Thierry Darlan

Thierry Serge Darlan (born 3 February 2004) is a Central African professional basketball player for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. He is a graduate of the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. Darlan also plays for the Central African Republic national team.

Early career

Born in Bangui, Darlan joined the NBA Academy Africa at an early age.

Darlan was invited to the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland in 2022, but was forced to miss the game due to an injury. In September 2022, he played at the Basketball Without Borders event in Cairo where was named the camp's MVP.

Professional career

First experiences in the BAL (2022)

Darlan made his professional debut in 2022 with Angolan club Petro de Luanda in the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Under the BAL Elevate program, he was assigned to Petro. He was on the roster that made it to the 2022 BAL Finals, where they lost to US Monastir. He averaged 4.3 points and 2 rebounds in the 2022 BAL season.

In the same year, in November 2022, Darlan and the NBA Academy played in the Road to BAL 2023 where they faced professional teams from across the continent. He averaged a team-high 23 points per game, as well as 5.7 assists per game, helping the academy win two out of three games.

NBA G League Ignite (2023–present)

On 2 March 2023, Darlan committed to the NBA G League Ignite, choosing to become a professional player instead of playing in college. He had drawn offers from Arizona, Kansas and Santa Clara, among others. On 25 May, he officially signed with the Ignite.

National team career

Darlan made his debut for the Central African Republic senior national team in 2022 during the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, in which he averaged 12.7 points in three games. He made his debut at age 18 in July 2022 during the third round of the qualifiers, scoring 12 points in the game against Guinea.

Player profile

Darlan is a 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) tall combo guard with a 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) wingspan and is known for his playmaking abilities and defensive versatility because of his large frame.

Personal life

Darlan is the grandson of Jean Pascal Darlan and the cousin of Bruno Darlan (b. 1961), who both were basketball players. Bruno was the head coach of the Central African Republic men's national basketball team when Thierry played with them.