Saliou Niang

Saliou Niang
Niang with Italy in 2025
No. 7 – LSU Tigers
PositionSmall forward
LeagueSEC
Personal information
Born (2004-05-14) 14 May 2004
Dakar, Senegal
Listed height2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)
Listed weight91 kg (201 lb)
Career information
CollegeLSU (2026–present)
NBA draft2025: 2nd round, 58th overall pick
Drafted byCleveland Cavaliers
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2023Fortitudo Bologna
2023–2025Aquila Trento
2025–2026Virtus Bologna
Career highlights
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference 
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Italy

Saliou Niang (born 14 May 2004) is a Senegalese-Italian college basketball player for the LSU Tigers of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He has previously played for Virtus Bologna and Aquila Trento of the Italian Lega A. Niang was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 58th pick in the 2025 NBA draft.[1]

Early life

In 2004, Niang was born in Dakar, Senegal. He moved to Italy at the age of two and spent his childhood in Mandello del Lario, in the province of Lecco. He grew up with his junior team, Fortitudo Bologna, before making his debut for them in 2022.[2]

College career

After getting drafted in the 2025 NBA draft and spending the season with Virtus Bologna, Niang drew interest from NCAA teams such as LSU, North Carolina, Duke, and Arizona.[3] Niang chose to commit to play for LSU on 19 May 2026.[4]

Basketball career

Fortitudo Bologna

On 5 May 2022, Saliou Niang made his debut for Fortitudo Bologna, playing one minute off the bench in a six-point victory, where he committed one turnover and failed to record any other stats. In 2023, he played on Aquila Basket Trento.[5]

Aquila Basket Trento

After receiving minimal playing time with Fortitudo Bologna, Niang went to play for Aquila Basket Trento. He debuted on 29 November 2023. In his 2nd outing with the team, he shot 80% from the field, finishing the game with ten points, seven rebounds, and two assists, all of which were career highs. Later in the Lega Serie-A season, he scored a season-high 16 points, all from 2-pointers.[6] Aquila Basket Trento won the Italian Basketball Cup for the first time in 2025.

NBA Draft and Virtus Bologna

On 26 June 2025, Niang was drafted as the 28th pick of the second round (58th overall) by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2025 NBA draft. [7] Instead of signing in the NBA, Niang played for Virtus Bologna the following season, the reigning champions of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Virtus Bologna went on to finish with the best record of the 2025-2026 Italian Lega Basket Serie A regular season, at 23-5.

International Career

Niang played with Italy at FIBA EuroBasket 2025, where he appeared in 5 games for the National Team. [8]

References

  1. ↑ "NBA Draft Scouting Report: Senegal's Saliou Niang". NBA Draft On SI. 27 April 2025. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  2. ↑ "SALIOU NIANG Profile | EuroCup". Euroleague Basketball. 12 May 2025. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "Saliou Niang leaning towards playing in NCAA next season". BasketNews. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  4. ↑ "Italian Forward Saliou Niang, Former NBA Draft Pick, Commits to LSU". On3. Retrieved 20 May 2026.
  5. ↑ "Saliou Niang 2021-22 Lega Basket Serie A UnipolSai Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  6. ↑ "Saliou Niang International Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 27 June 2025.
  7. ↑ Schuster, Blake; read, For The Win·1 min (27 June 2025). "Who is Saliou Niang? Meet the 2025 NBA Draft's most unexpected pick". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved 27 June 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  8. ↑ "Saliou Niang". FIBA Basketball. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
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