Ousmane Dieng (born 21 May 2003) is a French professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Standing at 208 cm (6 ft 10 in), he plays as forward.[1]
No. 13 – Oklahoma City Thunder | ||||||||||||||
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Position | Small forward / Shooting guard | |||||||||||||
League | NBA | |||||||||||||
Personal information | ||||||||||||||
Born | (2003-05-21) 21 May 2003 (age 19) Villeneuve-sur-Lot, France | |||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | |||||||||||||
Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) | |||||||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2022 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall | |||||||||||||
Selected by the New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2020–present | |||||||||||||
Career history | ||||||||||||||
2020–2021 | Centre Fédéral | |||||||||||||
2021–2022 | New Zealand Breakers | |||||||||||||
2022–present | Oklahoma City Thunder | |||||||||||||
2022 | →Oklahoma City Blue | |||||||||||||
Medals
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Dieng grew up in Lot-et-Garonne, where his father, Ababacar, played basketball.[2] At the youth level, he played for Villeneuve Basket Club and JSA Bordeaux.[3] Dieng attended INSEP in Paris.[4] He competed for its under-18 team at the Next Generation Tournament.
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.[5]
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.[6] Dieng left the Breakers on 17 April 2022 in order to prepare for the 2022 NBA draft.[7]
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 first round picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.[8]
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]
Oklahoma City Thunder roster | |
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