North Carolina lands five-star international recruit Sayon Keita

UNC basketball coach Michael Malone. Rodd Baxley/The Fayetteville Observer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

North Carolina lands five-star international recruit Sayon Keita

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Apr 28, 2026 6:52 PM ET

The North Carolina Tar Heels are back on the board and Michael Malone and his new staff in Chapel Hill have to be thrilled about their most recent commitment.

It's a commitment that comes from Sayon Keita, a five-star international prospect from Spain.

Checking in at a towering 7-foot, 215 pounds, Keita recently came stateside for visits with the Tar Heels, Kansas Jayhawks, Indiana Hoosiers, Kentucky Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils and UConn Huskies.

Ultimately, it was the Tar Heels and their new head coach, Malone, who won the day.

Keita committed to North Carolina on Tuesday.

NEWS: 5⭐️ Sayon Keita has committed to North Carolina, source confirmed to @Rivals.

The 7-0 big man is viewed as one of the top international prospects. First by @DraftExpress.https://t.co/VQzgw8gvg3 pic.twitter.com/hVyECqdn0Z
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 28, 2026

Sayon Keita brings a ton of potential to North Carolina

Keita has played for FC Barcelona and has competed in professional leagues like the Spanish Liga ACB and EuroLeague.

Notably, he's getting hyped because of his potential as a seven-foot big man. He's played in under 10 minutes per game for FC Barcelona since 2024, averaging 1.1 points and 1.3 rebounds per game.

With that said, Keita did play in last year's Adidas Next Generation Tournament, and he showed out there. He averaged 13 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a game in 20 minutes per.

Those are stats that are bound to get plenty of North Carolina fans excited.

Keita is 18 years old, and he was born in Bamako, Mali.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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