NC State forward Mohamed Diarra declares for 2024 NBA Draft

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – One of the major contributors to the North Carolina State men’s basketball team’s historic run to the Final Four is moving on to the professional ranks.

NC State forward Mohamed Diarra announced his intentions to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft on Wednesday.

In his social media announcement , Diarra revealed that he’s turning his focus “100 percent” towards pursuing a professional career.

“This last season at NC State with my teammates and coaches was incredible for me,” Diarra said in a released statement. “It has been more than I could have imagined and I will always cherish my time with NC State and our run to an ACC championship and Final Four.”

“But my dream has always been to play in the NBA and now I’m going to turn my focus 100 percent to pursuing my professional career,” he added.

During his junior season, the 6-foot-10 big man averaged 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Wolfpack. However, Diarra’s level of play jumped to a whole other level in the postseason, tallying 9.0 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.

In the 10-game stretch that included the ACC Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, Diarra put together five double-double performances and seven consecutive games with at least 10 rebounds.

Diarra expressed his heartfelt gratitude to his teammates, coaches as well as Wolfpack fans.

“To my teammates at NC State, you guys are my brothers for life,” he wrote. “To my coaches, thank you for your guidance and your belief in my abilities. And finally to the fans, thank you for all of your support this season. The support you all showed the last month of our season was amazing. I will always be a member of Wolfpack Nation, but at this time I am officially declaring for the NBA Draft!”

NC State now has two open scholarship spots for next season.

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