A new season of European hoops is around the corner, and at the BackdoorPodEng we’d like to focus on one of the marquee names joining the Spanish Liga Endesa (formerly known as ACB) this year. French-Guinean forward Sekou Doumbouya will suit up for MoraBanc Andorra being one of the most exciting signings of the summer at Euro level and he was showing goods in the recent Lliga Catalana (arguably one of the most prestigious preseason tournaments in Spain) and the Basketball CL Qualifiers.
For the former Detroit Pistons 1st Rounder, this move will be a sort of redemption song after his uneven experience in the NBA. Youth, talent and a bag full of dreams meet the toughest domestic league that there is in the FIBA international scene… Let’s get the party started.
BIO / DATA
| Hometown | Conakry, Guinea |
| Date of Birth | 12.23 2000 |
| Measurements | 6’9/230 lbs – 6’11 Wingspan |
| 23/24 Stat-line LNB | 21.1pts, 4.9rbs, 0.8ast, 0.7blk – Splits 51/31/75 – 32.2min (13GP) |
| 24/25 Stat-line BCL | 14.0pts, 3.5rbs, 2.0ast, 1.0blk – Splits 68/33/33 – 18.7min (2GP) |
| Role + Bankable Skill | Rim Runner Forward + In-N-Out Scoring |
| Swing Skill | Shooting Range + Defensive Prowess |
| Defensive Matchup | 3-5, plus high degree of switch ability |
Age is just a number and Sekou Doumbouya knows everything about it. A product of the famous INSEP (a Paris-based public institution that shapes up the future of France’s top high schoolers in many sports), the Guinean-born forward made his professional debut in the second tier of French basketball with Potiers aged 15. However, Sekou really turned the scouts’ heads only days shy of his 16-birthday, in the 2016 FIBA U18 European Championship with France U18 and alongside fellow 1st Round pick Frank Ntilikina. To be fair, Doumbouya’s hype train had already left the station early that season featuring regularly with Limoges in the French LNB. Sekou had made his mark with impressive athletic tools and wild versatility. The Detroit Pistons drafted him outside the lottery (#15) in the summer of 2019, but things didn’t go to plan for Doumbouya in in a franchise that has been in rebuild mode for so long. Maybe he was simply too raw and too for such a huge jump. Following two years in Detroit, Doumbouya was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, but he spent most of his next two years in USA in the G League (33GP) with the South Bay Lakers and the Delaware Blue Coats
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✅ El jugador francès (23 anys i 206 cm), que compta amb experiència a la NBA i a la lliga francesa, debutarà enguany a la Lliga Endesa.#SekouSekou #MaiPor
— MoraBanc Andorra (@morabancandorra) July 14, 2024
It took Sekou a bit of time to come to terms with the end of his American adventures, but he was finally prepared to bet on himself and try the professional route in Europe again. After training and testing with several clubs, Doumbouya headed back to France where he played for Chorale since March (13 games in total) and led the NBL in scoring by a lot (21.1pts/night). It has worked wonders for him. Doumbouya seems way more confident, ready for the next and a more ambitious challenge in Liga Endesa, where he’s joined Andorra in a move that somehow brings echoes of Dzanan Musa reinventing himself at CB Breogan during the 21-22 campaign.
