Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ( ; born 9 September 1986) is a Cameroonian former 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 who last played for the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

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 S ...

(NBA). Mbah a Moute also plays for the Cameroon national team.

College career

Mbah a Moute attended

Montverde Academy Montverde Academy is a private PK–12 school in Montverde, Florida, United States. History The school was founded in 1912 as Montgomery Industrial School. The school president was Henry P. Carpenter. It underwent a major expansion in 1921, whe ...

in Florida from 2001 to 2005, where he was coached by Kevin Sutton. Soon, he would be Westwood-bound to play for

Ben Howland Benjamin Clark Howland (born May 28, 1957) is an American college basketball coach who most recently served as the men's head coach at Mississippi State University from to 2015 to 2022. He served as the head men's basketball coach at Northern Ar ...

and

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. As a freshman in 2005–06, Mbah a Moute led the Pac-10 Champion Bruins in rebounding. Mbah a Moute led or tied for the lead for the Bruins in rebounding in 27 regular-season games. In the NCAA tournament, Mbah a Moute scored the winning layup at the end of a comeback win over Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. Mbah a Moute also posted 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist in a Final Four victory over

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

. For the year, Mbah a Moute averaged 8.9 points and 8.1 rebounds, and he was named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. He became something of a cult phenomenon among the UCLA faithful. Along with fellow Cameroonian

Alfred Aboya Alfred Aboya Baliaba (born 2 January 1985) is a Cameroonian former professional basketball player and current coach. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins, advancing to three Final Fours. He was a member of the winningest class in UCLA ...

, the dynamic duo sparked the "Cameroon Crazies" (a take-off of Duke's "

Cameron Crazies The Cameron Crazies are the student section supporting the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team and the Duke Blue Devils women's basketball team. The section can hold approximately 1,200 occupants. The section, also deemed "The Zoo" by Al McGu ...

" fans) section, along with an enormously popular T-shirt which read "Moute Kicks Boute". Mbah a Moute himself became known as The Fresh Prince, after the television show of the same name. His mother, Goufane a Ziem Agnes Bertine, and his father, Camille Moute à Bidias, had never seen him play for UCLA until they came from Cameroon to attend the Final Four of the

2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament The 2008 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 65 schools playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2007–08 basketball ...

. During the 2008 season, his team had a record of 35–4 and won their third straight Pac-10 title and made their third straight NCAA Final Four. Mbah a Moute ended his UCLA career with an honorable mention All-

Pac-10 The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its College football, football teams compete in the NCAA D ...

, honorable mention Pac-10 All-Defensive Team selection and a fifth-place finish in scoring (8.8 ppg). He is ranked the No. 15 rebounder with a total of 775 rebounds. Mbah a Moute became the first player to start in three straight Final Fours at UCLA in 34 years.

Bill Walton William Theodore Walton III (born November 5, 1952) is an American television sportscaster and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for coach John Wooden and the UCLA Bruins, winning three consecutive national ...

Jamaal Wilkes Jamaal Abdul-Lateef (born Jackson Keith Wilkes; May 2, 1953), better known as Jamaal Wilkes, is an American former basketball player who was a small forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A three-time NBA All-Star, he won four NBA ...

, and Greg Lee (1972–74) were the last players at UCLA, and Andre Hutson and Charlie Bell of Michigan State (1999–2001) were the last to do so.

Professional career

Milwaukee Bucks (2008–2013)

Mbah a Moute gave up his final year of college eligibility at UCLA to enter the 2008 NBA draft, in which he was selected by the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

with the 37th overall pick. Mbah a Moute got off to a quick start with the Bucks and quickly became a fan favorite. His strong play, especially on defense, led to him overtaking

Charlie Villanueva Charlie Alexander Villanueva Mejia (born August 24, 1984) is a Dominican-American former professional basketball player who played for the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, Detroit Pistons and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Associat ...

as the Bucks' starting power forward only nine games into the season. In his second game as a starter, Mbah a Moute posted career highs of 19 points and 17 rebounds in a 101–96 victory over the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. Bucks head coach

Scott Skiles Scott Allen Skiles Sr. (born March 5, 1964) is an American former basketball coach and player. He coached the Phoenix Suns, Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks and Orlando Magic. A first-round draft pick out of Michigan State University, Skiles played ...

and general manager John Hammond both praised Mbah a Moute's defensive skills. After the 2010–11 season, Mbah a Moute became a

restricted free agent A restricted free agent (RFA) is a type of free agent in the National Football League (NFL), National Hockey League (NHL), or National Basketball Association (NBA). Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain ...

. On 10 December 2011, he received a four-year, $18.7 million offer sheet from 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 ...

. Three days later, the Bucks matched the offer sheet, re-signing Mbah a Moute.

Sacramento Kings (2013)

On 12 July 2013, Mbah a Moute was traded 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 ...

Minnesota Timberwolves (2013–2014)

On 26 November 2013, Mbah a Moute was traded to the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

for Derrick Williams.

Philadelphia 76ers (2014–2015)

On 23 August 2014, a three-team trade was completed, involving the Timberwolves, the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, and the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eas ...

. As part of the deal, Mbah a Moute and teammate

Alexey Shved Alexey Viktorovich Shved (Russian language, Russian: Алексей Викторович Швед; born December 16, 1988) is a Russian professional basketball player for PBC CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. Standing at , he pl ...

were traded to the Sixers, along with a 2015 first round draft pick from Cleveland. The Cavaliers received

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star, a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team and ...

from Minnesota, whereas the Wolves received

Andrew Wiggins Andrew Christian Wiggins (born February 23, 1995) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected with the List of first overall NBA draft picks, first ov ...

and Anthony Bennett from Cleveland and

Thaddeus Young Thaddeus Charles Young Sr. (born June 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Georgia Tech, before being drafted 12th overall i ...

from Philadelphia. On 14 July 2015, Mbah a Moute signed with the Sacramento Kings once again. However, two days later, his contract was voided by the Kings after he failed his physical examination. Mbah a Moute felt he was mistreated by the Kings and filed grievance against the team. He later passed a medical test in order to compete for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game on 1 August.

Los Angeles Clippers (2015–2017)

On 25 September 2015, Mbah a Moute signed with 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 ...

. Midway through the 2015–16 season, the Clippers placed Mbah a Moute in the starting lineup. On 8 July 2016, Mbah a Moute re-signed with the Clippers. On 21 April 2017, in Game 3 of the Clippers' first-round playoff series against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, Mbah a Moute scored a career playoff-high 15 points to help the Clippers win 111–106, taking a 2–1 lead in the series. The Clippers went on to lose the series to the Jazz in seven games.

Houston Rockets (2017–2018)

On 19 July 2017, Mbah a Moute signed with the

. On 22 November 2017, in a 125–95 win against the

, Mbah a Moute finished with a plus-minus of +57, the highest in an NBA game in 20 years. He was a perfect 5-of-5 shooting for 13 points in 26 minutes, during which the Rockets outscored the Nuggets 93–36. On 14 December 2017, he was ruled out for two to three weeks with a shoulder injury. Mbah a Moute dislocated his shoulder for a second time on 10 April 2018, in a 105–99 win over 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 ...

. He subsequently missed the first round of the playoffs.

Return to the Clippers (2018–2019)

On 19 July 2018, Mbah a Moute signed with the

, returning to the franchise for a second stint. He appeared in just four games for the Clippers in 2018–19 after injuring his left knee in a game against 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 ...

on 23 October 2018. He initially underwent various non-surgical treatment options before ultimately undergoing a partial medial meniscectomy on his left knee, with medial femoral condyle chondroplasty, on 28 March 2019. He was subsequently waived by the Clippers on 7 April.

Return to the Rockets (2020)

On July 7, 2020, the

announced that they had signed Mbah a Moute.

Career statistics

NBA statistics

Regular season

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Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 82 , , 51 , , 25.8 , , .462 , , .000 , , .729 , , 5.9 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 62 , , 25.6 , , .480 , , .353 , , .699 , , 5.5 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .5 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 52 , , 26.5 , , .463 , , .000 , , .707 , , 5.3 , , .9 , , .9 , , .4 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 43 , , 22 , , 23.5 , , .510 , , .250 , , .641 , , 5.3 , , .7 , , .9 , , .5 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 58 , , 45 , , 22.9 , , .401 , , .351 , , .571 , , 4.4 , , .9 , , .7 , , .2 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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, 9 , , 5 , , 21.8 , , .469 , , .333 , , .692 , , 3.0 , , 1.7 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, 55 , , 2 , , 14.7 , , .447 , , .214 , , .685 , , 2.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , .2 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 67 , , 61 , , 28.6 , , .395 , , .307 , , .589 , , 4.9 , , 1.6 , , 1.2 , , .3 , , 9.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 75 , , 61 , , 17.0 , , .454 , , .325 , , .526 , , 2.3 , , .4 , , .6 , , .3 , , 3.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 80 , , 76 , , 22.3 , , .505 , , .391 , , .678 , , 2.2 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, 61 , , 15 , , 25.6 , , .481 , , .364 , , .684 , , 3.0 , , .9 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 4 , , 0 , , 15.3 , , .444 , , .333 , , .400 , , 1.8 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 8.3 , , .400 , , .000 , , .500 , , .7 , , - , , .6 , , - , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 689 , , 453 , , 23.3 , , .454 , , .334 , , .659 , , 4.1 , , .9 , , .9 , , .4 , , 6.4

Playoffs

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2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

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, 7 , , 7 , , 25.4 , , .520 , , .000 , , .600 , , 5.6 , , .7 , , .3 , , .0 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 34.0 , , .435 , , .000 , , .722 , , 3.5 , , 1.8 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 8.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 5 , , 5 , , 15.6 , , .667 , , - , , 1.000 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , .6 , , .0 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 7 , , 7 , , 32.0 , , .395 , , .313 , , .700 , , 5.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 7.6 , - , 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;",

, 9 , , 0 , , 16.6 , , .250 , , .200 , , .571 , , 2.4 , , .3 , , .7 , , .4 , , 2.8 , -class=sortbottom , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 32 , , 23 , , 23.9 , , .418 , , .216 , , .667 , , 3.8 , , .7 , , .7 , , .3 , , 5.8

College statistics

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , style="text-align:left;",

, 39 , , 38 , , 29.5 , , .538 , , .132 , , .723 , , 8.2 , , 1.3 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 29.9 , , .492 , , .222 , , .570 , , 7.4 , , 1.9 , , 1.7 , , .8 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2007–08 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 32 , , 29.0 , , .478 , , .200 , , .689 , , 6.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 8.8 , -class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan=2, Career , 107 , , 106 , , 29.5 , , .503 , , .215 , , .668 , , 7.2 , , 1.6 , , 1.3 , , .6 , , 8.7

Personal life

Mbah a Moute is a prince in the village of Bia Messe in the district of

Bafia Bafia () is a Cameroonian town and commune in the Centre Province region. It is the capital of the Mbam-et-Inoubou department. It lies north of the country's capital Yaoundé. Bafia has approximately 55,700 inhabitants, making it the third lar ...

(near

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the capital of Cameroon and, with a population of more than 2.8 million, the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region of the nation at an elevation of about 750 metres (2,50 ...

), as he is a son of the elected village chief, Camille Mouté à Bidias. His father is a high-ranking government official, managing the National Employment Fund of

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

, a training and job-placement national agency. Mbah a Moute is the twin brother of Emmanuel Bidias a Moute, who played basketball for

Texas State University Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...

. His younger brother, Roger Moute a Bidias, is a basketball player for the California Golden Bears. Luc Mbah a Moute married Aurelie Van Assche on February 15, 2020, in Yaounde their hometown. Mbah a Moute helped discover Cameroonian center

Joel Embiid Joel Hans Embiid ( ; born 16 March 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), who also holds French and American citizenship. After one year of college basket ...

, the third overall pick in the

2014 NBA draft The 2014 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2014, at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

and eventual teammate on the Philadelphia 76ers. He also helped discover another Cameroonian player, power forward

Pascal Siakam Pascal Siakam (born 2 April 1994) is a Cameroonian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Siakam played college basketball for the New Mexico State Aggies and was named the Western At ...

, the 27th pick in the 2016 NBA draft. and NBA G-League 2017-18 Defensive Player of the Year Landry Nnoko.

References

External links

UCLA bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mbah A Moute, Luc 1986 births Living people Cameroonian men's basketball players Cameroonian expatriate basketball people in the United States Houston Rockets players Los Angeles Clippers players Milwaukee Bucks draft picks Milwaukee Bucks players Minnesota Timberwolves players Montverde Academy alumni National Basketball Association players from Cameroon Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards (basketball) Sacramento Kings players Small forwards Cameroonian twins Twin sportspeople UCLA Bruins men's basketball players