Prosper Karangwa

Prosper Karangwa
Philadelphia 76ers
PositionVice President of Player Personnel
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1978-05-17) May 17, 1978 (age 46)
Bujumbura, Republic of Burundi
NationalityRwandan
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Career information
CollegeSiena (1999–2003)
NBA draft2003: undrafted
Playing career2003–2010
PositionSmall forward
Career history
2003Adirondack Wildcats
2003–2004Al-Ittihad
2004–2005BS Energy Braunschweig
2005–2006Kapfenberg Bulls
2006–2007JA Vichy
2007Besançon
2007–2008JA Vichy
2008–2010Paris Levallois
Career highlights and awards

Prosper Karangwa (born May 17, 1978) is a Canadian-Rwandan former professional basketball player and front office executive for the Vice President of Player Personal Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the duties of General Manager of Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. Prior to his hire with Philadelphia, Karangwa worked with the Orlando Magic as Vice president of scouting. Before he joined the front office, Karangwa was a basketball player playing for teams like BS Energy Braunschweig and Paris-Levallois. He retired in 2010.

After retiring, he joined the Orlando Magic as Vice President of College Scouting and before being promoted to Vice President of Scouting. In October 2020, he was hired by Elton Brand as Vice President of Player Personnel for the 76ers.

Basketball career

High school

Karangwa, son of a nurse and a chemist, first grew up in Burundi and moved to Montreal with his family when he was nine years of age.[1] He attended École secondaire Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry in Montreal[2] and then moved to Dawson College.[3] At 15, his interest in basketball became more serious. He started traveling to the U.S. for the AAU basketball competitions. His travels included weekly 10-plus hour Greyhound bus rides to face elite competition. One of the people he played with was his future boss Elton Brand.[4] He gained interest from college scouts after.

College

He played National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball at Siena College for four years (1999–2003).[5]

Professional

In 2003, Karangwa played professional basketball for the Adirondack Wildcats in the United States Basketball League.[6] He subsequently played in Syria, Germany, Austria and France,[7] before retiring in 2010.[5]

National team

Representing the Canadian men's basketball national team, Karangwa participated in the 2001 Goodwill Games.[8] During the 2002 FIBA World Championship he averaged 9 points per contest.[9]

Executive career

Scouting business

He began attending games with Rob Jackson, a San Antonio Spurs scout and got him to take up scouting. He started his own scouting service to help European teams scout in the United States.[9]

Orlando Magic

In 2012, he was hired as a scout by the Orlando Magic. In 2016, he was promoted to Director of Scouting.[10]

Philadelphia 76ers

In October 2020, Karangwa was hired as Vice President of Player Personnel by Elton Brand for the Philadelphia 76ers.[4]

Delaware Blue Coats

In October 2021, Philadelphia 76ers named Karangwa General Manager of the Delaware Blue Coats.[11] In his role as GM, Karangwa lead the Blue Coats to a G-League championship in 2023.[12]

References

  1. ^ "From Africa to March Madness". National Post. 2002-03-14. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  2. ^ Landry, Nicolas (2020-12-10). "Prosper Karangwa, le Québécois le plus influent de la NBA". RDS.ca (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  3. ^ "Une vie parmi les géants". ICI Radio-Canada.ca (in French). Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  4. ^ a b "Resourcefulness, Relationships Fuel Karangwa's Rise". Philadelphia 76ers. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  5. ^ a b Proballers. "Prosper Karangwa, Basketball Player". Proballers. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
  6. ^ "Prosper Karangwa minor league basketball Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  7. ^ "Prosper Karangwa". Eurobasket.com. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  8. ^ "Karangwa Makes Canadian National Team". Siena College Athletics. 2001-08-16. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
  9. ^ a b "Prosper Karangwa, Philadelphia Sixers, Vice President of Player Personnel - RealGM". basketball.realgm.com. Retrieved 2021-04-08.
  10. ^ Orlando Magic (2012). "Orlando Magic 2012-13 Media Guide" (PDF). NBA.com.
  11. ^ "Prosper Karangwa Named Blue Coats General Manager". Delaware Blue Coats. Retrieved 2021-10-23.
  12. ^ "Delaware Blue Coats Win 2022-23 NBA G League Championship". Delaware Blue Coats. Retrieved 2023-04-06.