Emmanuel Kabeya Mudiay (born March 5, 1996) is a Congolese professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played high school basketball for Grace Preparatory Academy and Prime Prep Academy in Texas, where he gained much of the media\'s attention. He committed to play for the SMU Mustangs men\'s basketball team on August 24, 2013 but later made the decision to forgo college and joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China. After an injury-riddled season in China, he was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets.\n', '

Mudiay was born on March 5, 1996 in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo) to Jean-Paul Mudiay and Therese Kabeya. His father died when he was a toddler, and the family was tremendously troubled by the Second Congo War. He lived under the constant threat of the instability in the region, while his mother grew only enough coffee and vegetables to support their needs. In 2001, Kabeya and her sons sought asylum in the United States and eventually escaped. He primarily spoke French upon arriving in the United States, but his older brother said, "We felt like Americans."\n', '

In his freshman season, Mudiay attended Grace Preparatory Academy in Arlington, Texas where he played alongside Isaiah Austin, who became an elite college center before being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. Mudiay scored 16 points in the 2011 TAPPS Class 4A Final, helping the team defeat two-time champions Westbury Christian School with the score of 42-37.\n', '

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