Hamidou Diallo (born July 31, 1998) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player who last played for 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 L ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). He played

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 the

Kentucky Wildcats The Kentucky Wildcats are the men's and women's intercollegiate athletic squads of the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. The Kentucky Wildcats is the student body of the University of Kentucky. 30,473 ...

. He was a consensus five-star prospect, and one of the top-rated basketball players in the class of 2017. He won the

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

High school career

Diallo attended

John Bowne High School John Bowne High School is a public high school located in Flushing, New York City and has an enrollment of nearly four thousand students.Flushing, New York Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...

during his freshman and sophomore year. He also attended Putnam Science Academy. As a sophomore, he averaged 17.1 points, 6.6 rebounds per game, and 2.7 assists. During the 2015 summer, Diallo competed on the

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Association Circuit (UAA) for the AAU team, New York Jayhawks, where he averaged 22.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Later that summer Diallo was invited to both NBPA Top 100 and Adidas Nations camps. Diallo transferred to Putnam Science Academy in

Putnam, Connecticut Putnam is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,224 at the 2020 census. History Putnam, originally known as Aspinock, then part of Killingly, is a New England mill town incorporated in 1855. Created from se ...

prior to his junior year. As a junior, he averaged 17.0 points per game, and 4.0 rebounds while leading Putnam to a (35–7) overall record. In the 2016 summer, Diallo then joined the AAU team, New York Rens on the

Nike Elite Youth Basketball League The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, also known as Nike EYBL, or simply EYBL, is a basketball circuit for teams of players aged 17 and under. The circuit was founded in 2010 and is composed of AAU travel teams. Both boys and girls play in the E ...

(EYBL) Circuit. He averaged 18.6 points, and 2.1 assists while leading the Rens to the season-ending Peach Jam. As a senior in 2016–17, he averaged 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists where he led the Mustangs to a (38–3) record. Diallo was considered one of the top players in the 2017 recruiting class by

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Sports ...

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

and

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

. Diallo was heavily recruited by six schools:

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

, Syracuse University, and the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

College career

On January 7, 2017, Diallo committed to the

. He

reclassified ''Reclassified'' is the reissue of Australians, Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's debut studio album, ''The New Classic'' (2014). It was released internationally on 21 November 2014 by Virgin EMI Records, and in the United States on 24 November ...

, graduating a semester early and joining the

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

midseason that month. He would start participating with the team in practices, but would not play a single game that year due to his late entry into the program. Diallo was one of a record-high 182 players to declare for the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

, despite not having played a single college game in the process. On May 24, 2017, Diallo announced that he would return to Kentucky to play in their 2017–18 season, despite draft scouts saying he could have been taken in the first round of the draft that year. Diallo had season averages of 10.0 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.

Professional career

Oklahoma City Thunder (2018–2021)

On June 21, 2018, Diallo was selected with the 45th pick in the 2018 NBA draft by the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

. His draft rights were subsequently traded to the Charlotte Hornets, and then to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. On July 28, 2018, the Thunder announced that they had signed Diallo to his rookie-scale contract. On October 16, 2018, Diallo made his debut in NBA, coming off the bench in a 100–108 loss to the Golden State Warriors with four points, a rebound, an assist and a steal. On November 19, 2018, Diallo scored a career-high 18 points with two steals, a rebound, and an assist in a 113–117 loss to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

. On February 16, 2019, Diallo won the

NBA Slam Dunk Contest The NBA Slam Dunk Contest (officially known as the AT&T Slam Dunk) is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) competition held during the NBA All-Star Weekend. ''Sports Illustrated'' wrote "the dunk contest was the best halftime inventio ...

, becoming the first Oklahoma City Thunder player ever to win it. For one dunk he jumped over Shaquille O'Neal, and did the "honey dip" dunk popularized by

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who serves as a basketball analyst for ESPN. He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, but occasionally played Powe ...

, and displayed a Superman undershirt while hanging from the rim. In another dunk, he jumped over rapper

Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), known professionally as Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of hip hop group Migos. Quavo is the uncle of late fellow Migos m ...

who held the ball above his head and finished it with two hands.

Detroit Pistons (2021–2023)

On March 13, 2021, Diallo was traded to the

in exchange for Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and a future second-round draft pick. On August 19, 2021, Diallo signed a two-year, $10.4 million rookie-scale extension with the Pistons. On March 25, 2022, he was ruled out for the remainder of the 2021–22 season with an

avulsion fracture An avulsion fracture is a bone fracture which occurs when a fragment of bone tears away from the main mass of bone as a result of physical trauma. This can occur at the ligament by the application of forces external to the body (such as a fa ...

in his left index finger. On December 29, 2022, Diallo was suspended by the NBA for one game without pay due to an altercation during a game against the Orlando Magic the day before. On March 6, 2023, during a 110–104 loss to 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 ...

, he suffered a right ankle injury. The next day, the Pistons announced that Diallo had suffered a grade 2 sprain in his right ankle and would be re-evaluated in three to four weeks. In a press conference the same day, however, Pistons head coach

Dwane Casey Dwane Lyndon Casey (born April 17, 1957) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a former NCAA basketball player and coach, having played and coached there ...

stated that Diallo would miss the rest of the 2022–23 season. On October 21, 2023, Diallo signed with 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 Southeast Division. The team plays ...

, but was waived the same day.

National team career

Diallo competed for the under-18 United States national basketball team that captured gold in the

FIBA Americas Under-18 Championship The FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship is the Americas basketball championship for players under 18 years that take place every two years among national teams of the FIBA Americas zone. Before the 2006 edition, the tournament was played by unde ...

game in 2016. He won bronze at the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

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, 46 , , 3 , , 19.5 , , .446 , , .281 , , .603 , , 3.6 , , .8 , , .8 , , .2 , , 6.9 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 5 , , 23.8 , , .481 , , .293 , , .629 , , 5.2 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...

, 20 , , 4 , , 23.3 , , .468 , , .390 , , .662 , , 5.4 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , .6 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 29 , , 21.9 , , .496 , , .247 , , .650 , , 4.8 , , 1.3 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 0 , , 17.8 , , .573 , , .238 , , .588 , , 3.5 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .3 , , 9.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 263 , , 44 , , 18.7 , , .495 , , .274 , , .623 , , 3.8 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .3 , , 8.6

Playoffs

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2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

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, 3 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .364 , , .200 , , .571 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .7 , , 4.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .364 , , .200 , , .571 , , 2.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , .7 , , 4.3

College

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Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

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Personal life

Diallo grew up in

LeFrak City LeFrak City (originally spelled Lefrak and pronounced ) is a 4,605-apartment development in the southernmost region of Corona and the easternmost part of Elmhurst, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is located between Junct ...

, Queens, New York. He attended JHS 157 Stephen A. Halsey. He is of Guinean descent; his parents, Abdoulaye and Mariama, emigrated to the U.S. from Guinea.

References

External links

Kentucky Wildcats bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diallo, Hamidou 1998 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American people of Guinean descent Basketball players from Queens, New York Brooklyn Nets draft picks Detroit Pistons players Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball players Oklahoma City Blue players Oklahoma City Thunder players People from Corona, Queens Shooting guards Sportspeople of Guinean descent Wisconsin Herd players