Basketballghana.com can confirm Senegal International Center Khalifa Diop will play out the 2022-2023 Season in the Spanish Basketball League and not in the NBA.
6 foot 11 inch Diop was drafted 39th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft that had seven other players of African descent picked by teams in the NBA.
Diop is expected to play next season with his club Gran Canaria in the Endesa League with an aim to aid him continue to develop his game while playing in Europe’s best league.
Last season, the 20 year old defender averaged 6.5 points and 4.2 rebounds in 54 games for Canaria before getting picked by the Cavaliers.
Cleveland General Manager Koby Altman stated, “It’s a great league for his-Diop- development, and if it’s the right team, he’ll also play against other teams from other countries”.
Diop’s presence in the Senegalese National Team for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers is up in the air; he played all three games in the previous window of qualification games. Senegal recorded two wins and a loss against Egypt, Kenya and DR Congo.
By Yaw Adjei-Mintah
@YawMintYM on Twitter
