Cheick Diallo (born September 13, 1996) is a Malian professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Diallo was a five-star recruit and was considered the top player in the Class of 2015. He was the MVP (Most Valuable Player) of the 2015 McDonald\'s All-American Boys Game. He played one season of college basketball for Kansas before declaring for the 2016 NBA draft, where he was selected with the 33rd overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers.\n', '

Diallo was born and raised in Kayes, Mali. It took approximately 15 hours to drive from his hometown to Bamako, the country\'s capital city. He was the youngest in his family and had five brothers. Diallo moved to the United States in February 2012 in pursuit of a basketball career. He was not fluent in the English language at the time. He recalled the time, "It was so tough. I left my parents, my friends, my brothers, everything, just to come here.\'" Diallo began playing basketball in 2010.\n', '

Through its international program, Diallo began attending Our Savior New American School in Centereach, New York. He played with Chris Obekpa in his freshman season and, at first, was dominated by the fellow African big man. Diallo said, "I didn\'t know what I was doing. I couldn\'t make a point. [Obekpa] blocked me every time." In later seasons, he became more effective for his team and attracted attention through his shot-blocking, rebounding, and versatility. Diallo was invited to the NBPA Top 100 camp in 2013 and went on to become its first MVP from Africa.\n', '

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