Noa Kouakou-Heugue
| No. 13 – Perth Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / centre |
| League | NBL |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 28 April 2007 Lille, France |
| Listed height | 209 cm (6 ft 10 in) |
| Listed weight | 95 kg (209 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | INSEP (Paris, France) |
| Playing career | 2023–present |
| Career history | |
| 2023–2025 | Pôle France |
| 2025–present | Perth Wildcats |
Noa Kouakou-Heugue (born 28 April 2007) is a French professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL).
Early life and career
Kouakou-Heugue was born in Lille, France.[1] He began playing basketball in the south of France at age 11.[1] His junior club was ASVEL Villeurbanne.[2]
In 2022, he joined INSEP in Paris.[2] He debuted in the Nationale Masculine 1 in the 2023–24 season with Pôle France, averaging 3.4 points and 4.0 rebounds in 28 games.[3] In the 2024–25 season, he played 34 games for Pôle France and averaged 9.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.[3]
In March 2025, he was named MVP of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament in Belgrade.[4][5][6]
Professional career
On 7 July 2025, Kouakou-Heugue signed with the Perth Wildcats of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) as part of the league's Next Stars program.[7] He was assigned a bench role as a back-up power forward or centre.[8] Limited playing opportunities at the start of the 2025–26 season led to a dispute between Kouakou-Heugue and the Wildcats.[9] Following a game on 2 November, he ceased attending training and matches while attempting to exit his two-year Next Star contract in order to return home to play for Élan Chalon.[10] With the contract held by both the NBL and the Wildcats,[10] neither party was willing to release him without a significant payout, which Élan Chalon was unwilling to provide.[11] He subsequently returned to training alongside plans to see out his contract after two weeks away from the team.[11]
National team career
Kouakou-Heugue played for the French under-16 national team at the 2023 FIBA U16 European Championship and the French under-17 national team at the 2024 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup.[12] With the French under-19 national team at the 2025 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, he averaged seven points, five rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.[13][14]
Personal life
Kouakou-Heugue is of an Ivory Coast background.[15]
References
- ^ a b "Wildcats Multicultural Stories: Noa Kouakou-Heugue". Perth Wildcats. 23 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ a b Abreu, Dylan De (25 March 2022). "Pôle France : les 21 nouveaux pensionnaires pour la rentrée 2022 - Tribune 47". tribune47.com (in French). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ a b "Noa Kouakou-Heugue". Eurobasket LLC. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ Pantel-Jouve, Gabriel (10 March 2025). "Noa Kouakou-Heugue MVP du plateau de Belgrade de l'ANGT, Hugo Yimga-Moukouri et Aaron Towo-Nansi dans le cinq idéal". BeBasket (in French). Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ Toprak Koşal, Ata (25 March 2025). "Adidas NextGen Belgrade | Recap". Eurospects. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ MacDonald, Jackson (7 July 2025). "Perth sign French Next Star Kouakou-Heugue | Basketball.com.au". www.basketball.com.au. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "Noa for Next Star". Perth Wildcats. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ O'Donoghue, Craig (7 July 2025). "Perth Wildcats thrilled that Next Star Noa Kouakou-Heugue didn't chase NIL money in US college system". The West Australian. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ Higgins, Josh (5 November 2025). "NBL shock as potential NBA Draft first-round pick set to leave early over dispute — Rumour Mill". Fox Sports. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ a b O'Donoghue, Craig (13 November 2025). "Perth Wildcat Noa Kouakou-Heugue remains absent from club as Next Star attempts to quit NBL and play in France". The West Australian. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ a b O'Donoghue, Craig (14 November 2025). "Perth Wildcats Next Star Noa Kouakou-Heugue ends his attempt to play in France for Elan Chalon". The West Australian. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Noa Kouakou-Heugue (France) - Basketball Stats, Height, Age | FIBA Basketball". www.fiba.basketball. 22 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ Robinson, Chris (7 July 2025). "Noa Kouakou-Heugue: Perth Wildcats lock in highly-touted French teenager as Next Star signing". The West Australian. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ^ "Le prospect Noa Kouakou-Heugue lance sa carrière en Australie". BasketEurope.com (in French). 7 July 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
- ^ "Wildcats to Wear Multicultural Game Uniform Representing Cultural Heritage". Perth Wildcats. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 23 January 2026.