WASHINGTON — In the years to come, Bilal Coulibaly will have plenty of opportunities to prove the Washington Wizards made the smart choice when they traded up in the 2023 NBA Draft’s first round to select him.
Saturday morning was not one of those opportunities. He did not touch a ball. He did not launch a long-distance shot. He did not guard an All-Star.
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What Coulibaly did instead was, in many ways, even more impressive than what he might do on a basketball court. Team officials held a news conference to introduce him to local media members and, by extension, Wizards fans. The lanky teenager exuded poise as television cameras and cellphones recorded his every move and microphones homed in on whatever he said.
None of that might seem all that special. Holding introductory question-and-answer sessions is standard operating procedure after NBA teams draft someone in the first round.
But Coulibaly’s circumstance deviated from the norm. He is only 18 years old, and English is not his first language. To him, the United States is a foreign country. As recently as several months ago, he did not even expect to enter this year’s draft. He figured he would spend a full year of seasoning in France’s top professional basketball league before he made the jump to the world’s greatest basketball league.
When someone asked what motivates him, Coulibaly answered, “Everything that I think about is my family.” Then, glancing quickly toward his left, into the front row — where his mom, dad and two sisters were sitting — he added: “I want to make sure that they’re part of me. Yeah, I want to make them proud. You know, we’ve been through a lot, and being here today is such a blessing.”
Coulibaly appeared at ease, like he belongs in the spotlight.
If that doesn’t sound so impressive in its own right, consider how it would have felt for you if the roles were reversed.
Let’s say you were a raw 18-year-old North American soccer player with only a smattering of experience in Major League Soccer. And let’s say you went overseas to France and joined a team in France’s top soccer league, Ligue 1. How would you, as a native English speaker, have felt during your introductory news conference conducted in French?
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If you would have felt completely confident — or at least looked completely confident — then you would have resembled Coulibaly at his introductory Wizards news conference.
🚧 LES HIGHLIGHTS DE BILAL COULIBALY 🇫🇷
À J-3 de la #NBADraft, c'est le moment de revoir les meilleures actions de l'incroyable saison de Bilal, 18 ans et déjà dans la cour des grands ✨#BetclicELITE @Bilaal_6 x @Metropolitans92 pic.twitter.com/3Ump0tSG4d
— LNB (@LNBofficiel) June 19, 2023
He has lofty aspirations. Asked to name the NBA or WNBA players he models his game after, he mentioned he’s recently studied a pair of the league’s best two-way players, Mikal Bridges of the Brooklyn Nets and Paul George of the LA Clippers.
He does not have to reach the levels of Bridges and George yet. The Wizards, who have just started to rebuild, have the time to nurture him with patience.
Wizards general manager Will Dawkins said Coulibaly is someone who “talent-wise is just scratching the surface.”
Dawkins added: “He’s got a rare mix of youth, elite athleticism, speed with a skill set to continue to handle the ball, pass and defend at a high level. He’s a two-way player that we have a lot of confidence in and were able to target for those reasons.”
Selecting Coulibaly represents a significant departure for the Wizards. In recent years, the team tended to make relatively safe first-round picks, choosing players who were thought to have relatively high floors but, in most cases, relatively low ceilings: Rui Hachimura, Deni Avdija, Corey Kispert and Johnny Davis.
Coulibaly, on the other hand, is a quintessential high-risk, high-reward draft pick. Although he possesses superb positional size for a wing, at 6 feet 7, and has strong athletic skills, he’s also relatively untested.
The Wizards’ approach is different because, after April’s firing of team president and general manager Tommy Sheppard, the executives who head the front office are different. Monumental Basketball president Michael Winger, Dawkins and senior vice president of player personnel Travis Schlenk were hired over the last month.
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Wizards executives are taking the calculated risk that Coulibaly will meet his undeniable potential.
On Saturday, Coulibaly started to demonstrate why Winger, Dawkins and Schlenk have faith in him as a person.
The Athletic spoke briefly with Coulibaly after his news conference, asking him broad questions designed to give NBA fans a chance to get to know him a little bit. The conversation that follows was edited lightly for clarity and grammar.
How did your English get so good?
Thank you, first. You know, at a younger age, we have some classes in English and everything, and I’ve been watching a lot of videos on YouTube, the Netflix service and films, and it helped me a lot.
Why did you start playing basketball?
Because my father loved it. Yeah, I was supposed to play soccer. … I started playing basketball and I loved it.
Were you a good soccer player?
Yeah, I was! I was the best at my school. I couldn’t wait to play soccer, but now it’s basketball, and that’s it.
How did you choose to wear the No. 0 on your Wizards jersey?
Last year, I was supposed to wear No. 3. But (my former Metropolitans 92 teammate) DeVante’ Jones has it, and I had to choose another one. I had no idea (what to do), so I said, “Zero idea (so) the number zero.” And I had a great year, so I’ll just continue with it.
What sights, what monuments, what museums do you want to see in this city?
The White House. I can’t wait to see it. I’ve only seen it on TV, you know, with Barack Obama. But I’ve got to see it in real life.
What are your initial thoughts about what you’ve seen so far here?
I love the city. There’s a lot of European citizens in the city. I heard some Spanish, French, everything. I love it.
What’s it like to share this with your family?
Oh, it’s just such a blessing. I saw them cry at draft night. I’m just so proud.
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Did you cry on draft night?
I did not. Almost! (He laughed.)
What are your expectations for yourself as a player in the NBA?
I want to be a good two-way player. But, yeah, I want to be a franchise player by the next four years. I want to stay in D.C., give it all for the fans, for the city.
How do you want to grow as a person? You’re only 18.
Yeah, I’m only 18. I’ve got a long way to go. Physically, gain some weight. I’m going to grow. I know it. I can’t wait to be Bilal, the real Bilal, the man one.
What are some of your interests off the court? Have you had the time to have any hobbies?
I love to play video games with my friends. I love to go shopping, too, and see my family.
How has it been helpful to speak with Ian Mahinmi and Kevin Séraphin to prepare for this process?
Even before (I was drafted) I was talking to them. I was practicing with Kevin Séraphin, too. As soon as I got drafted, they called me and was just wishing me all the luck. They said they will come to D.C. to support me.
Can you describe your family’s journey up to this moment?
It has been a long way. I grew up in small cities. We (weren’t) rich. They did it all by themselves. That was hard. I’m just proud to be here to help them now.
What kind of example did they set for you?
Just to be humble. Be humble. Today you can be at the top. But tomorrow you can be low. So just be humble.
How many brothers and sisters do you have?
I’ve got two sisters. … I’m the middle one between two girls.
How are you looking forward to summer league?
I can’t wait for that.
(Photo of Bilal Coulibaly and Will Dawkins: Stephen Gosling / Courtesy of the Washington Wizards)
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