By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Valencia has secured the signing of Malian center Oumar Ballo on a three-year deal running through the 2028–29 season, the club announced on Friday.
The 24-year-old big, who holds homegrown player status in the Liga Endesa, will spend the upcoming 2026–27 campaign on loan at Turkish outfit Galatasaray MCT Technic to gain further European experience.
Per the press release: “Valencia Basket has reached an agreement with Malian center Oumar Ballo (2.13m, Koulikoro, July 13, 2002, 24 years old) to join the club on a three-year contract running through the end of the 2028-29 season. Ballo developed at the Canterbury Academy in Gran Canaria, which grants him homegrown player status for the Liga Endesa. The new Valencia Basket big man will spend the 2026-27 season on loan at Galatasaray MCT Technic, where he will continue gaining experience in European basketball after an impressive campaign in Italy with Acqua S.Bernardo Cantù.
Benvingut, @OumarBallo32! 🧡
Cas 👉 Valencia Basket incorpora a Oumar Ballo, que jugará la próxima temporada cedido en @GSBasketbol https://t.co/USTWKNt4Pt
Val 👉 Valencia Basket incorpora a Oumar Ballo, que jugarà la pròxima temporada cedit en Galatasaray… pic.twitter.com/cawmsF6ZAS
— Valencia Basket Club (@valenciabasket) August 7, 2026
Following his NCAA career, which included stints at Gonzaga, Arizona and Indiana, Ballo made his professional debut last season in Italy. He finished as the Lega’s second-leading rebounder (8.4 per game) and led the Italian league in offensive rebounds (3.3 per game). He also averaged 11.3 points on 65.6% shooting from two-point range and 1.1 blocks per game, finishing the season as the ninth-highest rated player in the league with a PIR of 16.6.”
✍Galatasaray MCT Technic’e hoş geldin, Oumar Ballo!@OumarBallo32
Detaylı bilgi için; 👇
🔗 https://t.co/TZpQlvyfrM https://t.co/uDtv8JRInk pic.twitter.com/lUZZzqIPiT— Galatasaray MCT Technic (@GSBasketbol) August 7, 2026
Reinforcing their frontcourt with the loan signing of Ballo from the EuroLeague outfit, the Lions continue to reshape their roster for a dual-campaign schedule. Besides domestic duties in the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi, Gianmarco Pozzecco’s side will compete in the Basketball Champions League, starting in Group B of the Regular Season alongside Cibona, Legia Warszawa, and SIG Strasbourg. To spearhead this effort, they have executed a major offseason roster overhaul, previously welcoming Alen Smailagic, Nikola Ivanovic, Vrenz Bleijenbergh, Chimezie Metu, Aleksej Nikolic, Sehmus Hazer, Berkan Durmaz, and Dyshawn Pierre.
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