When Moussa Cisse didn't hear his name called on the night of the 2025 NBA draft many would have thought that his life-long dream of playing in the biggest basketball league on the planet was over.
Fast forward just 146 days and Cisse was suiting up in the starting five for the Dallas Mavericks on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves, The 7ft1 big would go on to play twenty-six minutes that night as he contributed 5 points and impressively led Dallas in rebounds with 10 boards.
Having initially signed a training camp deal in July with the Mavericks after impressing in the NBA summer league, the Mavericks Head Coach Jason Kidd announced on the 18th of October that Cisse had indeed made the cut and been given a two-way contract for the 2025-26 season.
"He had a heckuva preseason, the things that he's done for us and then also in games have been at a very high level. So we're really excited to have him on board," Kidd said about Cisse following his two-way deal being signed.
Moussa Cisse with Dallas teammate Cooper Flagg during his first NBA start vs Minnesota on the 18th of November. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
College Pedigree
A consensus five-star recruit in the 2020 College Basketball class and the winner of the prestigious 2020 Tennessee Mr. Basketball award, Cisse would commit to the University of Memphis and win the AAC Freshman of the Year award in his debut campaign.
The Guinean would then spend two seasons at Oklahoma State and a singular campaign at Ole Miss developing his game before returning to Memphis for his fifth and final year at the collegiate level.
Overall Cisse would finish his college career with a reputation for formidable defence and a relentless work-ethic. The Guinean would record career averages of 6.2 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Moussa Cisse during his final collegiate year with Memphis. March 21, 2025 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Due to a mixture of a host of injuries to key players like Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving twinned with the impressive play from the big-man, Cisse is yet to make an appearance for Dallas's G league affiliate the Texas Legends as he has been an ever-present in the Mavericks NBA Roster.
The highlight of Cisse's fledgling NBA career so far was his notable performance off the bench against the Memphis Grizzlies, where he produced 10 points and 8 rebounds while going an impressive 4/5 from the field.
"I like to bring the energy every time, whether we are up or down. Everybody (in the NBA) are good basketball players we need to go over there and play hard and then the basketball will take care of itself," Cisse said after the 14 point loss to the Grizzlies.
Moussa Cisse shooting a free-throw vs the Memphis Grizzlies. Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Grant Burke/NBAE via Getty Images)
With fifteen NBA games now under his belt, Cisse will be aiming to continue to cement himself as an important rotational piece for Dallas throughout the season under Head Coach Kidd. Cisse's play has also impressed his teammates who clearly believe in his value at the highest level.
Speaking on his twenty three year-old rookie teammate , Dallas Guard **Max Christie**said, "Moussa came in and gave us life, he was flying around getting rebounds, blocking shots, running the floor - that's what we need more of. He just brought the energy and you could feel it".