Sidy Cissoko

Sidy Cissoko's Biography

Sidy Cissoko, a skilled professional basketball player, originally hails from France. He was born on April 2, 2004, and is currently representing the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA). His career before this was marked by a stint with NBA G League Ignite, another respected establishment in the world of professional basketball.

Cissoko seems to have gotten his first taste of the sport from his father, Yaya (also known as Yakia). Yaya himself was a talented basketball player, having represented Senegal in the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow. Sidy started playing the game quite early in his life while he was growing up in France. His inspiration was arguably Kyrie Irving. In fact, Sidy was noticeably shorter than his teammates when he started out with CTC Center Essonne, reaching the under-15 level.

At 13, Sidy relocated to Spain in 2017, joining the junior division of Baskonia, a Spanish professional basketball team. He excelled and, during the 2020-2021 season, played with the Baskonia reserves in the Liga EBA, a fourth-tier league. His performance during this time was commendable, as he emerged the team leader with an average of 17.4 points per game. Along with this, he led the Baskonia junior team (under-18) to secure a fourth-place finish in the junior national championship, a win that was largely due to his impressive points and assists.

Cissoko’s success in these lower levels led him to be called up to the Baskonia first team just before the 2021-2022 ACB season. At 17 years old, he made his senior debut for Baskonia on September 26, 2021, in a game that lasted a mere 28 seconds, resulting in a 72–61 loss to Joventut Badalona. Despite the defeat, the debut allowed Baskonia to retain his European rights. Shortly after, Cissoko was loaned to Iraurgi SB, Baskonia’s satellite club in the LEB Oro, Spain’s second-tier league. His impressive average stats of 10.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists emerged from 32 games. He also trained with the Baskonia first team and gained valuable insights from other talented players such as Wade Baldwin IV.

Invited to the prestigious Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, Oregon, in 2022, Cissoko represented the World Team. Despite a 102–80 defeat to Team USA, his performance was notable with three points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in only 23 minutes. On July 19, 2022, news of Cissoko joining the NBA G League Ignite came to light, setting him apart as the first European player to sign with the Ignite. His decision was partially influenced by 2022 lottery pick, Dyson Daniels, and his successful stint with Ignite after the NBA Global Academy in Australia. Indeed, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony ranked Cissoko third in the top European prospects in his class, behind fellow Frenchmen Victor Wembanyama and Rayan Rupert.

The Rising Stars Challenge at the 2023 NBA All-Star Weekend saw Cissoko among the chosen four Ignite players. Although Team Jason experienced a 40-32 loss to Team Joakim, Cissoko succeeded in recording stats of one rebound, one assist, and one steal. Moreover, he was among the honored 24 players chosen for the G League’s inaugural Next Up Game.

His performance continued to excel during the following season with the Ignite, and on January 16, 2023, he managed to score a noteworthy 21 points, despite their 141-119 loss to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Again, in the next match against the Mad Ants, he scored 20 points. Cissoko showed a consistent performance with five straight games of 20 or more points during February and March. On February 24, he marked a season-high 24-point performance against the Memphis Hustle despite their 123-97 defeat, and tied his season high against the Sioux Falls Skyforce on March 15.

In March 2023, Cissoko announced his participation in the 2023 NBA draft and was chosen as the 44th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs. He officially became a part of the Spurs on July 27, 2023. Alongside his individual accomplishments, Cissoko has also earned success on the international level. He competed as part of the France national under-18 team in the 2021 FIBA U18 European Challengers and averaged an impressive score. The following year, he participated in the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship, where he performed well, contributing significantly to his team.