Ibou Badji
Ibou Dianko Badji (born 13 October 2002) is a Senegalese professional basketball player who last played for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract.
Free agent | |
---|---|
Position | Center |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | Dakar, Senegal | 13 October 2002
Nationality | Senegalese |
Listed height | 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) |
Listed weight | 109 kg (240 lb) |
Career information | |
High school | NBA Academy Africa (Saly, Senegal) |
NBA draft | 2022: undrafted |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019–2021 | FC Barcelona B |
2021–2022 | Força Lleida CE |
2022 | Wisconsin Herd |
2022–2023 | Portland Trail Blazers |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
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
Barcelona (2019–2021)
To prepare for the 2019–20 season, Badji trained with the first team of Barcelona.[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]
Força Lleida (2021–2022)
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 3 November 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 18 November 2022, the Portland Trail Blazers announced that they had signed Badji to a two-way contract.[10] On 7 March 2023, he underwent surgery on his left knee and was ruled out for at least eight weeks.[11]
On 6 July 2023, Badji signed another two-way contract with the Trail Blazers.[12]
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.[13]
References
- "El Barça ficha al 'rey del mate' senegalés de 16 años y 2,18". Sport (in Spanish). 27 December 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- Givony, Jonathan (28 December 2017). "Inside the NBA Academy and what it means for future prospects". ESPN. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- "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.
- Domínguez, Juan (27 December 2019). "Primera jornada del ANGT de Valencia: Roko Prkacin, Alonso Faure…". Fullbasket (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- "Fc Barcelone : Le jeune Ibou Badji avec l'équipe première". Le Quotidien (in French). 29 August 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- "Espagne – LEB Plata : Brancou Badio et Ibou Badji décisifs avec le Barça". Basketsenegal (in French). 28 October 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- "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.
- "Ibou Badji joins Lleida". Eurobasket. 5 October 2021. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- "Wisconsin Herd Announces 2022-23 Opening Day Roster". oursportscentral.com. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- "Portland Trail Blazers Sign Ibou Badji to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- "IBOU BADJI INJURY UPDATE". NBA. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
- "Trail Blazers Re-Sign Ibou Badji And John Butler Jr. To Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- "Five players who blossomed at U19 World Cup". FIBA. 12 July 2019. Retrieved 29 March 2020.