Mouhamed Gueye

Mouhamed Gueye (born 9 November 2002) is a Senegalese professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He moved to the United States as a teenager to play high school basketball at Prolific Prep Academy. Gueye played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars and was named to the All-Pac-12 first-team as a sophomore in 2023. He was selected as the 39th overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Atlanta Hawks on draft night.

Early life
Gueye was raised in Dakar, Senegal, as the youngest of four siblings in a sporting family. He has cousins who have played for the national team and in Europe. Gueye grew up playing soccer but was encouraged by his mother to play basketball because of his tall height. He credits watching his older brother play basketball as an early influence.

High school career
Gueye's personal basketball coach, Mamadou Cisse, connected him with Philippe Doherty, the head coach of Prolific Prep Academy in Napa, California. At age 16, he moved from Dakar to the United States to enroll at Prolific Prep. Gueye had never played organized basketball before playing at Prolific Prep.

Gueye emerged as a four-star recruit and a top-50 recruit in the country. He completed his academic requirements early and reclassified to the 2021 class before he committed to play for the Washington State Cougars over several other high-major offers.

College career
Gueye averaged 7.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and .5 assists per game during his freshman season with the Cougars in 2021–22. He was selected to the Pac-12 all-freshman team. Gueye declared for the 2022 NBA draft but withdrew after receiving feedback from NBA teams. He also tested the transfer portal but elected to return to the Cougars for his sophomore season.

Gueye's role with the Cougars increased during the 2022–23 season following the departures of key pieces in their front-court. He also played primarily as a center instead of his natural power forward position. Gueye was the centrepiece of the Cougars' offense with head coach Kyle Smith reinforcing throughout the season that the team "plays through Gueye". On 2 February 2023, he scored a career-high 31 points against the USC Trojans. Gueye averaged 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game during the 2022–23 season and was named to the All-Pac-12 first-team.

On 4 April 2023, Gueye declared for the 2023 NBA draft. He was invited to participate at the NBA Draft Combine.

Professional career
Gueye was selected by the Charlotte Hornets as the 39th overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft. His rights were traded to the Boston Celtics and then to the Atlanta Hawks on draft night. On 3 July 2023, Gueye signed his rookie contract with the Hawks. On 12 November 2023, he was ruled out for a month after suffering a right low back stress fracture; he subsequently missed most of his rookie season. Gueye returned from his injury with a stint for the Hawks' NBA G League affiliate, College Park Skyhawks, and appeared in four games where he averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.