Sekou Oumar Doumbouya (born 23 December 2000) is a French 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 for the

Delaware Blue Coats The Delaware Blue Coats are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Wilmington, Delaware, and are affiliated with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats play their home games at Chase Fieldhouse. The team was found ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. He plays both the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger ...

and

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

positions. Born in Conakry, Guinea, Doumbouya grew up in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, France and began his career with local club CJF Les Aubrais when he was 13. In the following year, he attended

INSEP INSEP, the National Institute of Sport, Expertise, and Performance (Institut national du sport, de l'expertise et de la performance), is a French training institute and center for excellence in sports that trains elite athletes. It is located on th ...

and played for amateur team Centre Fédéral. His professional career started in 2016, when he joined Poitiers Basket 86 in the second-tier league of France, remaining with the team for two seasons. In 2018, Doumbouya moved to the first division by signing with

Limoges CSP Limoges Cercle Saint-Pierre, commonly referred to as Limoges CSP or CSP, is a French professional basketball club based in the city of Limoges. History The club was founded in 1929, but its peak was during the 1980s and 1990s, when they became t ...

. After one season, he was selected by the Pistons with the fifteenth pick in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

. In his rookie season, he was the youngest active player in the NBA. Doumbouya is a member of the youth sections of the France national team. He helped France win the gold medal at the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, finishing as his team's leading scorer.

Early life and career

Doumbouya was born in Conakry, Guinea. As a one-year-old, he moved to France with his mother M'Mah Marie, three siblings, and one cousin, settling in a small apartment in

Fleury-les-Aubrais Fleury-les-Aubrais () is a commune in the Loiret department, Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is a northern suburb of Orléans. As a part of German-occupied France, its railway station was destroyed in 1944 by the Combined Bomber Offensive. Popu ...

. His father, who was unable to receive a

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

, remained in Guinea as a member of its

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

. In the absence of his father, Sekou became a leader for the rest of his family, often advising his siblings. Doumbouya grew up playing football as a striker but was eventually hindered by his extraordinary height. At age 12, he began playing pick-up basketball after a friend introduced him to the sport. At that age, he was discovered by local basketball coach Benoist Burguet, who helped start his basketball career and later became his trainer. By age 13, when Doumbouya stood , he was playing youth basketball with his local club CJF Les Aubrais, the basketball sports section of Collège Condorcet. In May 2016, Doumbouya represented French sports institute

at the under-18 2015–16 Adidas Next Generation Tournament, averaging 14 points, 3.7 rebounds, and three assists while being one of the youngest players at the event at age 16. After the season, he was dismissed from INSEP for disciplinary reasons.

Professional career

Centre Fédéral (2015–2016)

At age 14, Doumbouya moved to the renowned French sports institute

and joined its affiliated club Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball, a member of the

Nationale Masculine 1 The Nationale Masculine 1, abbreviated as NM1, (English: National Male 1), is the professional level third-tier division of men's club basketball in France. The two top teams from each season of the competition are promoted to the LNB Pro B, whic ...

(NM1), the amateur third-tier division of French basketball. He made his 2015–16 season debut on 26 September 2015, recording 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals against Aurore de Vitré. In turn, Doumbouya became the first player born in the 2000s to play in the top three French leagues. On 8 March 2016, he scored a season-high 23 points in a loss to Vendée Challans. Doumbouya finished the season averaging 10.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.

Poitiers Basket 86 (2016–2018)

On 26 August 2016, at age 15, Doumbouya signed his first professional contract with Poitiers Basket 86 of the

LNB Pro B The LNB Pro B, commonly known as Pro B, is the 2nd-tier level men's professional basketball league in France. It is the second division of the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB), which has organized the league since the year 1987. The regular season ...

, the second-tier French league. At the time, he revealed his hopes to play in 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) within the following three years. In the season, Doumbouya saw regular playing time despite his lack of experience, being coached by Ruddy Nelhomme and playing alongside veterans like Jeff Greer. While with Poitiers, he attended

private school Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

to work towards his diploma, and tried to model the focus he saw in former NBA player Michael Jordan with the help of a sports psychologist. On 17 September 2016, Doumbouya made his professional debut, playing 13 minutes in an

LNB Pro B Leaders Cup The LNB Pro B Leaders Cup is a professional national basketball cup competition that is played in a given LNB Pro B (French 2nd Division) season. The trophy is the second tier level of its type in France, being one tier blow the LNB Pro A Leaders ...

victory over Boulazac. In his first Pro B season game on 14 October 2016, he scored two points in six minutes off the bench against

Étoile Charleville-Mézières Étoile Charleville-Mézières (in English: ''Charleville-Mézières Star'') is a French professional basketball club, that is based in Charleville-Mézières. The team currently plays in the Nationale masculine 2 (4th division of the French baske ...

. He scored double figures for the first time on 20 January 2017, in an 81–63 loss to Fos Provence, posting a team-high 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. In his next game, a defeat to Lille Métropole, Doumbouya scored a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds, shooting 3-of-3 from the three-point line. He finished the season averaging 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 16.9 minutes per game. Doumbouya, on 29 June 2017, signed a three-year contract extension with Poitiers. On 29 September, he notched a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

of 15 points and 12 rebounds in a 76–71 win over Hermine Nantes at the LNB Pro B Leaders Cup. Doumbouya debuted in the 2017–18 Pro B season against Denain Voltaire on 13 October 2017, recording seven points and four rebounds in 16 minutes. On 22 December, he scored a season-best 19 points and eight rebounds in a loss to

Saint-Chamond St Chamond may refer to: * Saint Chamond otherwise Annemund, bishop of Lyon * Saint-Chamond, Loire, a French town named after him * Saint-Chamond (manufacturer), informal name for the ''Compagnie des forges et aciéries de la marine et d'Homécour ...

. Doumbouya eclipsed that mark on 2 February 2018, in a career-high 26-point effort against UJAP Quimper 29. In 28 games, he averaged 8.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and one assist in 23.2 minutes per game, en route to earning Pro B Best Young Player honors.

Limoges CSP (2018–2019)

In May 2018, Doumbouya revealed plans to join a team in the LNB Pro A, the top basketball league in France. On 25 June 2018, he signed with

of the Pro A. Head coach Kyle Milling praised the newcomer: "Despite his age, next season, I rely on him being an impact player. He has tremendous physical qualities: running, counterattack and speed." Doumbouya debuted for Limoges on 22 September 2018, recording two points and four rebounds in 11 minutes against Antibes. On 17 October, he scored 11 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field, in a 102–93 loss to Alba Berlin in the EuroCup. In late December, Doumbouya scored 12 points in three straight games in the EuroCup and Pro A, shooting a combined 14-of-17 from the field. On 26 December, he suffered a right thumb injury that required surgery. Doumbouya returned to action on 9 February, scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds versus Strasbourg. On 9 March, he recorded a season-high 14 points, five rebounds, and two blocks in an 85–73 loss to

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. Doumbouya erupted for a career-high 34 points, with five three-pointers and nine rebounds, on 18 May, in a 106–78 regular season finale win over

Levallois Metropolitans Metropolitans 92 is a French professional basketball club that is based in Levallois-Perret, in the Paris metropolitan area. The club currently plays in the LNB Pro A, the highest-tier level in French basketball. The club was established in 2007 ...

. In 29 Pro A games, including two playoff contests, he averaged 7.7 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. In eight EuroCup appearances, Doumbouya averaged 6.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game.

Detroit Pistons (2019–2021)

On 20 June 2019, Doumbouya was selected by 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 ...

with the fifteenth pick in the

. He became the first player born in Guinea to be drafted into the NBA. On 4 July, he signed his rookie contract with the Pistons. Doumbouya missed his team's first four games at the 2019 Las Vegas NBA Summer League with hamstring pain and scored nine points in his only appearance, during a 105–85 loss to 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 ...

. In his rookie season, he was the youngest active player in the NBA. He suffered a concussion during practice on 9 October and was sidelined for multiple games after being placed into the concussion protocol program. On 4 November, before playing an NBA game, Doumbouya was assigned to the Pistons'

affiliate, the

Grand Rapids Drive The Grand Rapids Gold are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and are affiliated with the Denver Nuggets. The Gold play their home games at Van Andel Arena. They began play as the Anaheim ...

. He made his G League debut four days later, scoring 12 points in a 109–94 win over

Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, Ontario, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fi ...

. On 23 November 2019, Doumbouya was recalled by the Pistons and made his NBA debut in a 104–90 loss to 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 ...

. In early January 2020, he registered double-doubles in each of his first two starts against 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 ...

and the Golden State Warriors. On 15 January, Doumbouya scored a season-high 24 points with two rebounds, an assist and a steal in a 116–103 victory over the Boston Celtics. His production declined after the performance, and he scored at least 10 points in one more NBA game for the rest of the season. On 6 March, Doumbouya was assigned to the G League, recording 30 points and eight rebounds and making a game-winning jump shot in a 102–101 win over the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

. In the

2019–20 NBA season The 2019–20 NBA season was the 74th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season began on October 22, 2019, and originally was supposed to end on April 15, 2020. However, the season was suspended on March 11 as a resul ...

, he averaged 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game, starting in 19 of his 38 appearances.

Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2022)

On 4 September 2021, Doumbouya and

Jahlil Okafor Jahlil Obika Okafor (pronounced ; born December 15, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 ...

were traded to the

in exchange for

DeAndre Jordan Hyland DeAndre Jordan Jr. (born July 21, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one season of college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies. Jordan was se ...

and multiple second-round draft picks. On 6 October, Doumbouya was again traded, alongside a 2024 second-round pick, to the Houston Rockets in exchange for cash considerations. He was waived the following day. On 12 October, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Doumbouya to a two-way contract with the

South Bay Lakers The South Bay Lakers are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2006 as the Los Angeles D-Fenders, the team is owned by the Los Angeles Lakers, who were the first National Basketball Associa ...

of the

. On 16 November, Doumbouya was waived by the Lakers, after appearing in two games, to make room for

Chaundee Brown Chaundee Dwaine Brown Jr. (born December 4, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the EWE Baskets Oldenburg of the German Basketball Bundesliga and the Basketball Champions League. He played college basketball for the Wake Fores ...

. On 12 January 2022, the Lakers re-signed Doumbouya to a two-way contract. However, before appearing in a game during his second stint with the team, he was waived on 1 March.

Delaware Blue Coats (2022–present)

On November 4, 2022, Doumbouya was named to the opening night roster for the

National team career

In November 2016, Doumbouya obtained French citizenship. The process was delayed by months due to "bureaucracy," according to the France national under-18 team, and as a result he was barred from two

FIBA The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizations which governs the sport of basketball worldwide. Originally known as the (hence FIBA), in 1989 it dropped the word ''amateur'' from its nam ...

competitions. Doumbouya made his national team debut at the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship in

Samsun Samsun, historically known as Sampsounta ( gr, Σαμψούντα) and Amisos (Ancient Greek: Αμισός), is a city on the north coast of Turkey and is a major Black Sea port. In 2021, Samsun recorded a population of 710,000 people. The cit ...

, Turkey, which he entered as its youngest player. In his first game at the tournament, a 53–48 win over

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, he scored seven points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. In his next contest, Doumbouya led all scorers with 22 points and six rebounds against

Slovenia Slovenia ( ; sl, Slovenija ), officially the Republic of Slovenia (Slovene: , abbr.: ''RS''), is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the southeast, an ...

. In his third game, he erupted for 31 points, shooting 10-of-11 from the field, to lead France past

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

, 71–68. Doumbouya averaged a team-best 17.8 points, seven rebounds, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks at the tournament, helping his team win the gold medal. He was named to the All-Star Five, joined by teammate and tournament most valuable player

Frank Ntilikina Frank Bryan Ntilikina (; born 28 July 1998) is a French professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the New York Knicks as the eighth overall pick during the 2017 NBA dr ...

Player profile

Listed at and , Doumbouya is primarily a

but is capable of playing the

position due to his size and length, standing 2.05 m (6 ft 8 in) with a

wingspan The wingspan (or just span) of a bird or an airplane is the distance from one wingtip to the other wingtip. For example, the Boeing 777–200 has a wingspan of , and a wandering albatross (''Diomedea exulans'') caught in 1965 had a wingspan o ...

of . He displays fluid athleticism that helps him thrive in transition and finish at the rim. His physical tools give him great potential in the modern NBA, especially on the defensive end, where he is able to defend four positions. Doumbouya also has potential as a shooter, with evaluators often praising his mechanics, and as a playmaker. His playing style has drawn comparisons to NBA players Pascal Siakam and

Draymond Green Draymond Jamal Green Sr. (born March 4, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Green, who plays primarily at the power forward position, is a four-time N ...

. Vincent Loriot, sports director for French club Le Mans, likened Doumbouya to NBA player

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

, calling him "a monster with a child's face".

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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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 ...

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, 56 , , 11 , , 15.5 , , .379 , , .226 , , .703 , , 2.6 , , .8 , , .4 , , .2 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

L.A. 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 ...

, 2 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .625 , , .500 , , .750 , , 3.0 , , .0 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 7.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 96 , , 30 , , 17.1 , , .388 , , .256 , , .693 , , 2.8 , , .7 , , .5 , , .2 , , 5.6

EuroCup

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References

External links

Sekou Doumbouya
at archive.fiba.com
Sekou Doumbouya
at eurobasket.com
Sekou Doumbouya
at eurocupbasketball.com

at lnb.fr {{DEFAULTSORT:Doumbouya, Sekou 2000 births Living people Black French sportspeople Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball players Detroit Pistons draft picks Detroit Pistons players French expatriate basketball people in the United States French men's basketball players Grand Rapids Drive players Guinean emigrants to France Guinean expatriate basketball people in the United States Guinean men's basketball players Limoges CSP players Los Angeles Lakers players National Basketball Association players from France Poitiers Basket 86 players Power forwards (basketball) Small forwards South Bay Lakers players Sportspeople from Conakry