Noah Penda
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No. 93 – Le Mans Sarthe | |
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Position | Small forward / power forward |
Personal information | |
Born | Paris, France | 7 January 2005
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
Career information | |
Playing career | 2022–present |
Career history | |
2022–2024 | JA Vichy-Clermont |
2024–present | Le Mans Sarthe |
Noah Penda (born 7 January 2005) is a French professional basketball player for Le Mans Sarthe Basket of the LNB Élite. He previously played for JA Vichy-Clermont.
Early life
[edit]Penda was born on 7 January 2005.[1] He was born in Paris and grew up in Bondy.[2] He played several sports when young, including football, judo, swimming and tennis, before trying out basketball.[2] He started playing basketball as a youth for the club BC Fontenay.[3] He later was a member of the clubs Villemomble and Levallois.[4] He averaged 19.5 points in 11 games for the Levallois U15 squad in the 2019–20 season before joining Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball for the following season.[5] He played 13 games for Centre in the Nationale Masculine 1, the third-tier of French basketball, during the 2020–21 season, averaging 2.9 points.[5] He remained with the team for the following season and averaged 10.6 points.[5]
Professional career
[edit]JA Vichy-Clermont
[edit]In June 2022, Penda signed a professional contract with JA Vichy-Clermont in the LNB Pro B, the second-tier of French basketball.[6] He appeared in 37 games during the 2022–23 season, averaging 3.9 points.[1] The following season, he appeared in 37 games again and average 9.5 points and 5.9 rebounds, being selected second-team All-LNB Pro B by Eurobasket.com and the league's best young player.[4][7]
Le Mans Sarthe
[edit]Penda signed with Le Mans Sarthe Basket, in the LNB Élite, France's top-tier, in June 2024.[7] He began seeing significant playing time as a starter despite being only 19 years old in his first season with the team.[8] He was an LNB all-star and participated in the league's Young Star Game in January, where he was named most valuable player.[9]
Penda has been viewed as a potential prospect for the 2025 NBA draft.[10][11]
International career
[edit]Penda competed for France at the 2022 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup, averaging 7.5 points in six games played.[12] He later participated in the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, helping France place second.[4] He represented France at the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket tournament, where he averaged 11.7 points in seven games and won the championship.[12] In the quarterfinals of the tournament, with France down by one point against Spain, he made a game-winning buzzer beater shot to win 74–72.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Noah Penda". RealGM.
- ^ a b "Au MSB, Noah Penda veut "créer un lien spécial avec le public"" [At MSB, Noah Penda wants to "create a special bond with the public"]. msb.fr (in French). 22 June 2024.
- ^ "Les premières médailles de l'été" [The first medals of the summer]. basketidf.com (in French). 18 July 2022.
- ^ a b c Jean, Bertrand (17 May 2024). "Basket. Élite : le MSB engage Noah Penda, le meilleur jeune de Pro B" [Basketball. Elite: MSB hires Noah Penda, the best young player in Pro B]. Ouest-France (in French).
- ^ a b c "Toutes les saisons du joueur PENDA Noah" [All seasons of the player PENDA Noah]. mr-stats.frenchbasketballscouting.fr (in French).
- ^ Bosi, Kévin (9 June 2022). "Noah Penda à Vichy/Clermont" [Noah Penda to Vichy/Clermont]. ancien.ffbb.com (in French).
- ^ a b Patel, Arpita (17 June 2024). "Noah Penda agreed terms with Le Mans". Eurobasket.com.
- ^ Bernucca, Andrew (November 12, 2024). "Noah Penda Is Playing a Big Role for Le Mans". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Colombani, Xavier (21 January 2025). "Young Star Game : Noah Penda MVP devant un parterre de scouts NBA" [Young Star Game: Noah Penda MVP in front of an audience of NBA scouts]. L'Équipe (in French).
- ^ "NBA Draft Scouting Report: France's Noah Penda". Sports Illustrated. 30 October 2024.
- ^ Kumpatla, Maurya (13 November 2024). "NBA Draft: Noah Penda Should be in First-Round Pick Consideration". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ a b "Noah Penda". Proballers.com.
- ^ "Noah Penda envoie la France en demi-finales de l'Euro U20 après un shoot au buzzer face à l'Espagne" [Noah Penda sends France into Euro U20 semi-finals after buzzer-beating shot against Spain]. L'Équipe (in French). 18 July 2024.