Mady Sissoko Plays in Summer League Game -- But Not Much

Former Cal center Mady Sissoko did not get much of a chance to show what he could do in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s NBA Summer League game on Tuesday, but at least he got on the floor this time.

After starting all three games for the Thunder in the Salt Lake City Summer League last week, Sissoko has been a forgotten bench-warmer in Oklahoma City’s games in the Las Vegas Summer League this week.

Sissoko, who was signed by the Thunder as an undrafted free agent back on July 3, did not play at all in the Thunder’s first two games in Las Vegas, and his court time on Tuesday against Orlando was insignificant.

With the Thunder leading by 13 points in the fourth quarter Sissoko was sent into the game with 2:38 left.  He was on the floor long enough to record a steal two seconds after he got in the game, then he scored on a dunk with 1:58 left and added a defensive rebound with 39 seconds to go before the Thunder wrapped up its 92-75 victory over the Magic.

Playing less than three minutes after not playing at all in the previous two games does not bode well for Sissoko’s future with the Thunder even though he averaged 7.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and 19 minutes in his three games in Sallt Lake City.

There’s always a chance he could latch on with another team, or he could use the summer league as an audition to play in another country. He has a strong body and a penchant for rebounding, which might be attractive to some teams.

In his one and only season for Cal in 2024-25, Sissoko averaged 8.3 points and 8.2 rebounds, and his rebounding average ranked fifth in the ACC.

Recent articles:

Jared Goff Shines in Netflix Documentary

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 8 -- Marshawn Lynch

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 9 - Jeff Kent

Ex-Cal star Jaylon Tyson has a productive day in NBA summer league

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 10 - Chuck Muncie

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 11 -- Joe Kapp

Top 50 Cal Pros: No. 12 - Jackie Jensen