Dame Sarr
Elhadji Dame Sarr is an Italian college basketball player for the Duke [Blue Devils men's basketball|Duke Blue Devils] of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Sarr formerly played for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, and has also represented the Italian national team. Standing at 6 ft 6 in, Sarr plays in the shooting guard position.
Early life and youth career
Dame Sarr started playing basketball in the youth ranks of his local team Basket Oderzo, which he joined in 2012 at only 6 years old. He would join Orange1 Basket Bassano in 2019. FC Barcelona noticed him while playing for the local team at a tournament held in Bassano del Grappa in 2022. Sarr would sign for the Catalans in the summer of 2022. During the 2022–23 season, Sarr would play both for the FC Barcelona Junior team and the FC Barcelona B team in the Liga EBA.Professional career
While still being a FC Barcelona B player, Sarr would make his professional debut for the FC Barcelona first team in January 2023. Playing the last seconds of a 2022–23 Liga ACB win against Bilbao Basket, he became the second youngest player to play an official game for the Catalans.Continuing to play for FC Barcelona B during the 2023–24 season, Sarr would occasionally be called up to the first team, making his EuroLeague debut in a win against Panathinaikos in November 2023.
Sarr joined the FC Barcelona first team roster for the 2024–25 season. In March 2025, Sarr had a breakout game in a Liga ACB win over CB Breogán at Palau Blaugrana, scoring 21 points and recording 3 assists.
Sarr sparked controversy in April 2025 when he unilaterally decided to travel to Portland, Oregon to play in the 2025 Nike Hoop Summit, after Barcelona had denied his request to do so. Barcelona released a statement acknowledging the player's actions, regarding them as a breach of his obligations. Barcelona and Sarr would ultimately reach an agreement to part ways on April 17, 2025, with Sarr being left off the team's roster for the remainder of the season.
National team career
Sarr has represented Italy in several youth-level competitions, most notably the 2022 U16 European Championship, the 2023 U18 European Championship and the 2024 U18 EuroBasket.On 25 November 2024 Sarr made his debut for the Italian national team in a EuroBasket 2025 qualifier game against the Icelandic national team.