Toumani Camara (too-MAH-nee cuh-MAR-uh; born 8 May 2000) is a Belgian professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Raised in Belgium, he moved to the United States to attend Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood, Florida. He then played college basketball for the Dayton Flyers after transferring from Georgia following his sophomore season.

Early life
Camara was raised in Brussels, Belgium. His mother, Anne Le Docte, is of Belgian and Haitian origin while his father is from Mali. Camara and his older brother were raised solely by Le Docte since he was five years old. He had a sister who died from a lung ailment when she was three months old. Camara has four butterflies tattooed on his right leg to pay tribute to his family: his mother, his brother, his sister and himself.

Camara first started playing basketball after being influenced by his brother. A local basketball court was occupied by soccer players throughout the day and Camara would have to wait until nighttime to play. His first exposure to American basketball was the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament which was broadcast on Belgian television. Camara stayed awake into early mornings when he found a website that broadcast live National Basketball Association (NBA) games and became a fan of Dwyane Wade while he watched him win a championship with the Miami Heat. 

Camara developed into a promising player and played for the Belgium national team that competed in the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship Division B. His Belgian coach had a friend who coached in Weston, Florida, and agreed to help Camara find a school in the United States. Camara moved to the United States at the age of 16 to attend Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School in Hollywood, Florida.

High school career
Camara played at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School where he averaged a double-double in his junior and senior seasons. He was recruited by more than 30 NCAA Division I schools. Camara toured the University of Dayton and Kansas State University but committed to the University of Georgia to play for the Bulldogs on 1 October 2018.

College basketball career
Camara averaged 6.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during his freshman season with the Bulldogs. During his freshman season, he was teammates with future #1 pick of the 2020 NBA draft, Anthony Edwards. He was mentioned as a possible NBA prospect before the start of his sophomore season but his stock fell. Camara finished his sophomore season with averages of 12.8 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game. On 1 April 2021, Camara announced that he was entering the transfer portal; he stated that he felt like he would be able to develop more while playing for a different team.

On 8 April 2021, Camara committed to play for Dayton Flyers. He averaged 10.9 points and 6.9 rebounds during the 2021–22 season, earning him a nomination to the All-Atlantic 10 Conference third-team. Camara declared for the 2022 NBA draft but withdrew after testing the process. He was appointed as the Flyers' team captain for the 2022–23 season and was the only fourth-year player on the roster. Camara averaged 13.9 points and 8.6 rebounds per game. He was selected to the All-Atlantic 10 first team and the all-defensive team.

On 25 April 2023, Camara announced that he had declared for the 2023 NBA draft to forgo his final season of collegiate eligibility. He was invited to participate at the NBA Draft Combine.

Professional career

Phoenix Suns (2023–present)
Camara was drafted by the Phoenix Suns as the fifty-second pick of the 2023 NBA draft. Camara signed a four-year rookie scaled contract on July 3, 2023.

References

External links
 College statistics
 Dayton Flyers bio
 Georgia Bulldogs bio

2000 births
Living people
Belgian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Belgian men's basketball players
Belgian people of Haitian descent
Belgian people of Malian descent
Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School alumni
Dayton Flyers men's basketball players
Forwards (basketball)
Georgia Bulldogs basketball players
Phoenix Suns draft picks
Sportspeople from Brussels