Hawks two-way forward Eli Ndiaye to miss remainder of season

Undrafted rookie for G League’s College Park Skyhawks did not play in a regular season game for Atlanta.

Players are introduced prior to the Hawks' home opener against the Raptors at State Farm Arena in October. (Hyosub Shin/AJC 2025)

By Lauren Williams

13 hours ago

The Hawks will have one fewer forward for the rest of the season.

On Sunday, the Hawks announced that two-way forward Eli Ndiaye will be out for the rest of the year after sustaining a left shoulder subluxation. The injury occurred during a game with the College Park Skyhawks, the Hawks’ G League affiliate, at the Long Island Nets on Dec. 9.

Following an MRI at the Emory Sports Medicine Complex, Ndiaye was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Ndiaye will have surgery in early January and will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season.

Hawks forward Eli Ndiaye (back right) — pictured along with Caleb Houstan (center) defending a shot by the Heat's Myron Gardner during an exhibition game in October — will miss the rest of the season. Ndiaye did not play in a regular season game for Atlanta. (Daniel Varnado for the AJC 2025)

The Hawks signed Ndiaye on a two-way contract as an undrafted free agent following the NBA draft in June. The forward played just one Summer League game in Las Vegas for the Hawks in July before a left wrist injury sidelined him for the remainder of the tournament.

Ndiaye has not made a regular-season appearance with the Hawks this year, spending much of his time with the Skyhawks. In nine games with the Skyhawks, Ndiaye averaged 8.1 points and 6.9 rebounds.

The 21-year-old forward is the second Hawks two-way player to go down with a season-ending injury. On Dec. 9, the Hawks announced that forward Jacob Toppin would miss the remainder of the year with a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The team later waived Toppin on Dec. 15.

The Hawks have 16 players signed to the roster, including 14 on guaranteed deals and two on two-way contracts. However, the team could later opt to waive Ndiaye and sign players to fill the open roster spots of both him and Toppin.

Here’s a look at the Hawks roster.