Bilal Coulibaly

Professional career

Bilal Coulibaly got his start in professional basketball with Metropolitans 92 in France’s under-21 league, the LNB Espoirs, back in 2021. He kicked off the 2022–23 season on that same under-21 team, but after putting up 21.9 points, 2.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in the Espoirs, he earned a promotion to the senior squad. There, he shared the court with Victor Wembanyama, who would go on to win NBA Rookie of the Year. In the 2023 NBA draft, the Indiana Pacers picked Coulibaly seventh overall, then traded his rights to the Washington Wizards in exchange for two future second-round picks and the draft rights to Jarace Walker.

Washington Wizards (2023–present)

He signed with Washington on July 2, 2023, and suited up for the team in the 2023 NBA Summer League, averaging 12.3 points and 4.8 rebounds across four games. Coulibaly made his NBA debut on October 25, logging three points, four rebounds, three assists, and three blocks in 23 minutes during a 143–120 loss to the Pacers. Just five days later, on October 30, he became the youngest player in Wizards franchise history to start a game, doing so at 19 years and 96 days old against the Boston Celtics.

He notched his first double-double on December 8 against the Brooklyn Nets, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds. On March 18, 2024, the Wizards announced that Coulibaly would sit out the rest of the 2023–24 season after fracturing his right wrist in a game versus the Chicago Bulls. Over his rookie year, he appeared in 63 games (15 starts), averaging 8.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. The following season, 2024–25, he started 59 contests and averaged 12.3 points, five rebounds, and 3.4 assists.

A right hamstring strain in March 2025 ended his season early. On September 12, 2025, he underwent surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb.

Did You Know?

• Coulibaly was born in Saint-Cloud, France, a commune of Paris, and grew up in nearby Courbevoie.
• He began playing basketball at age eight for Courbevoie Sport Basket.
• Coulibaly is of Malian descent.
• He played for the France national under-18 team at the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship, averaging 7.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and one assist over seven games.
• Coulibaly earned a silver medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics after France lost to the United States in the finals.