An amateur player father, an international uncle and member of the blue selection during the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 alongside Richard Dacoury, Jacques Monclar or the Beugnot brothers. Despite a family environment bathed in basketball, the passion for the orange ball came later, in adolescence, for the young Alpha Kaba.
For a long time, the native of Blois had another dream. He saw himself wearing another outfit. When his teachers at the Louise de Savoie elementary school in Romorantin-Lanthenay asked him what he wanted to do later, the kid always answered surgeon. “This desire came to me when I saw my big sister Kadiata ( 5 years older ) wanting to embark on medical studies, explains the interior of Nanterre, 25 years old. I was, and still am, admiring her. I also watched medical series. I have always wanted to help others, to bring to others. It is a noble profession. “
If her sister ultimately opted for biochemistry studies, and basketball eventually caught up with Alpha Kaba after her science baccalaureate, her vocation has not left her. “I would have liked to continue after my baccalaureate but it was too complicated,” continues the 5th of a blended sibling of seven children. I had just been taken to the Pau training center and the closest medical schools were in Bordeaux or Toulouse. But I still think about it. I can see myself going back to school after my athletic career, or even trying to resume during. It doesn’t scare me, I like challenges. The more complicated it is, the more it motivates me. “
But while waiting to go back to school, the dad of little Kenya, 1 year old, uses his hands differently and now devotes himself to basketball. A passion born when he was 13 years old. “After a few years with my mother in Clichy-sous-Bois, I returned to live with my father in Blois,” says the Franco-Guinean who could play for one of the two selections. This is where I really started to play in a club. Love at first sight was immediate. And so is success. He quickly joined the hope center in Tours then the training center in Pau. After his experience in Pau, he still proves that he “likes to get out of [sa] comfort zone ”by taking over the management of the Mega Leks club in Serbia.
Drafted in 60th place by the Atlanta Hawks in 2017
“It wasn’t easy at first but I wanted to play pro quickly, to show myself. I thought it was the best thing to do… and I don’t regret it, it was an exceptional experience ”, confides the large 2.08 m stile. This passage also opens the doors to the prestigious NBA. A championship he dreamed of as a teenager in front of the exploits of his idol Kobe Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers. He will even be drafted (chosen) in 60th position by the Atlanta Hawks in 2017.
” My position (Editor’s note: at the Draft) has changed a lot, I was announced high, then low, then not at all, he recalls. Finally, I am called to the 60th position, the last. It may sound mediocre to many, but to me it was pure joy. When I heard my name, I was euphoric. I was one of 60 out of the thousands who want to be drafted each year. It is an honor and a pride. With my teammate (the Serbian Ognjen Jaramaz, drafted in 58th position), we had just landed in Belgrade from New York because the forecasts were not good. I arrived in my apartment almost as my name was given. It must have been 5 am in Belgrade and I think I woke all my neighbors by shouting. “
Despite this Draft, Alpha Kaba has failed to convince a franchise to trust him and has, for the moment, still not set foot on an NBA floor. “It’s a lack, an unfinished goal but it remains my goal,” said the former player of Asvel and Boulazac. I work for this. The Draft is not the only way to go to the NBA, I know it’s possible. I participate in the Summer League (summer competitions organized by clubs) to show myself and stay in touch with this world. My goal is to play it one day. “
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His good performance in the jersey of Nanterre, which he joined this summer, could encourage franchises to keep an eye on him.
