Wildcats and Kouakou-Heugue to part ways

The NBL will work with Next Star Noa Kouakou-Heugue to find a new team after a mutual parting of ways with the Perth Wildcats.

Kouakou-Heugue, one of France’s brightest young talents, played 17 games in NBL26 as the Wildcats reached the Playoffs, with season-highs of 8 points and 4 rebounds in round six.

With both the Wildcats and Kouakou-Heugue looking towards next season, the parties have now agreed to a mutual release.

“Following discussions, it has been established that this is the best path forward for everyone,” GM of Next Stars Recruitment, Liam Santamaria, said.

“In addition to being a fine young man, Noa is a talented young prospect with tremendous upside, and we are committed to helping him continue his journey as a Next Star.”

The Wildcats have expressed appreciation for Kouakou-Heugue’s hard work across the NBL26 season.

“Noa is a talented young athlete who proved himself to be a fantastic teammate, making significant strides both on and off the court during his season here in Perth,” Perth’s GM of Basketball and COO, Danny Mills, said.

“While we have agreed to part ways, he will always remain part of the Wildcats family, and we will continue to support and follow the next steps of what we envision will be a successful professional career.”

Kouakou-Heugue, the NBL and Wildcats recently agreed to terms with French club BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque for a loan move, however Kouakou-Heugue suffered a foot injury prior to his first game and will not feature for the Pro A club as he carries out his recovery.

In the meantime, the search for a new NBL home will begin immediately.

“We would like to thank the Wildcats for their support of Noa across the 2025-26 NBL season,” Santamaria added.

“An opportunity now exists for a new team to work with Noa next season, and we will work with him and his agent to find the best fit moving forward.”

Next Stars have been selected in each of the past six NBA Drafts, with six prospects from the program snapped up across the past two NBA Drafts alone. In total, eleven Next Stars have been drafted directly from the NBL to the NBA since 2020, with Karim Lopez (New Zealand Breakers) currently projected to be selected in this year’s draft, set to be held in Brooklyn in June.