From Vanier to the NBA: Congratulations to Karim Mané

Cet article de nos archives n'a pas été traduit en français.

Vanier College is thrilled to congratulate basketball star Karim Mané on signing a contract with the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association. Karim who played guard with the Vanier Cheetahs Men’s Division 1 Basketball Team for three years, is the first ever Cegep student athlete to sign directly with the NBA bypassing the NCAA and Usports.

When Karim announced the signing on Twitter he stated: “Excited and humbled to be joining the Orlando Magic. All Glory to God!”

Already in April 2020, speculation began about Karim’s future when he declared for the NBA draft. However, when he wasn’t selected by the NBA in November, he became a free agent and within two days had signed a contract with the Orlando Magic. He will begin attending their training camp on December 1, 2020.

“We are all very excited for Karim. His hard work, and discipline, paid off. Being the first Quebec Cegep player to enter the NBA is historical and opens the doors for the younger generations” said Mai Anh Nguyen, Vanier Student Life Advisor in athletics. “Karim is a great basketball player and student, but most of all he is a great person, and the Vanier Community couldn’t be happier for him”

Originally from Senegal, Karim and his family arrived in Montreal when he was quite young. Coming out of high school, the 6’6” Karim had already set his sights on going directly from Vanier to the NBA, and his illustrious career at Vanier as well as his summer with Canada Basketball on the U19 team certainly showed he had the potential for such a move.

For Karim the highlights of his time with the Cheetahs were winning both the 2020 and 2019 Provincial Championships and being named both years to the All Tournament team. The 2019 season was very special for Karim as he won RSEQ player of the year and led the team to a perfect season, and winning the 2019 Provincial Championship. He also was part of the 2020 team who won the Provincial Season, and had his eyes set on trying to win a National Championship, that was unfortunately cancelled due to the Pandemic last March.

Starting a career as a professional basketball player will be a new world for Karim who graduated from Vanier with a College Diploma in Social Science. Serious and dedicated, Karim also volunteered as a Peer Tutor when he was not studying or practicing basketball.

Congratulations to Karim Mané and best of luck in his future career.