SUMMARY
- Bilal Coulibaly was selected as the No.7 overall pick by the Pacers, but he was traded to the Wizards shortly after.
- Bilal Coulibaly is believed to be muslim, however, he has not confirmed it to the public.
This year, NBA fans have been blessed with the opportunity to see young talent spread their wings. Bilal Coulibaly is one such individual that everybody has their eyes on at the moment. He entered the league during the 2023 NBA Draft as the seventh overall pick. Despite being selected by the Indiana Pacers, Coulibaly was shipped to the Washington Wizards for Jarence Walker. Since then, Coulibaly has had a few significant moments.
He made his debut during the 2023 NBA Summer League where he averaged 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in four appearances. Of course, the Wizards have not been particularly at the best season, but the 19-year-old is using every moment wisely and building his knowledge of the sport day by day. He also became the youngest starter the Pacers have ever had.
With his name gaining popularity every day while he stars alongside players like Kyle Kuzma and Jordan Poole, fans are growing desperate to know about his background. Bilal Coulibaly has a lot of experience on his hands and he shows potential to become a top-level player in the future. His determination to be great is what has gotten him this far as well. So let us do a brief background check on the Wizards star.
Bilal Coulibaly has Malian roots
Bilal Coulibaly was born on July 26, 2004, in Saint-Cloud, France. However, he was brought up in Courbevoie, France, a place located over 5 miles from the center of Paris. While this town was known for being a leading business district in the country, Coulibaly decided to do something rather unconventional. There is almost no information about his parents or family background, except that he has Malian roots.
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Based on his first name, people assume that he believes in Islam. However, Coulibaly has never openly shared information about his personal life on the internet. Even on Instagram, the Wizards player maintains a fairly low profile while posting pictures from various games.
In 2017, he started playing for the Levallois Sporting Club Basket, a famous youth basketball program in France. However, in 2021, he signed with the Metropolitans 92 team. This team was famously led by Victor Wembanyama before he became the No.1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Bilal Coulibaly and the San Antonio Spurs player were teammates for one season before declaring for the NBA Draft in 2023. Coulibaly has also played for the France U-18 basketball team.