Dieng Invited to NBA Draft Green Room

Wednesday, June 15, 2022

New Zealand Breakers NBL Next Star Ousmane Dieng has received an invite to the NBA Draft green room, according to ESPN.

Dieng will attend the draft with his family and will walk onto the stage when his name is called on June 24. The French sensation is projected to be a lottery pick, with a recent mock draft from The Ringer having Dieng as the ninth selection to the San Antonio Spurs.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">New Zealand Breakers wing Ousmane Dieng has received an invite to attend the NBA Draft green room with his family on June 23rd, a source told ESPN. <a href="https://t.co/qc4s3WjrRs">pic.twitter.com/qc4s3WjrRs</a></p>— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/1536456549136224256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

The NBA has invited 16 players to the green room, with only the top prospects earning an invitation.

A strong finish to the NBL season has helped Dieng’s draft stock rise. He scored in double figures in his last four games, including a career high 22 points against the South East Melbourne Phoenix in round 19. He also added six rebounds and six assists in that game as he showcased his full range of skills.

In other draft news, the deadline for withdrawals passed today, with Dieng, New Zealand’s Hugo Besson and Perth’s Luke Travers confirming they’re staying in the draft.

Adelaide’s Kai Sotto and Sydney’s Makur Maker are automatically eligible for the draft.

Brisbane Bullets Next Star Tom Digbeu withdrew from the draft.