Mamadi Diakite

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Mamadi Diakite
Diakite with Virginia in 2019
No. 25 – New York Knicks
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-01-21) January 21, 1997 (age 27)
Conakry, Guinea
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High schoolBlue Ridge School
(Saint George, Virginia)
CollegeVirginia (2016–2020)
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Milwaukee Bucks
2021→Lakeland Magic
2022Oklahoma City Thunder
2022–2023Cleveland Cavaliers
2022–2023→Cleveland Charge
2023–2024Westchester Knicks
2024San Antonio Spurs
2024→Austin Spurs
2024–presentNew York Knicks
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Mamadi Diakite (born January 21, 1997) is a Guinean professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Virginia Cavaliers, with whom he won an NCAA national championship in 2019. He also won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021.

Early life

Diakite was born in Conakry, Guinea to Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite and Aminata Kaba and was raised as a Muslim.[1][2] His father was the health inspector general of Guinea and his mother was an obstetrician.[3] Diakite grew up playing soccer in streets and parks but later started playing basketball because of his height and athleticism.[4][5] Due to the lack of basketball opportunities in Guinea, he tried to draw attention from the United States through Facebook. As a result, Diakite was contacted by Hassan Fofana, a Guinea native and former college basketball player, and with his help joined Blue Ridge School, a boarding school in Saint George, Virginia.[5]

High school career

Diakite enrolled at Blue Ridge School in early 2014.[6] When he first came to the United States, he could only speak French, and Guinean former basketball player Mamadi Diane was among those who helped him acclimate.[4] Diakite played two basketball seasons at Blue Ridge School and also earned varsity letters in track and field and soccer, because the school required students to play a sport each season.[1][7] As a senior in basketball, he averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks per game while leading his team to the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Division II state title and a Virginia Independent Conference (VIC) championship. Diakite was named second-team All-VIC in soccer in 2014–15, and he won back-to-back VIC high jump titles.[1] In basketball, he was a consensus four-star recruit and the top prospect in the state of Virginia. On August 4, 2015, Diakite committed to play for Virginia, turning down offers from several other NCAA Division I programs, including Baylor, USC and Washington.[8][9]

College career

After committing to Virginia, Diakite reclassified to the class of 2015 and redshirted his first college basketball season with Virginia, hoping to physically prepare for college basketball and adjust to the college lifestyle during 2015–16.[10][11] He debuted as a redshirt freshman on November 15, 2016, recording eight points and four rebounds in a 72–32 win over St. Francis Brooklyn.[12] On December 6, Diakite scored a season-high 12 points in a 76–53 victory over East Carolina.[13] Through 32 games in the season, he averaged 3.8 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.[14] As a redshirt sophomore on November 23, 2017, Diakite matched his career high in scoring, with 12 points and five rebounds in a 68–42 win over Vanderbilt at the NIT Season Tip-Off.[15][16] On February 3, 2018, he chipped in 12 points for a second time, in a 59–44 victory over Syracuse.[17] Through 34 games, Diakite averaged 5.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 0.5 blocks per game.[14]

In the third game of his 2018–19 redshirt junior season, he recorded a career-high 18 points on November 16, in a 97–40 win over Coppin State.[18] Diakite matched his career high on January 9, 2019, posting 18 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks in an 83–56 victory over Boston College.[19] On March 30, in the Elite Eight round of the 2019 NCAA tournament, he recorded 14 points, seven rebounds and four blocks in an 80–75 overtime win over third-seeded Purdue.[20] Diakite made a buzzer-beating shot to send the game to overtime.[21] In the Final Four, they played Auburn. Diakite grabbed 6 rebounds and played a total of 36 minutes, but had only 2 points on 25% shooting. Virginia won the game 63–62 after teammate Kyle Guy made 3 free throws.[22] In the 2019 national championship, they played Texas Tech. Diakite had 9 points on 50% shooting, and grabbed 7 rebounds in 25 minutes of playing time.[23] Virginia won the game in overtime 85–77, giving Virginia its first-ever national championship.[23]

He dyed his hair blonde in late February 2019 then kept that essential look for the remainder of his college career.[24]

He declared for the 2019 NBA draft after winning the national championship but withdrew his name from the draft before the withdrawal deadline date to return to Virginia for his last season of eligibility.[25]

Diakite set a new career high of 19 points to go with 13 rebounds in a 65–34 win against James Madison on November 10, 2019.[26] He matched his career high of 19 points on November 19, helping the Cavaliers defeat Vermont 61–55.[27] Diakite set a new career high of 21 points in a 70–59 loss to South Carolina on December 22.[28] At the conclusion of the regular season, Diakite was selected to the Second Team All-ACC.[29]

Professional career

Milwaukee Bucks (2020–2021)

After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Diakite signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks on November 24, 2020.[30][31] When the Wisconsin Herd made the decision to not play the 2020–21 season, Diakite was sent to the Lakeland Magic to fulfill the G League part of his contract,[32] making his debut for Lakeland on February 11, 2021.[33] He appeared in 12 games with Lakeland while averaging 18.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 2.1 assists in 27.7 minutes and was named to the All-NBA G League First Team, the NBA G League All-Defensive Team and the NBA G League All-Rookie Team en route to the G League title with Lakeland.[34]

On April 21, 2021, Diakite signed a multi-year standard NBA contract after making 11 appearances with the Bucks. He won the NBA championship in his rookie season with the Bucks.[34] On September 24, he was waived by Milwaukee.[35]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2022)

On September 26, 2021, Diakite was claimed off waivers by the Oklahoma City Thunder.[36] However, he was waived on October 16.[37]

On January 11, 2022, Diakite signed a 10-day agreement with the Thunder.[38] Diakite signed a second 10-day contract on January 21.[39] He signed a third 10-day contract with the Thunder on January 31.[40] On February 9, he was released by the team, in order to open up a roster spot for KZ Okpala, acquired in a trade with the Miami Heat.[41]

Cleveland Cavaliers (2022–2023)

On September 26, 2022, Diakite signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[42] He was waived on October 15,[43] but was re-signed to a two-way contract by the team two days later.[44] He would end up playing in 22 games, starting in two. In the first game where he started against NBA MVP Joel Embiid, he held the superstar to just 19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 37.5% from the field. He also drained 2 three-pointers during the matchup. In his second start of the season, Diakite was matched up against the New York Knicks where he recorded 2 rebounds and a block. While most of the time he was traveling with the G League affiliate, he never missed out on too much.

Westchester Knicks (2023)

On October 19, 2023, Diakite signed with the New York Knicks,[45] but was waived two days later.[46] On November 9, 2023, Diakite was named to the opening-night roster for the Westchester Knicks.[47]

San Antonio / Austin Spurs (2024)

On January 1, 2024, Diakite signed a two-way contract with the San Antonio Spurs[48] and on March 2, he was waived by the Spurs.[49]

Return to Westchester / New York Knicks (2024–present)

On March 6, 2024, Diakite returned to the Westchester Knicks[50] and on March 14, he signed a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks.[51] On March 25, he signed with New York for the rest of the season.[52]

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
 †  Won an NBA championship

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21† Milwaukee 14 1 10.1 .400 .125 .786 2.4 .6 .5 .4 3.1
2021–22 Oklahoma City 13 3 14.5 .532 .000 .545 4.5 .2 .4 .7 4.3
2022–23 Cleveland 22 2 8.0 .480 .333 1.000 1.4 .4 .2 .4 2.6
2023–24 San Antonio 3 0 5.3 .800 — .667 1.0 .7 .0 .3 4.0
Career 52 6 10.0 .486 .235 .697 2.4 .4 .3 .5 3.3

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021† Milwaukee 7 0 5.0 .200 .500 1.000 1.0 .0 .4 .1 1.0
Career 7 0 5.0 .200 .500 1.000 1.0 .0 .4 .1 1.0

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2015–16 Virginia Redshirt Redshirt
2016–17 Virginia 32 0 14.0 .543 .273 .545 2.6 .2 .3 1.2 3.8
2017–18 Virginia 34 0 15.6 .577 – .780 3.0 .1 .4 .5 5.4
2018–19 Virginia 38 22 21.8 .550 .294 .700 4.4 .3 .4 1.7 7.4
2019–20 Virginia 30 30 32.8 .478 .364 .754 6.8 .6 .8 1.3 13.7
Career 134 52 20.9 .524 .337 .720 4.1 .3 .5 1.2 7.4

Personal life

Diakite is a fluent speaker of French, Maninka, Susu and Fula. He began learning English when he arrived in the United States to attend Blue Ridge School.[53][54] In 2014, his father Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, health inspector general of Guinea, began leading his country's efforts against the West African Ebola virus epidemic in association with the World Health Organization.[3][55] At the University of Virginia, Diakite was a French major and Global Culture and Commerce minor.[56] In February 2019, he dyed his hair gold as "a nod to when he played soccer as a youth" in Guinea.[57]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mamadi Diakite". University of Virginia Athletics. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  2. ^ Needelman, Josh (March 12, 2019). "Grabbing the fruit: Virginia forward Mamadi Diakite works to put the ball back in Guinea's hands". The Daily Progress. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  3. ^ a b Doughty, Doug (September 11, 2014). "Cavs in waiting game for Blue Ridge School big man Diakite". The Roanoke Times. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Newman, Caroline (March 6, 2018). "A Tale of Two Mamadis". University of Virginia. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  5. ^ a b Zamoff, Zach (January 23, 2019). "'Keep digging': Mamadi Diakite's journey to basketball success". The Cavalier Daily. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  6. ^ Dillman, Damon (August 5, 2015). "Diakite Expected to Enroll at UVa This Fall". WCAV. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Reid, Whitey (October 14, 2014). "Blue Ridge's Diakite draws interest from big-name schools, including UVa". The Daily Progress. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  8. ^ "Mamadi Diakite, Blue Ridge School, Power Forward". 247Sports. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  9. ^ "Mamadi Diakite - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles". ESPN. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  10. ^ Wood, Norm (August 4, 2015). "Highly recruited forward Mamadi Diakite commits to Virginia, may reclassify to 2015". Daily Press. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  11. ^ Kelly, Ryan M. (September 3, 2015). "Diakite officially joins Virginia basketball program". The Daily Progress. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  12. ^ "No. 8 UVA Routs St. Francis, 72-32". University of Virginia Athletics. November 15, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  13. ^ "Post Game Notes". University of Virginia Athletics. December 6, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  14. ^ a b "Mamadi Diakite NCAA Men's Basketball Stats". ESPN. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  15. ^ "Virginia Game Notes vs. Vanderbilt". University of Virginia Athletics. November 23, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  16. ^ "UVA Handles Vanderbilt in NIT Tip-Off, 68-42". University of Virginia Athletics. November 23, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  17. ^ "Hunter, Guy lead No. 2 Virginia over Syracuse, 59-44". University of Virginia Athletics. February 3, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  18. ^ "Hot-Shooting Hoos Top Coppin State". University of Virginia Athletics. November 16, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  19. ^ "No. 4 Virginia Nabs 83-56 ACC Road Win at Boston College". University of Virginia Athletics. January 9, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  20. ^ Joseph, Andrew (March 31, 2019). "Carsen Edwards and Mamadi Diakite shared incredible moment of sportsmanship before OT". For The Win. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  21. ^ "Virginia Advances to Final Four". University of Virginia Athletics. March 31, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  22. ^ "Guy hits 3 FTs with 0.6 left, Virginia shocks Auburn 63-62". ESPN.com. April 7, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Virginia 85-77 Texas Tech (Apr 8, 2019) Box Score - ESPN". ESPN.com. April 9, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  24. ^ "Mamadi Diakite Nationality, Ethnicity, & Background". heavy.com. March 31, 2019.
  25. ^ Horne, Chris (May 29, 2019). "Mamadi Diakite Withdraws From 2019 NBA Draft, Will Return To UVA". virginia.sportswar.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  26. ^ "Diakite has 19 points and 13 rebounds for No. 11 Virginia". ESPN. Associated Press. November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  27. ^ "Diakite, No. 7 Virginia hold off Vermont, 61-55". ESPN. Associated Press. November 19, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  28. ^ "Bolden leads South Carolina past No. 9 Virginia, 70-59". ESPN. Associated Press. December 22, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  29. ^ "2020 ACC Men's Basketball Award Winners Announced". theacc.com. Atlantic Coast Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  30. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Jaylen Adams And Mamadi Diakite To Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  31. ^ Oakes, Jamie (November 21, 2020). "Mamadi Diakite signed by the Milwaukee Bucks". 247 Sports. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  32. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Forward Mamadi Diakite Transferred to Lakeland Magic". OurSportsCentral.com. February 5, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  33. ^ "02/11/21: Austin Spurs @ Lakeland Magic". NBA.com. February 11, 2021. Archived from the original on April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  34. ^ a b "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Mamadi Diakite To Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  35. ^ Skerletic, Dario (September 25, 2021). "Bucks waive Mamadi Diakite". Sportando.basketball. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
  36. ^ "Thunder Claims Mamadi Diakite". NBA.com. September 26, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  37. ^ "Thunder Waives Diakite, Jaworski and Sarr". NBA.com. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 17, 2021.
  38. ^ "OKC Thunder news: Thunder signs Mamadi Diakite to 10-day hardship deal". OKC Thunder Wire. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  39. ^ "Thunder Signs Mamadi Diakite to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  40. ^ "Thunder Signs Mamadi Diakite to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. January 31, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  41. ^ "Thunder Acquires KZ Okpala and Amends Conditions of First Round Pick". NBA.com. February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  42. ^ "Cavaliers Add Four to Training Camp Roster". NBA. September 26, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  43. ^ "Cavaliers Waive Five Players". NBA.com. October 15, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  44. ^ "Cavaliers Sign Mamadi Diakite to a Two-Way Contract". NBA. October 17, 2022. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  45. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (October 19, 2023). "Knicks sign Mamadi Diakite and Brandon Goodwin" (Tweet). Retrieved October 20, 2023 – via Twitter.
  46. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (October 21, 2023). "Knicks waive Mamadi Diakite, Brandon Goodwin, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr" (Tweet). Retrieved October 22, 2023 – via Twitter.
  47. ^ "Westchester Knicks Announce 2023-24 Official Roster". NBA.com. November 9, 2023. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  48. ^ Shirley, P. (January 1, 2024). "Spurs Sign Mamadi Diakite to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  49. ^ Orsborn, Tom [@tom_orsborn] (March 2, 2024). "#Spurs make the following moves reported earlier official: 1, They've converted Barlow's two-way deal to a standard NBA contract; 2, They've signed RaiQuan Gray and Jamaree Bouyea to two-way deals; 3, They've waived forward Mamadi Diakite" (Tweet). Retrieved March 2, 2024 – via Twitter.
  50. ^ Westchester Knicks [@wcknicks] (March 6, 2024). "Welcome back, Mamadi‼️" (Tweet). Retrieved March 7, 2024 – via Twitter.
  51. ^ "Knicks Sign Mamadi Diakite to 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. March 14, 2024. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  52. ^ "New York Knicks Sign Mamadi Diakite". NBA.com. March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  53. ^ White, Jeff (September 29, 2015). "Diakite Adjusting to New Surroundings". University of Virginia Athletics. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  54. ^ Wang, Gene (March 15, 2018). "Mamadi Diakite will get a bigger shot for Virginia in De'Andre Hunter's absence". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  55. ^ Fofana, Umaru and Bailes, Adam (July 29, 2014). "Sierra Leone's top Ebola doctor dies from virus". Reuters. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  56. ^ White, Jeff (October 11, 2018). "Diakite Growing On and Off Court". University of Virginia Athletics. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  57. ^ Wang, Gene (March 23, 2019). "Mamadi Diakite stands out in more ways than one as Virginia prepares for Oklahoma". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

External links

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