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Similar to the drink “French Connection,” San Antonio Spur draft pick Sidy Cissoko is equal parts offense and defense, perfect for any setting.
While the drink is made with a brandy aged in French barrels for its cognac finish and amaretto, Cissoko brings a flashy yet sturdy European style to his game.
With that, he's hoping to add to the rich history of French players in the NBA, citing the legacy of Hall-of-Fame guard Tony Parker.
“For sure, Tony Parker,” he said. “He’s the first French guy that won an NBA Championship so everybody was trying to be like him.”
Ironically, Cissoko was drafted 44th overall this past Thursday in the second round of the NBA Draft by the same San Antonio team that housed his fellow countrymen Parker for 17 years of his 18-year career.
However, Parker isn’t the only point guard that the 19-year-old watched growing up.
“I would say Kyrie [Irving],” he said. “I used to play point guard [and] he was nice when he was in Cleveland. I was just trying to be like him, just doing everything he was doing, putting the basketball in the plastic bag and dribbling it – everything. And I bought all of his shoes.”
Born in Saint-Maurice, France, Cissoko remembers his hometown being full of basketball talent.
“My team when I was 13 years old, five or six guys made it to have professional careers,” Cissoko said. “It was our dream to play professional basketball. We won a lot of championships together – I miss my hometown for sure. I’m proud that I played with them and they made it to a professional league in France.”
France also produced Cissoko’s newest Spur teammate and No. 1 overall pick, Victor Wembanyama, adding to the French Connection essence.
Per several online sources, basketball ranks at-best fourth amongst the most popular sports in France sitting behind soccer, tennis and horse riding in most polls. Cissoko is a firm believer that those numbers don’t represent the growth of basketball in his native area. In fact, his learning curve began at home
“I had the chance to have a great father,” Cissoko said. “He was a professional, he was one of the top scorers when he was playing. I had the chance to have him as a father so every time during the summer when he was coaching some team, I was like four or five years old, but he was coaching about 40 minutes from my house and tomorrow I’d have school but I was like, ‘No, no, I want to go to practice.’”
From there, he worked along with his father as well as individually to start adding things to his basketball repertoire.
“I take Tony Parker’s IQ because I know he’s a very intelligent player,” he said. “Sometimes I have the skills of Kyrie, for sure with the dribbling, but I’m proud that I got my physicality. Every time I play basketball, I use my physicality like my dad did.”
At the time of his signing, Cissoko was the first European-born player to sign with the NBA G League Ignite. Prior to his contract, he had only visited the United States twice.
However, a prior step in his career netted him a third language, adding Spanish to his resume along with French and English.
“It's good because you [can communicate with] more of the world,” Cissoko said. “I know in the states there’s a lot of Mexicans, Peruanos and Dominicans so almost everyone is speaking Spanish in the states. People are usually surprised when I get to speak Spanish with them.”
Additionally, he has expressed interest in learning Portuguese as a fourth language with his eyes further set on Chinese later down the road.
In 2021, Cissoko was part of Iraurgi Saski Baloia in the Second division of the Spanish B.L. He played for France’s FIBA U18 European Challengers that same year where he averaged 7.8 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per, 3 assists per and 2.4 steals per contest.
Moreover, he was a member of the French FIBA U18 European Championship team where he upped his scoring to just over 11 points per game while hauling in nearly five rebounds a contest in addition to keeping his assist and steal numbers intact.
As a result, the two-way wing was awarded an invitation to the World Select Team in 2022.
“I started to know [I belonged] in my second year in Spain,” Cissoko said. “I know I have a great IQ, just passing the ball and sharing the ball with my teammates. I know what my teammates are going to do with the ball [so I have] the vision. I know I have something because every coach I had would say, ‘Damn, how are you 16 and you play like you’re 25 years old?’”
Balanced is the best way to describe Cissoko’s style of play on the court, beginning with a mixture of passing, athleticism and three-point shooting on the offensive end.
Several times throughout his lone season with the Ignite, Cissoko dazzled fans inside the Dollar Loan Center with flashy behind-the-back, no-look, or bounce passes from near half court.
“It’s the IQ,” he said. “Every time I run a play, it’s not the same defense every time so if I see something wrong with the defense, I’ll run it again because I see something.”
The first-year player followed his comments by giving several scenarios explaining how to facilitate the offense based on how the defense presents itself.
Cissoko averaged 12.8 points to go along with over three and a half assists per contest to go along with just under three rebounds per in his one season with the Ignite. He also added a block and just over a steal a game.
His scoring numbers were also highlighted by a 20-point scoring streak of five straight games including a season-high of 24 points on two separate occasions.
“I can play,” Cissoko said. “There were some scouts like, ‘If he can play this’ and ‘If he can play that.’ My high school career was [successful] yet they didn’t ‘Know if I could play.’”
Since the beginning, Ignite head coach Jason Hart had been adamant that defense and rebounding will be the determining factor in Cissoko finding an NBA home.
With his six-foot, eight-inch frame and 200-pound base, Cissoko is more than ready and willing to accept the challenge of guarding the opposing team’s best wing in order to make his stamp at the next level.
“I’m not scared," he said. "I don’t have to be scared of anyone.”