TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Mohammad al Bachir Gadiaga, also known as Abbasi (阿巴西), announced his return to the Taiwan Professional Basketball League’s CTBC DEA at a press conference on Monday.
Abbasi, a two-time MVP of the league in 2022 and 2023, signed a two-year contract last year with the Akita Northern Happinets of Japan’s B-league, earning NT$10 million (US$339,000) per season, per CNA. Born in Chiba, Japan, to a Senegalese father and an American mother, he moved to Taiwan at age eight.
In Japan, Abbasi averaged 22 minutes and 10 points over 58 games, though he managed just 1.6 assists per game. He bought out the final year of his contract to return to the DEA—where his stats have traditionally been better—saying, “Returning to the DEA was like coming home,” and that he’s especially looking forward to facing Jeremy Lin (林書豪) next season.
Abbasi speaks and reads Chinese and has represented Taiwan’s national team as a local player under FIBA regulations. He attended Taishan Junior High School—though age rules prevented him from playing—and later suited up for the Shih Hsin University team. He is the eldest of eight children, with brothers competing at local high school and university levels.
He said he returned because CTBC felt like family: “They cared about me even when I was playing in Japan. The team leader even brought his whole family to Japan to support me. I was really touched.”
CTBC Sports Entertainment Chair Chen Kuo-en (陳國恩) said, “Abbasi has always been an important member of the DEA family. He will help us on the court and bring new vision and energy. He will play a key role in the new season and lead us back to the playoffs and the championship again!”
DEA team representative Amy Yang (楊淑惠) presented Abbasi with a framed No. 0 jersey and said she hoped he would “run the court with his signature lightning attack and lead the team back to glory!”
Local media speculate Abbasi’s annual salary will top NT$25 million, placing him among the TPBL’s highest-paid players and on par with stars in the Chinese Basketball Association. DEA Manager Liu Chih-wei (劉志威) did not confirm the figure but said it was in the eight digits, with three guaranteed years and two club/player option years, per UDN.
DEA finished near the bottom of the eight-team league this year and failed to reach the playoffs, which are ongoing with the Taipei Kings facing the Kaohsiung Aquas in the finals. The team hopes Abbasi’s signing will help them return to their winning ways.
