Malick Badiane
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| Position | C/PF |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 10.75 in (2.10 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (110 kg) |
| League | Bundesliga |
| Team | Artland Dragons |
| Born | January 1, 1984 Thies, Senegal |
| Nationality |  Senegalese |
| Draft | 44th overall, 2003 Houston Rockets |
| Pro career | 2003–present |
| Former teams | Deutsche Bank Skyliners (with TV Langen Farm Team in Bundesliga II Division 2002-2003), Deutsche Bank Skyliners Bundesliga I Division (2003-2006) |
Malick Badiane (born January 1, 1984 in Senegal) is a professional basketball player at the center position.
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[edit] Early years
Badiane started his career for the US Rail team in Thies, Senegal. He has been a member of Senegal’s Junior National Team and the Men's Senior team, The Senegal national basketball team. Badiane emerged on the American basketball scene after an impressive showing at the ABCD camp in Teaneck,New Jersey. Badiane shined despite getting limited touches, emerging as one of the camp's top 30 players. [1]
Badiane, then nineteen years old, signed with TV Langen in Germany and averaged 11.7 points and 8.9 rebounds during the 2003-2004 season, making an immediate impact. Langen is a farm team for the Opel Skyliners, a team in Germany’s top division (Bundesliga). Badiane turned in a pair of 27-point performances and observers of the league believed that he blocks an average of two shots per game — blocks are not kept as an official statistic.
Malick then spent the next two years with his German League Division I Bundesliga team The Opel Skyliners. Badiane played for the Artland Dragons in the Bundesliga in the 2006-2007 season.
[edit] International Career
Badiane is a member of The Senegal national basketball team, and has competed in the FIBA Africa Championship in 2003, 2005, and 2007. In the 2005 tournament he helped lead Senegal to the silver medal of The Africa Championship. He has also competed with Senegal's national team in the 2006 FIBA World Championship, which was held in Saitama, Saitama, Japan.
[edit] NBA Draft
Although projected as a mid-to-late first round pick in the 2003 NBA Draft[1] and the next big center from Senegal[2], Badiane was not taken until late in the second round with the 44th pick of the Houston Rockets. Badiane did not play any games for the Rockets.
The former General Manager of the Houston Rockets Carroll Dawson has said that Badiane is an intriguing prospect and that the Rockets still do intend to bring him to the NBA at some future point after he has continued to develop his game and skills in Europe. Dawson claims that Badiane still has value to the Rockets because he is 6'11" 240 pounds, has a 7'5" wingspan, a 32" vertical leap, he's a solid defensive and rebounding talent, and can play both the center and power forward positions. Dawson also states that Badiane is "still very raw and still needs several years of skill development."
On February 21st, 2008 his NBA draft rights were traded from the Houston Rockets to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the NBA draft rights to Sergei Lishchuk.[1]
[edit] Player profile
Badiane has a long body and is considered one of Africa's most athletic players. Though he is not packing on a lot of weight, he has good definition. As an athlete, Badiane has better mobility than most of his counterparts. Although considered very raw, he is aggressive going after rebounds, blocking shots and running the floor. [1]
[edit] Trivia
- Malick Badiane has 18 brothers and sisters.
- Considers Kevin Garnett as his favorite player and the Dallas Mavericks as his favorite team.[3]
