Ousmane Dieng

French basketball player

Ousmane Dieng
No. 13 – Oklahoma City Thunder
PositionSmall forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2003-05-21) 21 May 2003 (age 20)
Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2022: 1st round, 11th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Centre Fédéral
2021–2022New Zealand Breakers
2022–presentOklahoma City Thunder
2022–2024→Oklahoma City Blue
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  France
FIBA U16 European Championship
Silver medal – second place 2019 Italy Team

Ousmane Dieng (born 21 May 2003) is a French professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Early life and youth career

Dieng grew up in Lot-et-Garonne, where his father, Ababacar, played basketball.[1] At the youth level, he played for Villeneuve Basket Club and JSA Bordeaux.[2] Dieng attended INSEP in Paris.[3] He competed for its under-18 team at the Next Generation Tournament.

Professional career

Centre Fédéral (2020–2021)

In the 2020–21 season, Dieng averaged 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game for Centre Fédéral in the Nationale Masculine 1.[4]

New Zealand Breakers (2021–2022)

On 1 June 2021, Dieng announced that he would play for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League (NBL) in the 2021–22 season, alongside fellow Frenchman and eventual 2022 NBA draft selection Hugo Besson. He became the first European player to join the league's Next Stars program to develop NBA draft prospects. Dieng had also been recruited by major college basketball programs and the NBA G League Ignite.[5] Dieng left the Breakers on 17 April 2022 in order to prepare for the 2022 NBA draft.[6]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2022–present)

Dieng was selected with the eleventh overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 2022 NBA draft, and was then immediately traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for three 2023 first-round draft picks.[7] On 15 April 2024, he won the NBA G League title with the Oklahoma City Blue and was named the championship game most valuable player after getting 25 points, six boards, four assists and two blocks in the win against the Maine Celtics.[8]

National team career

Dieng represented France at the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championship in Italy. He averaged 8.9 points, 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game, helping his team win the silver medal.[9]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022–23 Oklahoma City 39 1 14.6 .420 .265 .652 2.7 1.2 .4 .2 4.9
2023–24 Oklahoma City 33 0 11.6 .422 .300 .875 1.5 1.1 .2 .2 4.5
Career 72 1 13.0 .421 .280 .744 2.2 1.2 .3 .2 4.5

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Oklahoma City 1 0 7.2 .400 .000 – 2.0 .0 .0 .0 4.0
Career 1 0 7.2 .400 .000 – 2.0 .0 .0 .0 4.0

References

  1. ^ "Ousmane Dieng va jouer pour une équipe néo-zélandaise". L'Équipe (in French). 2 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Le Villeneuvois Ousmane Dieng en route pour la NBA". La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 1 December 2020. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  3. ^ Cibola, Christophe (17 December 2020). ""La NBA est un objectif"". Le Petit Bleu d'Agen (in French). Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  4. ^ "Projected 2022 Lottery Pick Ousmane Dieng Becomes NBL Next Star with Breakers". NBL.com.au. National Basketball League. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  5. ^ Wojnarowski, Adrian (1 June 2021). "French 2022 NBA draft prospect Ousmane Dieng to play for New Zealand Breakers in NBL". ESPN. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Dieng, Besson Turn Attention to NBA Draft". NBL.com.au. 17 April 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Thunder Drafts Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng, Jalen Williams and Jaylin Williams in the 2022 NBA Draft". NBA.com. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Oklahoma City Blue Wins First-Ever G League Championship". NBA.com. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
  9. ^ Daniels, Evan (5 June 2020). "French star Ousmane Dieng gaining high major interest". 247Sports.com. Retrieved 2 June 2021.

External links

  • NBL profile
  • v
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Oklahoma City Thunder roster
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First round
Second round