Iowa forward Ladji Dembele enters NCAA transfer portal

Iowa forward Ladji Dembele has entered the NCAA transfer portal, On3 has learned. He was a sophomore during the 2024-25 season.

The talented 6-foot-8, 255-pound forward was a force down low for the Hawkeyes. He started 21 games this season while playing in 33 total. Dembele announced his transfer shortly after this story was first published. He posted a graphic with a departing message on it on Twitter.

“Thank you, Iowa,” Dembele wrote. “Thank you for all the memories, experiences, and opportunities you’ve given me during my time here. I am incredibly grateful for the support from my coaches, teammates, and the fans. After careful consideration, I will be entering the transfer portal while keeping open the option to return back to Iowa.”

During that action, Dembele averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. He also chipped in the occasional block, steal and assist, though he wasn’t necessarily prolific in those categories. As he looks for a new stop, developing a bit better conditioning to be able to earn more minutes will be key. Ladji Dembele averaged 16.8 minutes per contest in 2024-25.

Still, he showed improvement in just about every category from his freshman season to his sophomore season. As a freshman, he averaged 11.1 minutes per contest and 2.2 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Most notably, Ladji Dembele improved his free-throw percentage from 35.7% as a freshman to 71.4% as a sophomore. He didn’t shoot a ton, but that was a noteworthy enough improvement to list.

As a high school recruit, Ladji Dembele was ranked as a three-star prospect and the No. 155 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. He checked in as the No. 31 player at his position and the No. 7 player in the state, hailing from Newark (NJ) St. Benedict Prep.