Mfiondu Kabengele
Position: PF
Country: Canada (Congolese Parents)
School: Florida State
Pick: Selected 27th by the Brooklyn Nets (Traded to the Los Angeles Clippers)
Bio: Basketball is in Kabengele’s blood. The nephew of basketball hall of famer Dikembe Mutombo, Kagengele’s family was moved out of the Democratic Republic of Congo once the former Georgetown star was drafted in 1991. To avoid the country’s bloody conflict going, they relocated to Canada, where Kabengele was born in 1997.
Kabengele was a little-known prospect with just one low-major division I offer while playing high school ball north of the border. It wasn’t until he took his high school coach’s advice and moved to the U.S. to play at an Indiana Prep School when Kabengele started to appear on the radar of high-level college programs. He averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds per game while playing at The Bosco Institute—earning a full scholarship to Florida State University.
After reshirting his first year in Tallahassee, Kabengele’s game blossomed in the two seasons playing under coach Leonard Hamilton. Last season, Kabegengele proved to be the Noles’ best offensive and defensive player—leading the team and points and blocks. Standing at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-3 wingspan, Kabengele is an effective rim-protector who relishes opportunities to challenge scorers at the rim. He’s also an improved offensive player with a solid post game and impressive outside touch.
While Kabengele has come a long way as a ballplayer, Kabengele has not forgotten about the challenges still facing his family’s native country.
“There’s a lot of corruption,” Kabengele told the Orlando Sentinel. “And I’d love to go over there and make a change.”
