Ibou Badji

Ibou Dianko Badji (born 13 October 2002) is a Senegalese professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract.

Ibou Badji
No. 41 – Portland Trail Blazers
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2002-10-13) 13 October 2002
Dakar, Senegal
NationalitySenegalese
Listed height2.16 m (7 ft 1 in)
Listed weight109 kg (240 lb)
Career information
High schoolNBA Academy Africa
(Saly, Senegal)
NBA draft2022 / Undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2021FC Barcelona B
2021–2022Força Lleida CE
2022Wisconsin Herd
2022–presentPortland Trail Blazers

Early life and career

In 2017–18, Badji trained with NBA Academy Africa in Saly, Senegal, where he emerged as one of the best prospects in his age group.[1] By the time he turned 15 years old, he stood about 2.16 m (7 ft 1 in) with a 2.29 m (7 ft 6 in) wingspan.[2] On 27 December 2018, Badji signed with Spanish basketball club FC Barcelona and began playing for its youth sections.[3] In December 2019, he played for U18 FC Barcelona at ANGT Valencia, where he averaged eight points, 8.8 rebounds and five blocks per game.[4]

Professional career

To prepare for the 2019–20 season, Badji trained with the first team.[5] He spent much of the season playing for FC Barcelona B, the club's reserve team, in the third-tier LEB Plata. On 26 October 2019, Badji had a season-high 12 points, nine rebounds and five blocks in an 86–77 win over Prat.[6] On 18 January 2020, he recorded eight points and a season-high eight blocks in an 88–80 victory over Prat.[7] On 4 October 2021, Badji signed with Força Lleida CE of the LEB Oro.[8]

Wisconsin Herd (2022)

After going undrafted in the 2022 NBA draft, on November 3, 2022, Badji was named to the opening night roster for the Wisconsin Herd after signing an Exhibition 10 contract.[9]

Portland Trail Blazers (2022–present)

On November 18, 2022, the Portland Trail Blazers announced that they had signed Badji to two-way contract.[10]

National team career

Badji represented Senegal at the 2019 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Heraklion, Greece. He averaged 6.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game, which ranked second in the tournament, as his team finished in 15th place.[11]

References
  1. "El Barça ficha al 'rey del mate' senegalés de 16 años y 2,18". Sport (in Spanish). 27 December 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  2. Givony, Jonathan (28 December 2017). "Inside the NBA Academy and what it means for future prospects". ESPN. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  3. "El Barcelona ata al 'anti-Tavares' del futuro forjado por la NBA: 16 años y 2,16 metros". Marca (in Spanish). 28 December 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  4. Domínguez, Juan (27 December 2019). "Primera jornada del ANGT de Valencia: Roko Prkacin, Alonso Faure…". Fullbasket (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  5. "Fc Barcelone : Le jeune Ibou Badji avec l'équipe première". Le Quotidien (in French). 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  6. "Espagne – LEB Plata : Brancou Badio et Ibou Badji décisifs avec le Barça". Basketsenegal (in French). 28 October 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  7. "8 tapones con el filial del Barça para Ibou Badji: te lo presentamos". Gigantes del Basket (in Spanish). 18 January 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
  8. "Ibou Badji joins Lleida". Eurobasket. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  9. "Wisconsin Herd Announces 2022-23 Opening Day Roster". oursportscentral.com. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  10. "Portland Trail Blazers Sign Ibou Badji to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  11. "Five players who blossomed at U19 World Cup". FIBA. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
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