Souleymane Berthé (born 5 October 2000) is a Malian professional basketball player who last played for Stade Malien of the Ligue 1 and the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He plays as small forward.
Early life
Berthé grew up playing soccer but switched to basketball after he was inspired by a neighbour who played basketball. He then went on to play pick-up games at the courts of Bamako, where he was eventually recruited by coach Kaba Kanté of Stade Malien.
Career
Berthe played for Stade Malien and helped the team win the Ligue 1 championship in 2022. As a result, he played in the Road to BAL 2023 where he averaged 14.8 points and 5.3 rebounds, helping Stade qualify for their first-ever BAL season.
On 13 March 2023, Berthe made his BAL debut against the defending champions US Monastir and scored 34 points in the 68–78 loss, the second most points scored by a player in the league's three-year history behind Terrell Stoglin's 41 points. His debut performance received league wide attention. Stade Malien eventually finished in the third place, and Berthé averaged 16.4 points in eight games. Berthé left the team after the season.
Personal
Souleymane's sisters Saran, Dioume and Rokiatou Berthe have all played for Mali national youth teams.