Marist men’s basketball freshman forward Parby Kabamba has not seen his family in three years.
His journey with basketball has boosted him to experiences and opportunities that sent him around the globe before settling in the United States.
Kabamba hails from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, the capital megacity neighboring the Congo River with a staggering population of 17 million, recently overtaking Lagos, Nigeria as the most populated city in Africa. Kinshasa is double the size of New York City and the fourth-most populated capital city in the world.
“I grew up somewhere that everyone in my neighborhood was a family. There were no secrets. It was a tough place to grow up but as a community, we loved each other,” said Kabamba.
He first touched a basketball at 14 years old, playing with friends. Despite basketball being a secondary sport to soccer in Africa, he quickly fell in love with basketball and began playing more.
“There’s a lot of things going on where I came from and I think [basketball] was one of the things that allowed me to get more focused on what I was doing,” said Kabamba.
His father is a master in Judo, which Kabamba did in addition to Karate before basketball. He is a big UFC fan, particularly watching Alex Periera and Francis Ngannou. Kabamba is the oldest of four brothers and has several step-sisters.
“I’m the head of the train. Being older in the family is a huge responsibility, every move I [make], they follow me. I need to be the example for them,” said Kabamba.
The young player earned a spot in NBA Academy Africa located in Saly, Senegal. In partnership with a non-profit in Senegal called SEED (Sports for Education and Economic Development), the NBA opened a training center in 2018 to be the primary location for NBA Academy Africa players.
“It’s a miracle. There was a guy that saw me and helped me go to a tryout which I wasn’t supposed to go to. This is the only chance I have. When I step on the court, I try to bring the energy,” said Kabamba.
That guy, Yacine Ben Fylla, a former professional player in France, is devoted to advancing basketball in the DRC. He has recently teamed up with NBA champion and French national Tony Parker to develop infrastructure in Congo to give more basketball players opportunities to further their careers.
Saly is 3,700 miles from Kinshasa, 200 miles longer than the longest US cross-country distance, a harrowing proposition for a 15-year-old to be away from home. By his second year, Kabamba adjusted to the lifestyle and the things he needed to take care of each day to be successful.
Kabamba competed in numerous countries such as South Africa, Egypt, France and Mexico and other U.S. sites like Utah, Atlanta, Memphis and Las Vegas. He played with and against great prospects like Matas Buzelis, NBA 2024 lottery pick to the Chicago Bulls, Toronto Raptors 2024 draft-pick Ulrich Comichie, Duke five-star center Khaman Maluach and Zaire Wade, who plays for the Capetown Tigers in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Ulrich is the first NBA draft pick from the NBA Academies (Africa, Australia, Latin America) and the first draft pick from the BAL.
“I didn’t see my family for two years. I worked hard and I had an opportunity to come play in the United States for high school,” said Kabamba.
Kabamba looks up to NBA players like Paul George, Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Guys who can do it all: pass, shoot, handle the ball, defend and are extremely athletic. That is the type of profile Kabamba wants to fill, where a combination of skill and shooting with physicality and hustle make him an impactful player on both ends of the court.
He started his stateside journey playing last season at South Kent School, a prep school in Connecticut that produces Division I talent year after year. Fellow Red Foxes sophomore forward Jason Schofield and junior forward Matt McCool attended South Kent before arriving at Marist.
The two South Kent graduates and freshman forward Tarik Watson have helped Kabamba acclimate to Marist head coach John Dunne’s system. Dunne says Kabamba will be in the rotation immediately; he believes Kabamba will get better as the season progresses as he adjusts to yet another new environment.
Despite his robust international travel, Kabamba battled illness for weeks at South Kent, his body struggling to initially adjust to the new climate. Thousands of miles away from home, Kabamba had only himself to lean on as he adjusted to the new weather that came with an entirely new life.
“I missed a lot of games; that was important to me. I had to stay in my bed, do nothing. It was a tough year for me because I didn’t have any offers. Trying to figure out where I am going to be next year. Where am I going to play? I was down mentally,” said Kabamba.
Kabamba found an opportunity with the NY Jayhawks, an AAU program that Marist assistant coach Drew Metz worked in before joining Marist in 2021 and has since stayed connected to.
Jay David is the executive director for NY Jayhawks and brought Kabamba in to play a few games just before the age cutoff since he finished his year at South Kent. Jayhawks is an elite AAU program, with Division I players including Savion Lewis (Quinnipiac), Mohamed Sow (St. Peter’s), Samson Johnson (UConn), and NBA first-rounder Ryan Dunn (Phoenix Suns).
“That was my last opportunity so I would just go there and try my best, see what it can give. The Jayhawks team is a huge family, they mean a lot to me,” said Kabamba.
All it took was a few games before Metz and the rest of Marist’s staff turned their eyes to Kabamba, and liked the academics and the basketball offered at Marist, which became a commitment on June 19, 2024.
According to Verbal Commits RPS (Recruitment Power Score), Kabamba is a 3-star player as a super-athletic wing with a college-ready body. His strong frame at 6-6 lets him bully opponents in transition, but he also possesses a good shooting touch on the perimeter.
“His agility for his size and he can score in a variety of ways. He’s got a pretty three-point shot. He has good feel for the game. When you put that with his body and athleticism, he’s got a lot of potential,” said Dunne.
Kabamba is not afraid to ask questions and does not let any language barrier deter him from being outgoing.
“The joke on the staff is when in practice when I ask the team a question he’s the only one that says ‘Yes coach.’ The other guys that understand me better don’t respond,” said Dunne.
Kabamba’s native language is Lingala, but also speaks Kikongo and Chiluba. In addition to French, Kinshasa’s main language, Kabamba has spoken English, his fifth language, for a little more than a year.
Because he is working through learning English, it takes a lot of extra work in each facet of Kabamba’s life, which can drain his mental energy from fully focusing during practice. Dunne sees that and works with the young player individually to help the transition efforts.
Kabamba sees differences in basketball from the NBA Academy to Division I, with an emphasis of discipline in college and how important that becomes. Kabamba tries to call his family as much as he can, but is still adjusting to the time commitments of a Division I athlete.
“It’s kind of hard as a freshman. Handling school [and] basketball. I can call my mom after a week, or sometimes when you’re in a bad mood. I just wanna call my mom and hear her voice,” said Kabamba.
More acclimated to the environment, Kabamba is better prepared to handle the winter weather in the coming months. His time away from home has forced him to mature quickly compared to other young individuals, but he also keeps his family as close as he can.
“You miss your porch, your mother, your father, brother and sister. You just realize that in four years away from them, you can’t see them grow up,” said Kabamba.
He understands the decision he is making and the sacrifices it takes to be alone halfway across the world. The opportunity could not be missed and he is prepared to take on the challenges that lie ahead.
“My mom always told me that I’m a grown man now, I have to know what I’m doing. Coach Fylla always told me that we need to take responsibility for our mistakes and not run away from problems,” said Kabamba.
Edited by Aidan Lavin and Dan Aulbach
Graphic by Eugene Barbieri
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