Mathias M’Madi has a promising career in the NBA ahead of him. Now, the Malagasy talent has opted to sit out the NBA Draft this year due to a recent injury. M’Madi holds dual citizenship for France and Madagascar, but the 6’5” guard opted to represent the nation of his heritage instead of the country of his birth. The Draft is due to offer up a few surprises when the event takes place on June 25-26 in Brooklyn, New York. As with most years in the NBA, the Draft has already been shrouded in controversy following the Mavs’ number one pick allocation.
Mathias M’Madi has been preparing for the NBA for a long time
Mathias M’Madi was born in Toulon, France in June 2005. He gravitated to basketball at a young age as his father, who was also a basketball player, introduced Mathias to the sport at the tender age of just 4. From there, the writing was on the wall, and the expectation was that young Mathias would one day end up in the NBA.
Mathias has been playing for several teams in Europe for the last few years, as well as putting in some stellar performances for the Madagascar National team. For his current club, CB Morón in Spain, he averaged 7.1 points per game this season. His international performances have been significantly more impressive. For the national side, he averages 13.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.
Most young players are rushing to get to the NBA
The NBA requires a lot from the young players entering the league. As an NBA player, one is expected to have a certain level of maturity to go along with the athletic conditioning needed to play at the pinnacle of the sport of basketball. There is evidence to wait to enter the draft as opposed to rushing in; the perfect examples of this are Jalen Green for the Rockets and Cade Cunningham for the Pistons. Both had potential, but suffered from injuries and off-court drama.
Mathias M’Madi has considered his approach to entering the NBA
As the NBA Draft is only a few weeks away, the spotlight is now on the young players entering the league. M’Madi is only 20 years old, so he has enough time to take a step back and recover from an ankle injury sustained during a workout session with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Following the injury, Mathias discussed the situation with his team and family. Opting to sit out the draft for next season.
The decision could not have been an easy one for M’Madi; however, he still has time to play in the AfroBasket 2025 tournament taking place in Angola in August. After the injury, he had non-contact drills with the Orlando Magic and was limited to interviews with the Milwaukee Bucks. So the interest is there, but M’Madi has chosen not to force it and recover fully for the 2026-27 draft.
Interest in M’Madi is high following his impressive performances in Spain and for the Madagascar National team. The international appeal of the sport is growing, and NBA teams keep a close eye on the star international performers. Following the injury, Mathias M’Madi took to his social media pages to say the following about his decision to pull out of the 2025-26 draft:
“I was not in optimal physical condition, and there was no guarantee of a full recovery in time for the NBA Summer League, to which I was invited.”
Has Mathias M’Madi made the right decision to pull out of the draft?
In our humble opinion, yes, he has. When one considers the fact that M’Madi has been playing and surely dreaming about the NBA from the age of 4, he is a pro at the waiting game. He bided his time and improved his skills in Europe and for the Madagascar National team. Along with the NBA Draft, the teams in the league are currently focused on the myriad of trade rumors circulating the headlines around the world. M’Madi has decided to prolong his preparation and pull out of the draft to recover fully so he can be at his best when entering the NBA.
