#41 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.
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]
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)Edit
On 4 October 2021, Badji signed with
Força Lleida CE of the
LEB Oro.
[8]
Wisconsin Herd (2022)Edit
After going undrafted in the
2022 NBA draft, on 3 November 2022, Badji was named to the opening night roster for the
Wisconsin Herdafter signing an Exhibition 10 contract.
[9]
Portland Trail Blazers (2022–present)Edit
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]
#15 in this video (as seen in thumbnail)