Bismack Biyombo Sumba (born August 28, 1992) is a Congolese 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

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 ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, 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 i ...

(NBA). He was selected with the seventh overall pick in the

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting spons ...

by 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 ...

and subsequently traded to the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets). Biyombo has also played for the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

and the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

Early life

Biyombo was born in

Lubumbashi Lubumbashi (former names: (French), ( Dutch)) is the second-largest city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, located in the country's southeasternmost part, along the border with Zambia. The capital and principal city of the Haut-Katan ...

Zaire Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

, to parents François and Françoise Biyombo along with his three brothers, Billy, Biska, and Bikim, and three sisters, Bimeline, Bikelene, and Bimela. He played for Lupopo in the

2008 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup The 2008 FIBA Africa Basketball Club Championship (23rd edition), was an international basketball tournament held in Sousse and Hammam, Tunisia, from December 12 to 21, 2008. The tournament, organized by FIBA Africa, and hosted by Étoile Sp ...

, Africa's premier senior league, at age 16. He was discovered by coach Mário Palma at the age of 16 at a youth tournament in Yemen. His play impressed Palma and earned him an opportunity to train in Spain. Biyombo started the 2009–10 season with Fuenlabrada-Getafe Madrid of the

EBA Ẹ̀bà (in Nigeria) or Pinon (in Togo, Benin, and southern Ghana) is a staple food mainly eaten in the West African sub-region and other African countries. The term èbà originates from the Yoruba people of southwest Nigeria. It is a coo ...

before moving to

CB Illescas Club Baloncesto Illescas, was a Spanish basketball team based in Illescas, Castile-La Mancha. History The original CB Illescas, founded in 1989, has got the record of six consecutive promotions from the lowest regional division in 2002–03 to ...

of the LEB Silver league. He also started the 2010–11 season with CB Illescas before moving to Baloncesto Fuenlabrada of the ACB league in January 2011.

Professional career

Fuenlabrada (2011)

Biyombo made his debut in the Spanish ACB League 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 ...

against

DKV Joventut Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two teams ...

on January 9, 2011, recording 5 points and 7 rebounds in just over 13 minutes of play. In Fuenlabrada's narrow defeat to

Real Madrid Real Madrid Club de Fútbol (, meaning ''Royal Madrid Football Club''), commonly referred to as Real Madrid, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid. Founded in 1902 as Madrid Football Club, the club has traditionally wor ...

, he recorded 6 points and 3 blocks, one of them against former Spanish League MVP and Spanish national team player,

Felipe Reyes Felipe Reyes Cabanás (born March 16, 1980) is a Spanish former professional basketball player. He represented the senior Spain national team. Standing at a height of 2.04 m (6 ft 8 in) tall, and weighing 104 kg (229 lbs.), he pla ...

. At the 2011 Nike Hoops Summit, Biyombo participated for the World Select Team (against the USA Select Team), and recorded a triple double, with 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks. It was the first recorded triple-double in the Summit's history.

Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (2011–2015)

Biyombo was drafted seventh overall by the

in the

, but his rights were later traded to the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

in a draft night trade. On December 19, 2011, Biyombo signed a multi-year deal with the Bobcats. After averaging five points per game over his first two seasons with Charlotte, Biyombo's minutes and subsequent production dropped dramatically in 2013–14 as he fell out of favor with coach Steve Clifford, as he averaged just 2.9 points in 13.9 minutes per game. The Bobcats changed their name to the ''Hornets'' ahead of the 2014-15 season. While his forte in defense and rebounding did drop in 2013–14, Biyombo began the 2014–15 season in much better form despite missing seven out of the first eight games of the season largely due to the acquisition of Jason Maxiell in the 2014 off-season. With the late-December injury to center Al Jefferson, Biyombo was placed into the starting line-up. On June 30, 2015, the Hornets decided not to extend a qualifying offer to Biyombo, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Toronto Raptors (2015–2016)

On July 18, 2015, Biyombo signed a two-year, $5.7 million contract with the

. On August 1, 2015, he played for Team Africa at the 2015 NBA Africa exhibition game. He made his debut for the Raptors in the team's season opener against the Indiana Pacers on October 28, recording 7 points and 5 rebounds in a 106–99 win. Biyombo started in 18 straight games between mid-November and late December while

Jonas Valančiūnas Jonas Valančiūnas ( ; ; born 6 May 1992) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the fifth overall pick in the 2011 ...

was recovering from a fractured hand. On December 17, he recorded 8 points, a then career-high 18 rebounds, and a career-high tying 7 blocks in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Five days later, he recorded 9 points and a then career-high 20 rebounds in a 103–99 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Biyombo returned to a bench role on December 30. He returned to the starting line-up in mid-March with Valančiūnas out injured again. On March 17, 2016, Biyombo scored a career-high 16 points and set a franchise record with 25 rebounds in guiding the Raptors to a 101–94 overtime win over 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 estab ...

. On March 30, he recorded seven points and six rebounds in a 105–97 win over the Atlanta Hawks, helping the Raptors record a 50-win season for the first time in franchise history. The Raptors finished the regular season as the second seed in the Eastern Conference with a 56–26 record. In the first round of the playoffs, the Raptors faced the seventh-seeded Indiana Pacers, and in a Game 5 win on April 26, Biyombo recorded 10 points and 16 rebounds off the bench to help the Raptors take a 3–2 series lead. The Raptors went on to win the series 4–3, moving on to the second round where they faced the Miami Heat. In Game 7 of the Raptors' series with the Heat, Biyombo recorded 17 points and 16 rebounds as a starter in a 116–89 win, helping the Raptors advance to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. In Game 3 of the conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Biyombo set a Toronto playoff record with 26 rebounds, helping the Raptors cut the Cavaliers' advantage in the series to 2–1. The Raptors went on to lose the series in six games. After declining his $2.9 million player option for the 2016–17 season, Biyombo became an unrestricted free agent on June 7, 2016. Biyombo later revealed that he wished to re-sign with the Raptors, but with the re-signing of

DeMar DeRozan DeMar Darnell DeRozan (born August 7, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected ninth overall by the ...

, the Raptors did not have the salary cap space to make it possible.

Orlando Magic (2016–2018)

Bismack Biyombo, Markieff Morris (33122074442)

On July 7, 2016, Biyombo signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the

. After exceeding the flagrant foul limit during the 2016 playoffs, Biyombo was forced to serve an NBA-mandated one-game suspension to begin the 2016–17 season. He made his debut for the Magic in the team's second game of the season on October 28, scoring two points in just under 23 minutes in a 108–82 loss to 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 ...

. On January 16, 2017, he scored a season-high 15 points against 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 ...

. He tied that mark on February 11, scoring 15 points against the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Southwest Division. Th ...

. On March 5, he grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds against 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 ...

. On January 1, 2018, Biyombo recorded 13 points and a season-high 17 rebounds in a 98–95 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 ...

. On January 12, he scored a career-high 21 points in a 125–119 loss to the Washington Wizards. On April 4, he had 12 points, 12 rebounds and a career-high five assists in a 105–100 win over the

Return to Charlotte (2018–2021)

On July 7, 2018, Biyombo was traded back to the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

in a three-team deal. On January 5, 2019, he scored a season-high 16 points in a 123–110 loss to the

. On November 27, 2019, Biyombo recorded a season-high 19 points along with 9 rebounds and two blocks in a 102–101 win against the

. On December 16, 2019, he logged a season-high 17 rebounds along with 11 points and a block against the

. Biyombo re-signed with the Hornets on November 30, 2020. On February 5, 2021, he scored a season-high 13 points, along with four rebounds and one assist in 19 minutes 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), ...

. On April 13, he recorded a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds against 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 ...

. On May 1, he had a season-high five blocks off the bench against the

. Biyombo again scored 13 points on May 13, where he also recorded seven rebounds and one assist 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 ...

Phoenix Suns (2022–present)

Biyombo became an unrestricted free agent after the 2020–21 season. He did not sign with any team throughout 2021 in part due of him grieving for the passing of his father, François. On January 1, 2022, he signed a 10-day contract with the

via the COVID-19 hardship exemption. On January 11, Biyombo signed for the rest of the season after showing off some very positive production during his 10-day contract. On January 17, Biyombo had 17 points and 14 rebounds. Five days later, on January 22, Biyombo recorded 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists coming off the bench. From January 26–30, Biyombo became a starter once again due to injuries to Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee. In the games Biyombo played from January up until February 12, the Suns were undefeated in the 17 games he played in. On July 5, 2022, the Suns re-signed Biyombo.

Personal life

Biyombo is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι� ...

. He speaks five languages and reads in his spare time. Biyombo started the Bismack Biyombo Foundation in 2016. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

in 2020, the foundation donated around $1 million worth of medical supplies to people in Congo. Biyombo is eligible to play for the

DR Congo men's national basketball team The DR Congo national basketball team (French: Équipe nationale de basketball de Congo DR) represents DR Congo in men's international basketball competitions, it is controlled by the Basketball Federation of Democratic Republic of Congo. (frenc ...

, but never played for the team, despite his intentions to do so in November 2018. In March 2022, Biyombo announced that he had pledged his entire 2021–22 season salary towards the construction of a hospital in Congo, in honor of his father.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

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Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

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Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

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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 ...

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Playoffs

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References

External links

Bismack Biyombo
at acb.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Biyombo, Bismack 1992 births Living people 21st-century Democratic Republic of the Congo people Baloncesto Fuenlabrada players CB Illescas players Centers (basketball) Charlotte Bobcats players Charlotte Hornets players Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate basketball people in Spain Democratic Republic of the Congo expatriate basketball people in the United States Democratic Republic of the Congo men's basketball players Liga ACB players National Basketball Association players from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Orlando Magic players People from Lubumbashi Phoenix Suns players Sacramento Kings draft picks Toronto Raptors players