Tanguy Ngombo

Tanguy Ngombo
No. 8 – Al Rayyan
Position Small forward
Personal information
Born July 18, 1989 [disputed]
Brazzaville, Congo
Nationality Qatari / Congolese
Listed height 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight 204 lb (93 kg)
Career information
NBA draft 2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 57th overall
Selected by the Dallas Mavericks
Pro career 2005–present
Career history
2005–2006 Inter Club Brazzaville (Congo)
2006–present Al Rayyan (Qatar)

Tanguy Alban Harrys Ngombo, often incorrectly written as Targuy Ngombo (born July 18, 1989 [disputed]), is a Congolese-born Qatari professional basketball player who plays for Al Rayyan of the Qatari Basketball League. He has represented the Qatari national team in international competition. He was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 57th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.[1] His draft rights were subsequently traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and then to the Minnesota Timberwolves.[2][3] He is the first Qatari national basketball player to be selected in the NBA Draft.[4]

Career

Ngombo has played in Qatar since 2006 after playing for the Inter Club Brazzaville in his home nation of the Congo. In 2011, he helped Al Rayyan win the Qatar Basketball League.[5] He led his team in scoring and rebounds, averaging 20.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.[6] He then helped Al-Rayyan finished third in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup while averaging 16.3 points per game.[7]

Ngombo has represented the Qatari national team since 2010. He played in the 2010 FIBA Asia Stanković Cup, helping Qatar win the bronze medal.[8] He played in all 7 games and led the team in scoring in every game with an average of 30.0 points per game.[9] He then played for Qatar in the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. He played in all 8 games, averaging 19.6 points per game as Qatar finished in 5th place.[10]

On June 23, 2011, he was drafted by the Dallas Mavericks with the 57th pick in the second round of the 2011 NBA Draft.[1] His draft rights were immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers as part of a three-team trade with the Denver Nuggets.[2] The Blazers then traded his rights to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for a future second-round pick.[3]

Age discrepancy

In 2005, Ngombo, who was still playing with Congolese team Inter Club Brazzaville, was listed as being born on July 18, 1984 in the 2005 FIBA Africa Clubs Champions Cup.[11] Few years later, he was listed as being born in 1989 by FIBA Asia in the 2010 FIBA Asia Champions Cup, the 2010 FIBA Asia Stanković Cup and the 2010 Asian Games.[12][13][14] However, in 2011, FIBA published a piece of contradictory information by listing 1984 as Ngombo's birth year on the Qatar roster for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship.[15]

At the 2011 NBA Draft, he was selected as Targuy Ngombo who was born in 1989. After the draft, reports surfaced claiming that Ngombo lied about his name and his birth date and that he is actually born in 1984, which makes him ineligible for the draft.[16][17][18][19] The NBA rules state that an international player who is over the age of 22 is not eligible for the draft and must be signed as a free agent.[20] Nevertheless, the use of the name Targuy was a misspell as he was often listed under that name in several FIBA competitions.[12][13][14] His trades to the Timberwolves, which were first reported on the night of the draft, were reportedly being held up for several days because of the age discrepancy.[3][21] Four days after the draft, the Blazers announced that they have finalized the trade of Ngombo to the Timberwolves, which implies that the NBA has approved Ngombo's eligibility for the draft and the subsequent trades.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Mavs trade picks for Rudy Fernandez". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. June 23, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Blazers, Nuggets deal on draft night". ESPN.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Trail Blazers deal Ngombo to Timberwolves". TSN.ca. The Sports Network. June 27, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  4. ↑ "NBA Champs Dallas Mavericks draft Qatari sensation 'Teddy' Ngombo". FIBA Asia. FIBA. June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  5. ↑ "QBF League – Rayyan are champions again!". FIBA Asia. FIBA. March 22, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Qatar Basketball Federation – Qatar Basketball League Cumulative Player Stats" (PDF). FIBA Asia. FIBA. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Doughty Rayyan down profligate Smart Gilas threat for bronze". FIBA Asia. FIBA. June 5, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Musa’s 4th quarter show gives Qatar the bronze". FIBA Asia. FIBA. August 15, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  9. ↑ "3rd FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup – Game Statistics". FIBA Asia. FIBA. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  10. ↑ "The Official Website of the 16th Asian Games – Basketball Biography – Qatar". Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  11. ↑ "African Cup for Men's Champion Clubs 2005 – Inter Club – Tanguy Alban Harrys Ngombo". FIBA. FIBA. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "3rd FIBA Asia Stankovic Cup – Player Profile – Targuy Alban Ngombo". FIBA Asia. FIBA. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "The Official Website of the 16th Asian Games – Basketball Biography – NGOMBO Targuy Alban". Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "21st FIBA Asia Champions Cup – Player Profile – Targuy Alban Ngombo". FIBA Asia. FIBA. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  15. ↑ "2011 FIBA Asia Championship – Tanguy Ngombo". FIBA. FIBA. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  16. ↑ Schroeder, Scott (June 24, 2011). "Timberwolves Draft Pick Tanguy Ngombo Lied About His Age, Spelling Of Tanguy". SB Nation Minnesota. SB Nation. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  17. ↑ Hoffman, Benjamin (June 24, 2011). "Eastern Europeans’ Stock Rises in N.B.A. Draft". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  18. ↑ Levine, Ben (June 25, 2011). "Minnesota Timberwolves' Pick Tanguy Ngombo Lied About Age, Name". NESN.com. New England Sports Network. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  19. ↑ Zgoda, Jerry (June 26, 2011). "Rockets' concerns over Flynn reportedly cost Wolves second-round pick". StarTribune.com. StarTribune. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  20. ↑ Quick, Jason (June 25, 2011). "NBA age rule complicates Blazers trade when Tanguy Ngombo found to be 26". OregonLive.com. Oregon Live LLC. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  21. ↑ "Wolves Complete Five Draft-Night Trades". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2011.

External links