Mohamed Dabone, Barcelona’s wonderkid, continues to make waves in the basketball world. Dabone recently led the way as Barcelona won the 2024 Endesa Mini Cup, a U-14 event, and his highlights from the tournament have gone viral on X.
This kid is 13 😳
(🎥 @swishcultures_) pic.twitter.com/dnlYcS61F2
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 18, 2024
If you think that’s impressive for a 13-year-old, Dabone, who is officially listed at 208 centimeters (6’8″), is actually only 12 years old. NBA fans were highly impressed by what they saw from him.
A fan says Dabone is going to be the next big thing.
yep. Seen enough. He’s up NEXT
— FANTASY FOOTBALL 🏆🏆 (1-1) (@FELDABOii) February 18, 2024
One thinks Dabone would be the best player on the Detroit Pistons.
Would be best player on the Pistons
— Sports Discussion (@SPORTSDEBATE_X) February 18, 2024
A fan saw shades of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the first clip.
That boy, looking like Giannis in the first clip
— Erv Sa La Vie (@_AfterForeva) February 18, 2024
One fan is wondering how many more Victor Wembanyama’s are we going to get.
how many wembys are we gonna get
— Joel Haley (@joelhaley_) February 19, 2024
The future is in safe hands, a fan stated.
The next generation for basketball is in great hands
— Bench Warmer Banter (@bwb_sports) February 18, 2024
One is wondering what on earth kids these days are being fed.
https://twitter.com/LakersFanatiic/status/1759252190810525943
The combination of size and skill at such a young age is simply mind-boggling. Dabone, who was born in Burkina Faso, recorded 22 points, 26 rebounds, 5 steals, and 6 blocks in the final of the Mini Cup against Real Madrid, as Barcelona won 89-78.
Mohamed Dabone vs Real Madrid (Final Minicopa 2024): pic.twitter.com/z2RLQljLEx
— Ramón (@monbr24) February 18, 2024
The youngster finished with averages of 18.3 points, 13.5 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game in the tournament, and earned MVP honors. Interestingly, Luka Doncic was crowned MVP of the 2013 edition of the Mini Cup when he was about a year older than Dabone.
While his upside is perhaps even greater than Doncic’s, it is still too early to say with certainty that he will turn out to be special in the pros. Over the years, there have been many young basketball phenoms who never quite developed as imagined, and I hope Dabone doesn’t end up going that route.
It is going to be a while before he even becomes eligible to enter the NBA Draft, as the earliest he could enter is about 2030 or 2031. It’s probably not something Dabone is even thinking about right now, as he is just dominating the competition at the junior levels.
Just a few months earlier, Dabone had also guided Barcelona to victory in the FLL Tournament in Madrid. Despite it being a U-15 event, he won MVP, and Dabone’s highlights from that tournament had gone viral, too.
Surprisingly enough, Dabone isn’t the only abnormally tall youngster from Africa to make waves in Spain. Real Madrid’s Malian sensation Mahamadou Landoure had easily bettered Dabone’s performance in last year’s final. Landoure had 56 points, 33 rebounds, and 5 blocks to lead Real Madrid to victory over Barcelona.
You wonder if we’re going to see more and more prospects like Dabone and Landoure in the future. Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren seem like unicorns as of now, but there appears to be a chance the NBA will have quite a few players like them in the future.
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