.jpg) Mudiay with theNew York Knicks in 2018 | |
| No. 44 – Piratas de Quebradillas | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | BSN |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1996-03-05)March 5, 1996 (age 29) Kinshasa, Zaire(now DR Congo) |
| Nationality | Congolese / American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 200 lb (91 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | |
| NBA draft | 2015: 1st round, 7th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Denver Nuggets |
| Playing career | 2014–present |
| Career history | |
| 2014–2015 | Guangdong Southern Tigers |
| 2015–2018 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2018–2019 | New York Knicks |
| 2019–2020 | Utah Jazz |
| 2021 | Žalgiris Kaunas |
| 2021–2022 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2022–2023 | Iowa Wolves |
| 2023 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
| 2024–present | Piratas de Quebradillas |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats at NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay (born March 5, 1996) is aCongolese-American professionalbasketball player. He played high school basketball forGrace Preparatory Academy andPrime Prep Academy inTexas, where he received media attention. He committed to play for theSMU Mustangs men's basketball team on August 24, 2013, but later made the decision to forgo college and joined theGuangdong Southern Tigers in China. After an injury-riddled season in China, he was selected with the seventh overall pick in the2015 NBA draft by theDenver Nuggets.
Mudiay was born on March 5, 1996, inKinshasa,Zaire (now theDemocratic Republic of the Congo) to Jean-Paul Mudiay and Therese Kabeya. His father died when he was a toddler, and the family was tremendously troubled by theSecond Congo War. He lived under the constant threat of the instability in the region, while his mother grew only enough coffee and vegetables to support their needs. In 2001, Kabeya and her sons sought asylum in the United States and eventually escaped.[1] He primarily spokeFrench upon arriving in the United States, but his older brother said, "We felt like Americans."[1]
.JPG)
In his freshman season, Mudiay attendedGrace Preparatory Academy inArlington, Texas, where he played alongsideIsaiah Austin, who became an elite collegecenter before being diagnosed withMarfan syndrome. Mudiay scored 16 points in the 2011TAPPS Class 4A Final, helping the team defeat two-time championsWestbury Christian School with the score of 42–37.[2]
Mudiay transferred toPrime Prep Academy inDallas, Texas, with head coach Ray Forsett for his final seasons in high school. The program was put under scrutiny following the ineligibility of Karviar Sheperd andJordan Mickey, two elite collegiate prospects. Upon excellent seasons with Prime Prep, however, Mudiay was rated the second-best recruit in his class byRivals.com. He was also touted as a possiblenumber one pick in the2015 NBA draft.[3]
He committed to play for theSMU Mustangs men's basketball team on August 24, 2013, because of the prospect of being coached byLarry Brown, who previously won anNBA title with theDetroit Pistons.[4] Mudiay selected the school over other possibilities with the likes ofArizona,Baylor,Kansas, andKentucky.[5]
In the summer of 2014, Mudiay made the decision to forgo college and play overseas after considering playing in theChinese Basketball Association. The move drew comparisons withBrandon Jennings, who made a similar choice.[6][7]
On July 22, 2014, Mudiay signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with theGuangdong Southern Tigers of theChinese Basketball Association.[8][9] On December 5, 2014,Will Bynum was signed by Guangdong as an injury replacement for Mudiay.[10] Mudiay managed just 10 regular season games for Guangdong, only returning to action for the team on March 1, 2015, in Game 3 of theirsemi-final series against theBeijing Ducks.[11] He played in Game 4 as well, but Guangdong lost the best-of-five series 3–1. In 12 total games (10 regular season and two playoff), Mudiay averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game.
On June 25, 2015, Mudiay was selected by theDenver Nuggets with the seventh overall pick in the2015 NBA draft.[12] Mudiay played with the Nuggets in the2015 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, where he was named to the All-NBA Summer League second team.[13] On July 31, he signed a 2-year, $6.3 million rookie scale contract with the Nuggets.[14] He made his debut for the Nuggets in the team's season opener against theHouston Rockets on October 28, recording 17 points and nine assists in a 105–85 win.[15] Mudiay started in all 23 games for the Nuggets to begin the season before a sprained right ankle suffered on December 11 ruled him out for 14 straight games.[16] He returned to action on January 10 against theCharlotte Hornets, recording 11 points and six assists in a 95–92 win.[17] On February 11, he was selected to replace injured defending championPatrick Beverley in theNBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge.[18] On March 10, he scored a career-high 30 points in a 116–98 win over the Phoenix Suns.[19] On March 23, he recorded 27 points and 11 rebounds, and hit the game-winning 35-foot "rainbow" shot at the buzzer to give the Nuggets a 104–103 win over thePhiladelphia 76ers.[20] At the season's end, he earnedNBA All-Rookie Second Team honors.[21]
On November 6, 2016, Mudiay scored 24 of his career-high-tying 30 points in the first quarter of the Nuggets' 123–107 win over theBoston Celtics.[22] On January 16, 2017, he had a career-high 13 assists in a 125–112 win over theOrlando Magic.[23] Mudiay made 41 starts over the first half of the 2016–17 season before being moved to the bench and dropping out of the rotation in late January.[24]
On February 8, 2018, Mudiay was acquired by theNew York Knicks in exchange forDoug McDermott and a second-round pick, as part of a three-team trade with the Nuggets and theDallas Mavericks.[25] In his debut for the Knicks three days later, Mudiay had 14 points and 10 assists in a 121–113 loss to theIndiana Pacers.[26]
Two days prior to the start of the 2018–19 season, Mudiay sprained his right ankle in practice; an injury which would sideline him for over two weeks.[27] On December 14, he scored a career-high 34 points in a 126–124 overtime win over theCharlotte Hornets.[28][29] On January 25, he was diagnosed with a left shoulder strain and was ruled out for at least two weeks.[30] He returned from a 12-game absence on February 22 against theMinnesota Timberwolves.[31] Mudiay missed the final two games of the season because of a sore left shoulder.[32]
On July 20, 2019, Mudiay signed with theUtah Jazz. In an interview shortly after signing with the Jazz, he was asked specifically why he chose to sign with the Jazz organization and he stated that he "can look at him [Mike Conley] like a big brother and he can mentor me" and "a lot of players that have come here have developed and gotten better and that's something that I wanted to do." He also stated he had never played in the playoffs and that's something that he wanted to do.[33]
On August 3, 2021, Mudiay was included on thePortland Trail Blazers roster for the2021 NBA Summer League.[34]
On August 23, 2021, Mudiay officially signed a one-year deal with Lithuanian clubŽalgiris Kaunas of theEuroLeague.[35]
On November 2, 2021, Mudiay and Žalgiris mutually parted ways.[36] Mudiay averaged 7.4 points, 3.2 assists and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 32.5% from the field over 5 games with the club.
On December 22, 2021, Mudiay signed a 10-day contract with theSacramento Kings.[37]
On November 2, 2022, Mudiay was named to the opening night roster for theIowa Wolves.[38]
On June 8, 2023, Mudiay signed withCangrejeros de Santurce of thePuerto Rican league.[39]
On February 13, 2024, Mudiay signed with thePiratas de Quebradillas of theBaloncesto Superior Nacional.[40]
On June 13, 2024, Mudiay was drafted by theValley Suns in the2024 NBA G League expansion draft.[41]
On July 1, 2025, Mudiay was named the 2025BSN Most Valuable Player.[42]
During the 2016 off-season, Mudiay was part of the USA Men's Select Team, a team selected to train with the USA Basketball Men's National Team in preparation for the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.[43]
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | Denver | 68 | 66 | 30.4 | .364 | .319 | .670 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 1.0 | .5 | 12.8 |
| 2016–17 | Denver | 55 | 41 | 25.6 | .377 | .316 | .784 | 3.3 | 3.9 | .7 | .2 | 11.0 |
| 2017–18 | Denver | 42 | 0 | 17.9 | .401 | .373 | .808 | 2.2 | 2.9 | .5 | .1 | 8.5 |
| New York | 22 | 14 | 22.4 | .368 | .196 | .686 | 2.6 | 3.9 | .9 | .3 | 8.8 | |
| 2018–19 | New York | 59 | 42 | 27.2 | .446 | .329 | .774 | 3.3 | 3.9 | .7 | .3 | 15.0 |
| 2019–20 | Utah | 54 | 2 | 15.7 | .462 | .345 | .759 | 2.3 | 2.1 | .4 | .2 | 7.3 |
| 2021–22 | Sacramento | 2 | 0 | 5.5 | .000 | — | .750 | .0 | 2.0 | .5 | .0 | 1.5 |
| Career | 302 | 165 | 23.8 | .401 | .323 | .744 | 2.9 | 3.8 | .7 | .3 | 10.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Utah | 3 | 0 | 11.3 | .357 | .667 | .500 | 2.0 | .7 | .0 | .3 | 4.3 |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 11.3 | .357 | .667 | .500 | 2.0 | .7 | .0 | .3 | 4.3 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | Guangdong | 12 | 0 | 31.6 | .478 | .342 | .574 | 6.3 | 5.9 | 1.6 | .1 | 18.0 |
· Basketball Reference 