Aliou Diarra

Aliou Fadiala Diarra (born 31 December 2001) is a Malian professional basketball player for APR of the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL). Diarra was recruited on outside courts by Stade Malien and was an unknown in professional basketball circles until he gained attention in 2023 for his performance in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). In his rookie season, he was named the BAL Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-BAL First Team.

Early life
After initially playing soccer, Diarra picked up basketball in his village in Bamako. There, he made a name for himself in the local community by playing on open courts and was eventually recruited by coach Kaba Kanté of Stade Malien, who spotted him playing at an outside court in Kayes.

2022–23: Breakout rookie season
Diarra, who says he models his game after Anthony Davis, made his first notable appearances in professional basketball with Stade Malien in the 2023 Road to BAL games. With 11.8 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, he helped Stade qualify for their first-ever BAL season on 19 November 2022. Diarra scored 16 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in the decisive third place game against Bangui Sporting Club.

On 18 March, Diarra had 20 points and 16 rebounds in a surprise win over REG. He led the Sahara Conference in rebounds and blocks per game. Over eight games, Diarra had eight double-doubles as he averaged 18.3 points and league-leading numbers of 12.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. Stade Malien finished in a surprising third place, and Diarra was named the BAL Defensive Player of the Year. Diarra was also honoured with a place in the All-BAL First Team.

FUS Rabat (2023–2024)
In the 2023 offseason, Diarra transferred to the Moroccan champions FUS Rabat of the Division Excellence (DEX-H). He played with the team in the 2024 tournament of the Road to BAL in October-November. On 4 November 2023, Diarra had a double-double of 18 points and 21 rebounds in the 78-60 win over FAP, that clinched the team's spot in the 2024 BAL season.

In the 2024 BAL season, Diarra was named to his second straight All-BAL First Team and All-Defensive Team selections. First-seed FUS Rabat, however, was eliminated in the quarterfinals by the eight-seeded Cape Town Tigers. Diarra helped FUS win the Division Excellence championship.

APR (2024–present)
On 17 July 2024, Diarra signed a one-year contract with Rwandan champions APR of the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL).

National team career
Diarra was selected for the Mali men's national basketball team for the first time in 2023, when he was selected for the 2023 FIBA AfroCan roster. He eventually did not play in the 2023 AfroCan.

BAL career statistics

 * style="text-align:left;"|2023
 * style="text-align:left;"|Stade Malien
 * 8 || 8 || 26.9 || .553 || .000 || .417 || style="background:#cfecec;"|12.8* || 1.4 || 1.5 ||  style="background:#cfecec;"|2.3* || 18.3
 * style="text-align:left;"|2024
 * style="text-align:left;"|FUS Rabat
 * 6 || 6 || 24.5 || .667 || – || .633 || 10.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 2.2 || 16.5
 * style="text-align:left;"|FUS Rabat
 * 6 || 6 || 24.5 || .667 || – || .633 || 10.0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 2.2 || 16.5

Personal
Diarra speaks fluent Bambara and has been learning French and English.