It’s Paris, mate !

Published on June 4, 2026

For the first time in French basketball history, two players who came through the ranks of the same club are competing in the NBA Finals. A tremendous achievement by Mo Diawara and Pacôme Dadiet.

There’ll be a touch of Paris Basketball in New York ! With the NBA Finals having only just begun, two former Parisian players are in the Knicks’ line-up for this series against Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs. An incredible journey that began in the capital.

A native of the City of Light, Mohamed Diawara made his debut in the world of basketball at Domrémy. After graduating from INSEP, our former centre joined the Paris Basketball youth team before turning professional with us. Selected as the 51st pick in the 2025 Draft, Mo moved straight from Los Angeles to New York. His impressive performances in the Big Apple earned him a guaranteed contract at the end of October, capped by an 18-point haul against the Pelicans.

At the Knicks, Mohamed has been reunited with one of his former Paris Basketball teammates, Pacôme Dadiet. Born in the south of France, the youngster from Charenton also joined the Pôle France before moving to the capital in 2021. Alongside Mo Diawara, he dominated the U21 category and played for the first team from the age of 16 years and 2 months. After spells at the OrangeAcademy and Ulm, the swingman was drafted 24th overall in the 2024 draft. Now in New York for two seasons, our Frenchie is playing in his very first NBA Finals.