Adama Sanogo

Adama Sanogo (born 12 February 2002) is a Malian professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. In 2023 he won the national championship with the UConn Huskies and was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player.

Early life and high school career
Sanogo grew up in Bamako, Mali, and first played soccer before switching to basketball in 2014. His uncle, basketball scout Tidiane Dramé, convinced him to start playing basketball. One year later, Sanogo moved to the United States to play for Our Savior New American School in Centereach, New York. He transferred to The Patrick School in Hillside, New Jersey, due to a coaching change at his previous school. In his senior season, he averaged 13.3 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Sanogo competed for the New York Rens on the Amateur Athletic Union circuit. A consensus four-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for UConn over offers from Seton Hall and Nebraska.

College career
Sanogo became a starter in the third game of his freshman season at UConn. On 3 March 2021, he recorded a season-high 16 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in a 69–58 win over Seton Hall. As a freshman, Sanogo averaged 7.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game, earning Big East All-Freshman Team honors. On 24 November 2021, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 115–109 double overtime win against Auburn. On 1 December, Sanogo suffered an abdominal injury during a 72–63 win versus Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks and was ruled out for several weeks. He was named to the First Team All-Big East.

On 4 April 2023, Sanogo won the national championship with UConn and was named the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player. He became the first African-born player since Hakeem Olajuwon (1983) to win the award.

Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Sanogo signed a two-way contract with the Chicago Bulls on 10 July 2023.

On December 28, 2023, Sanogo made his NBA debut for the Bulls in a 120–104 loss to the Indiana Pacers. In the next game he played with for Chicago, on January 2, 2024, Sanogo put up 8 points, 4 rebounds, and a season-high 6 assists in a 110–97 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. In what became only his 9th NBA game played on April 12, Sanogo recorded a 20/20 double-double with 22 points and 20 rebounds (including 10 offensive rebounds) in a 129–127 win over the Washington Wizards, becoming the first rookie since Earl Williams in 1975 to record a 20-point, 20-rebound game off the bench.

On July 6, 2024, Sanogo signed another two-way contract with the Bulls.

National team career
Sanogo won a gold medal representing Mali at the 2017 FIBA Under-16 African Championship in Mauritius, averaging 10.5 points and eight rebounds per game. At the 2018 FIBA Under-17 World Cup, he averaged six points and seven rebounds per game.

Personal life
Sanogo is the son of Cheickne Sanogo and Awa Traore, and has four sisters and one brother. He is a practicing Muslim, so, due to the timing of Ramadan in 2023, he was fasting during the NCAA tournament.