Mamadi Diakite

Mamadi Diakite's Biography

Mamadi Diakite, an eminent Guinean professional basketball player, was born on January 21, 1997. Today, he plays for the Valley Suns, a team from the NBA G League. The roots of his international sports career, however, lie somewhat closer to home. Born in a bustling city of Conakry, Guinea, he grew up in a distinguished household as the son of Aboubacar Sidiki Diakite, the health inspector general of Guinea, and Aminata Kaba, an obstetrician.

Despite basketball catapulting him to fame, soccer was Diakite’s first love. Raised as a Muslim, Diakite would spend most of his childhood playing soccer in the streets and parks of his native city. The pivot to basketball appears to have been born out of a thoughtful consideration of his natural physical attributes. His towering height and athleticism made him an excellent candidate for basketball prowess.

Recognising band limitations of opportunities for basketball in Guinea, Diakite user the power of social media to broaden his horizons, drawing attention from the United States through Facebook. As fate would have it, his Facebook plea was answered by Hassan Fofana, a Guinea native and former college basketball player himself. With his aid, Diakite joined Saint George, Virginia’s Blue Ridge School, a prestigious boarding school known for its robust sports curriculum.

Arriving in the USA to attend Blue Ridge School in early 2014 revealed an immediate challenge for Diakite – the language barrier. As a native French speaker, he found communicating in English challenging initially. However, with some assistance from Mamadi Diane, a Guinean former basketball player, Diakite gradually acclimated to life in the USA.

Diakite’s athletic prowess was evident early on. He spent two seasons playing basketball at Blue Ridge School and was uniquely versatile, earning varsity letters in track, field, and soccer. This is because the school encouraged students to participate in a sport each season. With triumphant averages of 12 points, eight rebounds, and four blocks per game as a senior in basketball, Diakite led his team to win the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) Division II state title and a Virginia Independent Conference (VIC) championship. This was followed by him being named second-team All-VIC in soccer in 2014–15 and winning back-to-back VIC high jump titles. These accolades earned him a four-star recruit status and recognition as the top prospect in Virginia.

The trajectory of Diakite’s basketball journey took a significant turn on August 4, 2015, when he decided to play for Virginia, turning down offers from several other NCAA Division I programs, like Baylor, USC and Washington. He used his first season with Virginia to physically prepare for college basketball and adjust to the college lifestyle during the 2015–16 season.

In 2019, after several successful seasons of playing for Virginia, Diakite decided to declare for the 2019 NBA draft after adding an NCAA national championship to his collection. However, the initial plan to join NBA was deferred as he withdrew his name from the draft before the deadline, choosing instead to return to Virginia for his last season of eligibility.

Undeterred by the adverse draft outcomes, Diakite emerged stronger in the following season. Setting a new career high of 19 points to go with 13 rebounds in a 65–34 win against James Madison, he proved to be an irreplaceable asset for his team.

His journey in the NBA officially commenced with the signing of a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks on November 24, 2020. An exceptional season followed, seeing Diakite contribute significantly to the Bucks’ NBA championship win in 2021. His journey with the Bucks would, however, prove to be temporary as he would subsequently play for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers before finally joining the Valley Suns.

Diakite’s unique personality shines through in his signature golden hair. A tribute to his earliest sports love, soccer, he first dyed his hair in late February 2019 and chose to keep that inimitable look through his college career and beyond.

Diakite’s multilingualism extends beyond his athletic abilities. Fluent in French, Maninka, Susu, and Fula, he started learning English only after arriving in the United States. Away from the court, he engages with the global community through his major in French and minor in Global Culture and Commerce from the University of Virginia.

In summary, Mamadi Diakite’s journey to becoming a professional basketball player is a testament to his unwavering commitment to overcoming adversity, his athletic prowess, and an enduring will to succeed.