Myck Lukusa Kabongo (born January 12, 1992) is a former Congolese-Canadian former professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach and player development coach for the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns.
 Kabongo at Findlay Prep in 2010 | |
| Salt Lake City Stars | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach Player development ccoach |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | January 12, 1992 Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo |
| Nationality | DR Congo / Canadian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 180 lb (82 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nevada) |
| College | Texas (2011–2013) |
| NBA draft | 2013: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2013–2024 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Coaching career | 2024–present |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 2013–2014 | Austin Toros |
| 2014 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants |
| 2015 | Texas Legends |
| 2015–2016 | Erie BayHawks |
| 2016–2017 | BCM U Pitești |
| 2017 | Rayos de Hermosillo |
| 2018 | Zornotza ST |
| 2018 | STB Le Havre |
| 2018–2019 | Raptors 905 |
| 2019 | Guelph Nighthawks |
| 2019–2020 | Svendborg Rabbits |
| 2020–2021 | Akademija FMP |
| 2021 | Ferroviário de Maputo |
| 2021 | Al Rayyan |
| 2021–2022 | Cape Town Tigers |
| 2023–2024 | Scarborough Shooting Stars |
| As coach: | |
| 2024–present | Salt Lake City Stars (assistant) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
In international competition, Kabongo played for the DR Congo national team, with whom he played at AfroBasket 2017.
High school career
editKabongo started his high school career at Eastern Commerce Collegiate Institute in Toronto. He then played alongside fellow Canadian Tristan Thompson for a season-and-a-half at St. Benedict's Prep before Thompson was removed from the team[1] and transferred to Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada. Kabongo stayed at St. Benedict's through his junior season before he transferred to Findlay Prep.[2] Kabongo was the #10 player in the class of 2011 by Scout.com[3] and in the ESPNU 100.[4] Rivals.com rated as the #26 player.[5] He was selected to play in the 2011 McDonald's All-American Game[6] and the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic.[7]
College commitment
editKabongo committed to Texas on January 12, 2009.[8] On October 30, 2010, Kabongo decommitted from Texas,[9] but 5 days later, he recommitted, and signed his letter of intent.[10]
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Myck Kabongo PG |
Toronto, Ontario | Findlay Prep | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Nov 4, 2010 | |
Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 97
| ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 10; 2 (PG) Rivals: 26; 5 (PG) ESPN: 10; 2 (PG) | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
editKabongo started playing for Texas in the 2011–12 season. Kabongo was under investigation for alleged inappropriate contact with Rich Paul, an agent who also handles the contracts of former Findlay Prep and current NBA players Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph. Initially banned for the entire 2012–13 season, his suspension was later reduced to 23 games, and he made his debut in mid-February[11] and would go on to average 14.6 points per game in eleven games.
In April 2013, he declared for the NBA draft, foregoing his final two years of college eligibility.[12]
Professional career
editAfter going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, Kabongo joined the Miami Heat for the 2013 NBA Summer League. On September 30, 2013, he signed with the San Antonio Spurs.[13] However, he was waived by the Spurs on October 15, 2013.[14] On October 31, 2013, he was acquired by the Austin Toros of the NBA Development League.[15]
On October 30, 2014, Kabongo was acquired by the Austin Spurs. On November 1, 2014, he was traded to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.[16][17] On December 29, 2014, he was waived by the Mad Ants after appearing in 16 games while averaging 8.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.[18] On January 9, 2015, he was acquired by the Texas Legends.[19] Five days later, he was waived by the Legends after appearing in just two games.[20]
On October 31, 2015, Kabongo was selected by the Delaware 87ers in the second round of the 2015 NBA Development League Draft,[21] only to be traded to the Erie BayHawks on draft night.[22]
On August 27, 2016, Kabongo signed with BCM U Pitești of the Romanian Liga Națională.[23]
On January 4, 2018, Kabongo signed with Zornotza Saskibaloi Taldea of the Spanish Liga EBA.[24]
On February 23, 2018, Kabongo signed with STB Le Havre of the French LNB Pro B.[25] Kabono joined the Guelph Nighthawks of the Canadian Elite Basketball League in 2019, but was waived on July 22.[26] Kabongo joined the Svendborg Rabbits in 2019.[27] He averaged 12.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. On September 10, 2020, Kabongo signed with Akademija FMP in the Macedonian First League.[28]
On May 1, 2021, Kabongo signed with Mozambican club Ferroviário de Maputo to play in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).[29] He was a key part of Ferroviário's run to the quarterfinals in the first BAL season.
Starting from November 2021, Kabongo played for Al-Rayyan in the Qatari Basketball League. On December 5, he scored 42 points and had 11 assists in a 111–91 win over rival Al Ahli.[30]
On December 7, 2021, Kabongo joined South African champions Cape Town Tigers to play for the team in the 2022 BAL qualification games.[31]
National team
editKabongo represented the DR Congo national basketball team at the AfroBasket 2017 in Senegal/Tunisia where he finished among the top players in the categories assists per game (4.8) and steals per game (2.8).
Kabongo was invited to camp with Canada's national team for the 2013 FIBA Americas Championship but failed to make the final roster.[32]
Amateur career
editKabongo competes for Overseas Elite in annual The Basketball Tournament. He was a point guard on the 2015 team who won TBT's $1 million prize.[33]
Coaching career
editOn October 4, 2024, Kabongo was hired as an assistant coach and player development coach by the Salt Lake City Stars of the NBA G League.[34]
Personal life
editKabongo was born and raised in Lubumbashi, a city in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo). He has four brothers, including actor Emmanuel Kabongo, and one sister.[35][36][37] In the 1990s, Kabongo immigrated to Toronto with his family.[38]
Awards and honors
edit- 2011 McDonald's All-American team selection
- 2011 Jordan Brand High School All-American team selection
- 2012 Big 12 All-Rookie team selection
- 2021 BAL assists leader
BAL career statistics
edit| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Ferroviário | 4 | 4 | 34.2 | .236 | .208 | .826 | 5.0 | 6.8* | 2.3 | .0 | 12.5 |
| 2022 | Cape Town | 6 | 6 | 31.2 | .278 | .125 | .625 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 2.3 | .0 | 8.8 |
References
edit- ^ Luicci, Tom (February 11, 2009). "Texas recruit Tristan Thompson kicked off St. Benedict's boys basketball team". NJ.com. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ Kabongo, Myck (May 7, 2010). "Myck Kabongo: Headed to Findlay Prep". ESPN Rise. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Scout.com Basketball Rankings - 2011". Scout.com. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "ESPNU 100 Rankings - 2011". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Rivals.com Basketball Rankings - 2011". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Findlay Prep's Myck Kabongo the latest Canadian to go from Henderson to McDonald's All-American". Las Vegas Sun. March 8, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "2011 Jordan Brand Classic: West Team". Jordan Brand Classic. Archived from the original on August 6, 2011. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Myck Kabongo is a Longhorn". Scout.com. January 12, 2009. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Texas loses its No. 1 prospect". ESPN.com. October 30, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "Myck Kabongo back with Texas". ESPN. November 4, 2010. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
- ^ "NCAA probing Myck Kabongo". October 11, 2012. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ Myck Kabongo declares for draft
- ^ Spurs Announce Training Camp Roster
- ^ Spurs Waive Cousin, Kabongo and Maggette
- ^ Austin Toros Announce Trainig [sic] Camp Invitees Archived 2016-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mad Ants Finalize 2014-15 Training Camp Roster
- ^ Ants enter camp with 17 players Archived 2014-11-03 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mad Ants Cut Kabongo
- ^ Legends Acquire William Buford and Myck Kabongo
- ^ NBA D-League 2014-15 Transactions
- ^ 2015 NBA D-League Draft Board
- ^ Erie BayHawks Acquire 24th Overall Pick Myck Kabongo and Player Rights to D.J. Seeley
- ^ Myck Kabongo signs with BCM U Pitesti
- ^ "Zornotza signs Myck Kabongo". eurobasket.com. January 4, 2018.
- ^ "Le Havre lands Myck Kabongo". eurobasket.com. February 23, 2018.
- ^ "Guelph Nighthawks release one of their top performers". Guelph Today. July 22, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ^ "Myck Kabongo selected the top Congolese playing abroad in last week's games". Afrobasket. March 17, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
- ^ Chelidze, Dimitri (September 10, 2020). "Akademija FMP Skopje inks Myck Kabongo". US Basket. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ "Fer.Maputo signs Myck Kabongo". USbasket.com. May 1, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ "Myck Kabongo's double-double gives him the Player of the Week award among Congolese players abroad". Afrobasket.com. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
- ^ "Road to BAL 2022 : Myck Lukusa Kabongo à Cape Town Tigers". LeCoindole (in French). Retrieved 8 December 2021.
- ^ Kabongo and Scrubb cut from Team Canada
- ^ "Overseas Elite uses a different formula once again on way to victory | The Basketball Tournament". www.thetournament.com. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
- ^ "SLC Stars Announce 2024-25 Basketball Staff". OurSportsCentral.com. October 4, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
- ^ "Exclusive: Toronto's Own Myck Kabongo Ready To Take On Nike CROWN LEAGUE". Complex. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
- ^ "Kabongo: Fired up by Nollywood spirit". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2020-01-26. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
- ^ "Setting the Tone with Actor and Entrepreneur Emmanuel Kabongo | Harry Rosen". www.harryrosen.com. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
- ^ Schneller, Johanna (2022-04-06). "Meet actor Emmanuel Kabongo, the unstoppable force of energy the Canadian film and TV scene needs". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2022-07-23.