Mohamed Diawara
| No. 51 – New York Knicks | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Position | Power forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
| League | NBA | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 29 April 2005 Paris, France | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2025: 2nd round, 51st overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Drafted by | Los Angeles Clippers | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2024 | Paris Basketball | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | →Poitiers Basket 86 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024–2025 | Cholet Basket | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025–present | New York Knicks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025–2026 | →Westchester Knicks | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Stats at NBA.com | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Mohamed Diawara (born 29 April 2005)[1] is a French professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for Cholet Basket of the LNB Élite. Standing at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), he plays in the power forward position.
Professional career
Paris Basketball
Diawara began his basketball career with the Parisian club La Domremy Basket 13 and later played for the youth team of Saint Charles Basket in Charenton-le-Pont.[2] In the 2020–21 season, he was trained at the French academy INSEP[1] and moved to Paris Basketball in the summer of 2021,[1][3] for which he made his first appearances in the French first division in the following 2021–22 season.[1] In the summer of 2022, he was named the best player at the Basketball Without Borders talent scouting event organized by the world governing body FIBA and the NBA in Milan.[4]
Poitiers Basket and Cholet Basket
In December 2023, Diawara was loaned to second-division club Poitiers Basket 86,[5] after receiving little playing time in Paris during the previous 2023–24 season. He was signed by first-division club Cholet Basket during the 2024 summer break.[6]
New York Knicks
On 26 June 2025, Diawara was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 51st overall pick of the second round of the 2025 NBA draft, who traded his rights to the New York Knicks.[7][8]
On 29 December 2025, against the New Orleans Pelicans, Diawara recorded a career-high 18 points in 18 minutes, making all 4 of his three-point shots. [9]
On 1 March 2026, against the San Antonio Spurs, Diawara scored 14 points in just 15 minutes off the bench, on 5-14 (35.7%) shooting, also securing 4 rebounds. The Knicks beat the Spurs 114-89, ending the Spurs' eleven-game winning streak, despite strong play from Spurs star and fellow Frenchman Victor Wembanyama. [10]
On 4 March 2026, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Diawara scored 9 points in just 13 minutes off the bench, making 3-4 of his three-point shots. Despite his hot shooting, he played only 3 minutes in the second half, and the Knicks lost to the Thunder 100-103.
National team career
Diawara played for the France under-17 basketball team at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup, in which his team won the bronze medal.[11]
References
- ^ a b c d "Mohamed Diawara". Paris Basketball. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Découvrez Mohamed Diawara". Saint Charles Basket. 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Elite : Le Paris Basketball affiche ses ambitions". basket-ballworld.fr. 25 September 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Mohamed Diawara et Leila Lacan : deux Français MVP du Basketball Without Borders Europe". BeBasket. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Diawara prêté à Poitiers jusqu'à la fin de saison". Paris Basketball (in French). 20 December 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Avec Cholet, Mohamed Diawara va vouloir montrer qu'il a les épaules pour la NBA". Bebasket.fr (in French). 13 September 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ Marriette, Giovanni (2025-06-27). "Draft 2025 : le Français Mohamed Diawara drafté en 51 par les Knicks !". TrashTalk (in French). Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ^ "Noah Penda, Maxime Raynaud et Mohamed Diawara sélectionnés au 2e tour de la draft NBA". L'Équipe. 27 June 2025.
- ^ Pursiainen, Kris (2025-12-29). "The Knicks' best rookie just sent a message Mike Brown can't afford to ignore". DailyKnicks.com. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
- ^ Schwartz, Jared (2026-03-02). "Mohamed Diawara reclaims his spot in pecking order during Knicks' win: 'Doesn't bat an eye'". NYPost.com. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
- ^ "Les Bleuets décrochent le bronze à la Coupe du monde U17 contre la Lituanie". L'Équipe (in French). 10 July 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
External links
- Career statistics from NBA.com · Basketball Reference
- Mohamed Diawara at FIBA