AMERICAN-born Jonathan Cisse had grown up without his father for most of his life, so when he met him for the first time two years ago in Côte d’Ivoire, as stated in a social media post, it proved life-changing on two fronts.
It was a chance for him to build a relationship with his father, who is from Côte d’Ivoire, and it opened doors for his playing career in the West African country.
The 26-year-old has since become part of Côte d’Ivoire’s basketball fabric, having donned the Elephant’s orange jumper in March at the 2027 World Cup Africa Qualifiers in Senegal. He continued his club career on the continent with JCA Kings, whom he helped qualify for the BAL last year, and he is part of their ongoing BAL debut campaign.
This meaningful personal milestone also intersected with his growing career. Reflecting on this turning point, he says that meeting his father was “perfect timing”, and it became a launchpad for his basketball journey on the continent.
“It was special. Just growing up my whole life, not knowing my dad… It was perfect timing when I met him,” said Cisse. “I was coming out of college, starting my professional career. He kind of mentioned at first that I should look into playing for the national team.”
In addition to his father’s encouragement, he says playing in Europe drew the attention of the national team selectors.
Looking back on the lead-up before his debut, Cisse explained, “First year in Cyprus (2024-25 season) opened the doors. People started noticing my game. The director of the Ivorian national team said, ‘maybe you should consider’. This year, it finally happened,” said Cisse. “It was an honour when it finally happened, and seeing what it means to the people of the country. It was a special experience.”
On the court, Cisse finally made his debut for Côte d’Ivoire this year after missing out on the AfroBasket last year. He was part of the exceptional Elephants team, which went on a tear in the second window of the World Cup Africa Qualifiers, finishing with a 3-0 record in Group B. The fine start to the campaign has Cisse eager to continue the national team’s momentum in the next round of qualifiers (2-5 July in Senegal).
“I’m looking forward to the next window. I think we have a very solid team. It’s been great. My experience of missing the (2025) AfroBasket was disappointing. I was not cleared in time to play after getting to know and train with everybody,” said Cisse, who averaged 14 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3 assists in the second window between February 26 and March 1. “Now that I have played with them and everybody knows each other, I am excited. I think we can do something special. I am excited for what’s to come.”
For Cisse, turning out for the JCA Kings led to him picking up the finer points of the game in Africa from legendary player and current club coach Stéphane Konaté.
“It’s a different style of basketball from what I am used to, but it’s been great just doing what I love, which is playing basketball. I am having fun with it, working hard on and off the court, so I can continue to grow as a player and as a teammate,” said Cisse. “I am learning from Coach Steph. I know he had a great career with the national team. He’s been helping out a lot too, so it’s been a great experience.”
What has been forgettable so far is their BAL debut, as JCA fell 0-3 in the Sahara Conference, which has heightened the pressure on Cisse and his teammates to win their two remaining games so they can have a chance of qualifying for the playoffs in Kigali. Before the tip-off of the Sahara Conference, Cisse said the team was looking forward to their debut.
“I think it’s good spirits… The practices have been intense. High level. We have been going at it and stuff. I think everybody is excited to make their debut,” said Cisse. “I think we are going to shock a lot of people. I know not many people are expecting us to do much, but we are excited, hungry, and everybody is ready to show what we can do.”
Things have not gone according to script, but Cisse has not lost hope of a place in the playoffs despite a third loss in a row, a 79-74 defeat to Club Africain on Tuesday, in which he scored 30 points and dished out 7 assists.
“We still have two games left. We need to keep our heads high. We are not satisfied. We are gonna come out and compete in these next two games,” said Cisse of JCA’s dire situation at the post-match press conference.
Like in life, Cisse understands there are highs and lows, and the latter times require a team with unshakable resolve to overcome adversity.
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