Ousmane Dieng
Ousmane Dieng is a French professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association. After playing 3 years in France and New Zealand, Dieng was selected in the 2022 NBA draft with the 11th overall pick by the New York Knicks, but was traded to the Thunder on draft night. During the 2024–25 season, Dieng won his first NBA Championship with the Thunder helping them win their first title since relocating from Seattle to Oklahoma City.
Early life and youth career
Dieng grew up in Lot-et-Garonne in southwestern France. His father Ababacar, originally from Senegal, was a former professional basketball player in France.At the youth level, Dieng played for Villeneuve Basket Club and JSA Bordeaux. He attended the national athletics boarding school INSEP in Paris, and competed for its under-18 team at the Next Generation Tournament.
Professional career
Centre Fédéral (2020–2021)
In the 2020–21 season, Dieng averaged 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game for Centre Fédéral in the Nationale Masculine 1.New Zealand Breakers (2021–2022)
On 1 June 2021, Dieng announced that he would play for the New Zealand Breakers of the National Basketball League in the 2021–22 season, alongside fellow Frenchman and eventual 2022 NBA draft selection Hugo Besson. He became the first European player to join the league's Next Stars program to develop NBA draft prospects. Dieng had also been recruited by major college basketball programs and the NBA G League Ignite. Dieng left the Breakers on 17 April 2022 in order to prepare for the 2022 NBA draft.Oklahoma City Thunder / Blue (2022–present)
Dieng was selected with the eleventh overall pick by the New York Knicks in the 2022 NBA draft, and was then immediately traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for three 2023 first-round draft picks. On 15 April 2024, he won the NBA G League title with the Oklahoma City Blue and was named the championship game most valuable player after getting 25 points, six boards, four assists and two blocks in the win against the Maine Celtics.Throughout his first three seasons, Dieng has been assigned several times to the Oklahoma City Blue.
In the 2024–25 NBA season, Dieng appeared in 37 games and played a key role in the Thunder’s historic playoff run. He featured in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, where Oklahoma City clinched its first-ever NBA championship with a victory over the Indiana Pacers.