A record number of French players in NCAA in 2025-2026: Nearly 70, but who are they?

NCAA - Ilias Kamardine, Kezza Giffa, Yohan Traoré, Roman Domon, Halvine Dzellat-Diakeno... Nearly 70 French players are enrolled in NCAA Division I programs for the 2025-2026 season. Here's the complete list.

By@Gabriel Pantel-Jouve

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A record number of French players in NCAA in 2025-2026: Nearly 70, but who are they?

Mar 20, 2025; Providence, RI, USA; High Point Panthers guard Kezza Giffa (1) brings the ball upcourt against the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Photo Credit : © Eric Canha-Imagn Images

College teams are preparing for their 2025-2026 season, with exhibition games already underway. More than ever, these NCAA teams include French players. At the start of this season, there are nearly 70, exactly 68, though there may be some oversights even after reviewing all 361 NCAA rosters.

The introduction of name, image, and likeness (NIL) has revolutionized college sports, which was previously 100% amateur (at least officially). With the French market known for its potential, college programs have been actively recruiting every French talent. This is how established professional players like Ilias Kamardine and Roman Domon find themselves in NCAA at 22 and 20 years old respectively. Alongside players who have been in the United States for several years, like Kezza Giffa or Yohan Traoré, they form a true diaspora that should continue to grow in the coming years. We’ve listed all 68 French players for you in the tables below.

French players are also in NCAA II and NAIA, among others

Additionally, there are several hundred more players competing in NCAA II (second division) or NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics), such as Jakob Milling (brother of Kane and son of Kyle), former Orleans point guard Maxence Massadila, or lesser-known players like Parisian Lu-Ca Ntamag Mahop, Saint-Quentin’s Mathieu Cardot, Bordeaux’s Raphael Dupouy, former Nanterre player Maxime Ekono who is teammate of Robin Discamps (ex-Toulouse, Boulazac etc.) at Lincoln (MO), Rennes’ Anthony Djami, Noah Fassinut (ex Les Sables) and Raphael Gay (ex-Clermont, Vichy, Limoges) who are teammates at Central Methodist, Toulouse’s Yanis Mahoundo, Yaya Sidibe and former Nantes player Jakob Vigneault, to name a few.

But before listing them all, we focused on the 68 French players currently in DI. Here they are:

Start of Martin Carrère’s NCAA journey

[Tables content preserved as is, with URLs updated according to specified pattern]

Roman Domon, highly anticipated at Murray State

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Timéo Pons, a tall wing with strong offensive potential

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Isaiah Sy, time to establish himself at Oregon State

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Yohan Traoré, symbol of the new NCAA: fourth college in four years

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Please feel free to report any error or oversight in the comments section of this article or at the following email address ([email protected])

Gabriel Pantel-Jouve

Gabriel Pantel-Jouve est le fondateur et rédacteur en chef de BeBasket, qu’il anime depuis 2010 (sous le nom de Catch & Shoot). Passé par l’Ecole Publique de Journaliste de Tours, puis deux universités en Amérique du Nord, il a pu développer son expertise sur le basket français, de la Ligue Nationale aux divisions amateurs, durant ces 20 dernières années. En parallèle, il est aussi engagé dans le développement de clubs du côté de Montpellier.