Awudu Abass

Awudu Abass
Born	(1993-01-27) January 27, 1993 Como, Italy
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2011–present
Known for	Playing for Dubai Basketball in the ABA League and EuroLeague; Italian League championships; EuroCup title

Awudu Abass Abass (born 27 January 1993) is an Italian professional basketball athlete currently playing for Dubai Basketball in the ABA League and EuroLeague. Measuring , he occupies the small forward role. Throughout his career in Italian basketball, he has achieved notable success, securing two Italian League championships, a EuroCup title, and representing teams such as Cantù, Milano, Brescia, and Bologna.

Professional career

Abass began his journey with the local squad Pallacanestro Cantù during his teenage years, swiftly advancing through the youth system to make his senior debut in 2011 at 18 years old. Although his early appearances were limited, he gained valuable playing time in the premier European competition, the EuroLeague, including two matches against the elite club Real Madrid.

The 2013–14 campaign was pivotal for Abass, as he secured consistent playing time both in Italy's top division, the LBA, and the secondary European competition, the EuroCup. As a homegrown talent, he earned strong support from fans and was appointed as Cantù's youngest-ever captain in the subsequent season.

On 19 July 2018, Abass committed to a two-year contract with Basket Brescia Leonessa. Following two impactful seasons that solidified his status among Italy's elite players, he transferred to Virtus Bologna in June 2020. During his tenure, Virtus swept both Treviso and New Basket Brindisi in the playoffs before overpowering rivals Olimpia Milano with a 4–0 series win in the 2021 finals, capturing their first national championship in two decades. The team also triumphed over Milano to claim the 2021 Italian Supercup.

In May 2022, after eliminating Lietkabelis, Ulm, and Valencia during the EuroCup playoffs, Virtus secured its inaugural EuroCup trophy by defeating Frutti Extra Bursaspor 80–67. This victory granted them qualification for the EuroLeague after a 14-year absence. Despite finishing atop the regular season standings and sweeping Pesaro and Tortona in subsequent playoff rounds, Virtus fell short in the national finals against Olimpia Milano with a 4–2 series result.

On 29 September 2022, Virtus captured its third Supercup title by overcoming Banco di Sardegna Sassari; however, Abass was sidelined due to injury. The team concluded the EuroLeague season in 14th place and suffered defeat to Brescia in the Italian Cup final. In June, after commanding series wins over Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus narrowly lost a fiercely contested finals series to Milano with a 4–3 margin.

On 10 July 2023, Abass extended his contract with Virtus for an additional season. Later, on 24 September, Virtus clinched its fourth Supercup—and third consecutive—by defeating Germani Brescia decisively with a 97–60 score following a semifinal victory against Olimpia Milano.

National team career

Shortly after obtaining Italian citizenship, Abass joined Italy’s Under-20 national basketball squad, contributing significantly to their gold medal performance at the 2013 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship and earning a spot on the All Tournament Team. He represented Italy at the senior level during the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup held in China, averaging 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.

EuroLeague

|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012–13 | style="text-align:left;"| Cantù | 2 || 0 || 18.5 || .250 || .200 || || 6.0 || || 1.0 || || 3.5 || 4.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Milano | 23 || 11 || 16.0 || .420 || .421 || .840 || 1.9 || .5 || .4 || .3 || 4.6 || 3.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2017–18 | 10 || 0 || 4.7 || .200 || .125 || .667 || 1.1 || .2 || .5 || || 0.9 || 0.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2022–23 | style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2"| Bologna | 7 || 3 || 16.7 || .581 || .588 || 1.000 || 1.0 || .7 || .6 || .3 || 6.7 || 5.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2023–24 | 31 || 2 || 12.8 || .410 || .316 || .846 || 1.7 || .4 || .4 || .1 || 4.4 || 3.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career | 73 || 16 || 13.3 || .414 || .361 || .833 || 1.7 || .4 || .4 || .2 || 4.2 || 3.4

Personal life

Awudu Abass was born in Como to parents of Ghanaian and Nigerian origin; his father is Ghanaian, and his mother is Nigerian. They met in Rome before eventually settling in Como. He became an Italian citizen at the age of 18, the earliest age permitted for children born in Italy to foreign parents.

At 19 years old, in 2012, Abass was listed second on the Amo la Mia Città electoral list during the municipal elections in Como. However, he was not elected as the list managed to obtain only one seat.

External links

• EuroLeague.net profile
• Eurobasket.com profile
• RealGM.com profile