Nuggets Sign Alpha Diallo for Defensive Help
Denver adds the former EuroLeague Best Defender, who went undrafted in 2019 and spent five years with AS Monaco.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Basketball
The Denver Nuggets have signed Alpha Diallo, a 29-year-old rookie who was named EuroLeague Best Defender before joining the team. Diallo returns to Denver, where he played high school basketball at Denver West.
Why it matters
Defense was one of the biggest issues for the Nuggets, who lost in the first round to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The team looked overseas for defensive help, and Diallo is expected to become an impact defender for Denver.
Diallo was ranked No. 95 in his high school class and spent five years with AS Monaco before his NBA rookie season at age 29. The extraction does not state his minutes, contract terms, or projected rotation role.
The players
Denver Nuggets
The Denver-based NBA franchise that signed Diallo after a first-round playoff loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Alpha Diallo
A defensive guard who played college basketball at Providence and professionally in Greece and France before joining the Nuggets.
The details
Diallo was born in New York, moved to Denver with his mother, and played at Denver West High School before attending Frederick Douglass Academy and Brewster Academy. He played four years at Providence, earning Second Team All-Big East honors as a junior and senior, and he won bronze with the U.S. at the Pan American Games. After going undrafted in 2019, he played in Greece with Lavrio and then with AS Monaco.
Timeline
2019 NBA Draft: Diallo went undrafted after declaring.
2020-21 season: Diallo signed with Lavrio in Greece.
2022: Diallo was named to the All-LNB Élite First Team.
2025-26 season: Diallo won EuroLeague Best Defender and joined the Nuggets.
Season Trajectory
The Nuggets' signing of Diallo reflects a broader pattern of NBA teams turning to overseas players with proven defensive credentials. For Denver, the move is aimed at reshaping a defense that let them down in a first-round playoff exit.
Diallo's arrival gives Denver a new defensive option in the rotation, which could matter for fantasy and roster tracking. Fans following the Nuggets will want to watch how quickly he earns minutes behind the team's existing lineup.
The takeaway
Diallo's path from an undrafted player to a EuroLeague defensive honoree shows how overseas experience can translate into NBA opportunity. Readers tracking the Nuggets should watch for his role as the team looks to fix its defense.
Further reading
For more on the team's roster moves, see Denver Basketball.
Source note: This article includes information reported by FOX31 Denver KDVR.
