Christ Koumadje came to America from the country of Chad after he was recruited by Montverde Academy in Florida to play basketball. He hadn’t picked up a basketball until he was 15-years old after playing soccer for much of his life and he didn’t have the correct pair of sneakers.
Luckily for him, he had a teammate who was looking out for him.
Current Philadelphia 76ers All-Star guard Ben Simmons also attended Montverde and the two of them were teammates, now teammates in the Sixers organization, and he hooked Koumadje up with a pair of sneakers.
Koumadje said in an interview with Aaron Bracy of Bracy Sports Media:
I came in with one of my friends from the Congo and we didn’t have normal basketball shoes. So, Ben hooked us up with a couple of shoes. That time I was wearing a 16 so that was clutch when he came in.
In this clip from today's Bracy Sports Media interview, Christ Koumadje explains how @BenSimmons25 helped him on and off court in high school @MVABasketball and as a pro when Koumadje was in training camp with @Sixers last fall. #Sixers
Full interview pinned to profile. pic.twitter.com/rm6Y5A9hMh
— Aaron Bracy (@Aaron_Bracy) April 20, 2020
The 7-foot-3 Koumadje has spent the season in the G League with the team’s affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, and he averaged 11.3 points and 10.9 rebounds while also averaging 4.0 blocks per game. He spent training camp and the preseason with the Sixers before the team sent him down to Delaware for the season. [lawrence-related id=29741,29734,29726]