)

On November 8, 2021, Diallo signed with the

Motor City Cruise The Motor City Cruise are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Detroit, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Detroit Pistons. The Cruise play their home games at Wayne State Fieldhouse. The franchise began play a ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

. In 13 games, he averaged 14.4 points on 71.4% shooting and 8.5 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game. On December 23, 2021, Diallo signed a 10-day contract with the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

via the hardship exemption and after his expired, he was re-acquirerd by Motor City.

Cangrejeros de Santurce (2022–present)

On May 1, 2022, Diallo signed with the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the BSN.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 17 , , 0 , , 11.7 , , .474 , , – , , .714 , , 4.3 , , .2 , , .2 , , .4 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 52 , , 0 , , 11.2 , , .580 , , – , , .758 , , 4.1 , , .4 , , .2 , , .4 , , 4.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 64 , , 1 , , 14.0 , , .620 , , .250 , , .746 , , 5.2 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 47 , , 2 , , 10.2 , , .648 , , .333 , , .872 , , 2.8 , , .5 , , .2 , , .3 , , 4.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 180 , , 3 , , 12.0 , , .598 , , .286 , , .772 , , 4.2 , , .4 , , .3 , , .4 , , 5.3

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, 7 , , 0 , , 6.9 , , .417 , , – , , – , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 7 , , 0 , , 6.9 , , .417 , , – , , – , , 1.3 , , .0 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.4

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 27 , , 1 , , 7.5 , , .569 , , – , , .556 , , 2.5 , , .0 , , .3 , , .9 , , 3.0

References

External links

Kansas Jayhawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diallo, Cheick 1996 births Living people 21st-century Malian people Austin Spurs players Baloncesto Fuenlabrada players Basketball players from New York (state) Centers (basketball) Detroit Pistons players Greensboro Swarm players Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players Liga ACB players Long Island Nets players Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Malian expatriate sportspeople in the United States Malian men's basketball players McDonald's High School All-Americans Motor City Cruise players New Orleans Pelicans players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People from Centereach, New York People from Kayes Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Suffolk County, New York