Gracin Bakumanya

Gracin Bakumanya
No. 4 – Northern Arizona Suns
Position Center
League NBA Development League
Personal information
Born (1997-07-27) July 27, 1997
Kinshasa, DR Congo
Nationality Congolese
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school Pantego Christian Academy
(Arlington, Texas)
NBA draft 2016 / Undrafted
Playing career 2015–present
Career history
2015–2016 Antibes Sharks
2016–present Northern Arizona Suns

Gracin Bakumanya (born July 27, 1997) is a Congolese professional basketball player for the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA Development League. In 2013, he arrived in the United States for the first time and attended Pantego Christian Academy in Arlington, Texas, before returning to Europe in 2014.

Early life and career

Discovered in his native Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bakumanya started his career in Spain with Torrelodones in the summer of 2011.[1] After playing well at the junior level throughout his two-plus year stint in Spain, he was brought to the United States in 2013 to attend a prep school. In the spring of 2013, Bakumanya was reportedly connected to St. Anthony High School in New Jersey and the Montverde Academy in Florida, but ultimately enrolled at Pantego Christian Academy in Arlington, Texas.[2][3] Before long, Bakumanya found himself back in Europe as his English simply wasn't up to par at the time. He briefly resided in Belgium before joining Antibes Sharks in 2014.[4]

Professional career

Between 2014 and 2016, Bakumanya spent the majority of the time with Antibes Espoirs, the junior team of Antibes Sharks. In the 2015–16 season, Bakumanya averaged 14.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in 30 games with Antibes Espoirs. He also managed two games with Antibes Sharks in the LNB Pro A,[4] with both appearances coming in December 2015.[5]

Bakumanya went undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft as an international early entry candidate. In July 2016, he joined the Houston Rockets for the 2016 NBA Summer League.[6] He appeared in two games for the Rockets, but failed to score. On September 25, 2016, he signed with the Phoenix Suns for training camp.[7] He was later waived by the Suns on October 10.[8] On October 31, he was acquired by the Northern Arizona Suns of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player of Phoenix.[9] He made his debut for Northern Arizona on November 18, recording five points and five rebounds in 13 minutes of action in a 92–80 win over the Salt Lake City Stars.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Novillo, Esteban (April 12, 2013). "Gracin Bakumanya, el pívot del Club de Baloncesto Torrelodones que arrasa en el baloncesto madrileño". Marca.com (in Spanish). Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  2. ↑ Burlison, Frank (October 13, 2013). "Texans among All-Frosh/Soph Camp standouts". BurlisononBasketball.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  3. ↑ Smith, Corbett (November 9, 2013). "Boys basketball preview: Dallas area producing hoops talent on par with nation's hotbeds". DallasNews.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Kamalsky, Matt (June 19, 2016). "Gracin Bakumanya Updated NBA Draft Scouting Report". DraftExpress.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Gracin BAKUMANYA | Season 2015/2016". FIBA.com. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Rockets to Compete in Samsung NBA Summer League 2016". NBA.com. July 1, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Phoenix Suns Sign Four Players ahead of Training Camp". NBA.com. September 25, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Phoenix Suns Waive Three Players to Trim Preseason Roster". NBA.com. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Northern Arizona Suns Set Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 31, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Suns Fall to Suns in Home Opener". NBA.com. November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 18, 2016.
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