Injury Keeps Knicks Prospect Off National Team List

Pacome Dadiet's summer blues continue for the New York Knicks and, this time, they extend far beyond Manhattan.

As noted by New York Basketball on X, the Ivorian Basketball Federation announced that the Knicks' backcourt project will not compete for Ivory Coast in the FIBA AfroBasket competition due to a toe injury he endured during Summer League play in Las Vegas. The 31st edition of AfroBasket gets underway in Angola on Tuesday, with Ivory Coast facing off against Cape Verde, DR Congo, and Rwanda in Group A play.

Pacome Dadiet will not play for Ivory Coast in FIBA AfroBasket African championships next week

Dadiet was on preliminary roster but ruled out after Summer League toe injury

In February Dadiet renewed his Ivorian passport, sparking hopes he'd play for Les Éléphants this summer pic.twitter.com/55gPi8Igp5
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) August 10, 2025

Dadiet was born in France and previously competed for its national amateur club but renewed his Ivory Coast passport earlier this year to potentially compete on the club. The 20-year-old is the Knicks' most recent first-round pick, chosen with the 25th overall pick in 2024.

Working under the notoriously hard-to-please Tom Thibodeau in his rookie year, Dadiet appeared in 20 games (including two playoff contests), mostly to average 1.7 points in mop-up duty. He was set to be one of the Knicks' attractions in Summer League play and put up 24 points (on over 45 percent from the field) and seven rebounds in two showings before he was medically sidelined.

With the setbacks, it's once again hard to imagine Dadiet residing in the Knicks' primary rotation when next season tips off, even with Thibodeau's propensity to sit freshmen. He may well be destined for further development with the G League club in Westchester, where he averaged 13.9 points and 5.5 rebounds in 23 showings.

Apr 13, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Pacome Dadiet (4) dribbles after the game Brooklyn Nets forward Jalen Wilson (22) during the first half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Ivory Coast has won two AfroBasket titles, the latter coming in 1985. Les Elephants finished in the runner-up spot during the last tournament in 2021, falling to two-time defending champion Tunisia in Rwanda.

Though Dadiet won't be partaking, his surname will still appear on the back of an AfroBasket jersey, as his older brother Maxence will play for Les Elephants. The most notable name on the roster is likely NBA veteran Mo Bamba, a 2018 lottery pick born in New York who spent last season between the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Pelicans.

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