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N'Faly Dante

N'Faly Dante
Atlanta Hawks
PositionCenter
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-10-19) 19 October 2001 (age 23)
Bamako, Mali
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight262 lb (119 kg)
Career information
High schoolSunrise Christian Academy
(Bel Aire, Kansas)
CollegeOregon (2019–2024)
NBA draft2024: undrafted
Playing career2024–present
Career history
2024–2025Houston Rockets
2024–2025→Rio Grande Valley Vipers
2025–presentAtlanta Hawks
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Mali
FIBA Africa U16 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2017 Mauritius

N'Faly Dante (born 19 October 2001) is a Malian professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).[1] He played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks. He was a five-star recruit who attended Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas.

High school career

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Dante attended Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. In his junior season, he averaged 16 points, nine rebounds, and three assists per game, leading his team to a 22–6 record and its first GEICO Nationals appearance.[2]

Recruiting

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Dante was a consensus five-star recruit, one of the best centers in his class, and the number one recruit from Kansas.[3] On 13 August 2019, in a letter addressed to his mother on The Players' Tribune, he announced his reclassification to the 2019 class and committed to play college basketball for Oregon.[4]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
N'Faly Dante
C 		Bamako, Mali Sunrise Christian Academy (KS) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Aug 13, 2019 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 5/5 stars   247Sports: 5/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   (89)
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: —    247Sports: 15    ESPN: 29
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Oregon 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  • "2019 Oregon Ducks Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved 13 September 2019.

College career

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On 15 October 2019, Dante was ruled ineligible to start the 2019–20 season because the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) missed his clearance date. He reenrolled at the University of Oregon on 14 December.[5] Dante made his debut for the Ducks on 18 December, scoring 11 points in an 81–48 win over Montana.[6] On 18 January 2020, Dante injured his knee in a game against Washington and missed several weeks.[1] On 9 December 2020, Dante scored a career-high 22 points in an 87–66 win over Florida A&M.[7] On 19 December, he was ruled out for the season with a torn ACL. Dante averaged 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, shooting 65.6 percent from the field as a sophomore.[8]

Professional career

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Houston Rockets / Rio Grande Valey Vipers (2024-2025)

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After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA draft, Dante signed a two-way contract with the Houston Rockets on 9 July 2024.[9] On 3 March 2025, Dante made his NBA debut in a 137–128 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder, recording 10 points, nine rebounds, two blocks and one assist.[10]

Atlanta Hawks (2025–present)

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On 18 August 2025, it was announced the Atlanta Hawks had signed Dante to an offer sheet.[11]

National team career

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With Mali at the 2016 FIBA Under-17 World Championship in Zaragoza, Spain, Dante averaged 2.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 9.2 minutes per game, as his team finished in 15th place.[12] He was named to the roster for Mali at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 African Championship in Mauritius, where his team captured the gold medal, but he did not record playing time.[13]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024–25 Houston 3 0 15.3 .750 .000 .800 5.7 .7 .3 1.7 7.3
Career 3 0 15.3 .750 .000 .800 5.7 .7 .3 1.7 7.3

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 Oregon 12 0 13.6 .627 — .400 2.8 .6 .9 .6 5.8
2020–21 Oregon 6 6 17.7 .656 — .438 5.8 .2 1.5 1.2 8.2
2021–22 Oregon 32 27 20.0 .675 — .588 6.3 .7 .7 1.0 8.1
2022–23 Oregon 31 30 26.2 .614 — .617 8.4 1.1 1.1 1.4 13.4
2023–24 Oregon 22 21 31.5 .695 — .613 9.2 1.6 1.7 1.9 17.0
Career 103 84 23.4 .654 — .591 7.1 1.0 1.1 1.3 11.3

References

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  1. ^ a b Crepea, James (18 January 2020). "With N'Faly Dante out with twisted knee, Chandler Lawson's career game aids Oregon Ducks' comeback at Washington". OregonLive. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  2. ^ Divens, Jordan (17 April 2019). "2018-19 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Junior All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  3. ^ Nemec, Andrew (13 August 2019). "N'Faly Dante, 5-star center, reclassifies into 2019 recruiting class, commits to Oregon Ducks". The Oregonian. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  4. ^ Polacek, Scott (13 August 2019). "5-Star Center N'Faly Dante Commits to Oregon, Reclassifies for 2019 Class". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  5. ^ Crepea, James (15 October 2019). "N'Faly Dante to miss at least first 9 games of Oregon Ducks basketball season". OregonLive.com. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
  6. ^ "N'Faly Dante makes Oregon debut". The Herald and News. Associated Press. 20 December 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Dante a perfect 10-for-10 as Oregon defeats Florida A&M". ESPN. Associated Press. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  8. ^ Mickanen, Dylan (19 December 2020). "Oregon Ducks center N'Faly Dante out for season with torn ACL". NBC Sports. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  9. ^ Joshi, Hiren (9 July 2024). "Rockets Sign N'Faly Dante to Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  10. ^ "Rockets' N'Faly Dante: Makes NBA debut Monday". cbssports.com. 5 March 2025. Retrieved 14 May 2025.
  11. ^ Caudell, Jackson (2025-08-18). "NBA Offseason: Atlanta Hawks Announce The Signing of N'Faly Dante". SI.com. Retrieved 2025-08-19.
  12. ^ "N'Faly Dante Player Profile, AAU Stats, Events Stats, Game Logs, Awards". RealGM.com. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
  13. ^ "N'Faly Dante (MLI)'s profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 13 August 2019.
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