At 30, Kadri Moendadze is taking a break in his career. Landing at the Cholet training center when he was only a teenager, the Mahorais completed all the stages of the French professional circuit, which he never left. After two years in Betclic Elite with Roanne, the man with 318 LNB matches bounced back to Pro B in Évreux for a one-month replacement last October (7.2 points, 4.3 rebounds in 23 minutes over 5 matches ).
His freelance work finished, the winger (1.91 m, 30 years old) takes a break to focus on personal projects in his native island, for which he feels ” indebted ». Pour Basket Europethe native of Mamoudzou explains his approach from Mayotte, where he will speak with the Vautour de Labattoir club for the rest of the season. Before aiming for a return to LNB in the summer of 2025.
Why did you decide not to play again this season after your stint in Évreux?
“First of all, I would like to point out that I have had discussions with several clubs. I didn't really decide not to start again at the start of the school year, but it was more complicated to find a club. After my freelance in Évreux (Editor’s note: which ended after the Denain match on October 29), we decided not to continue together. I saw it as an opportunity to pursue several personal projects that I implemented on the island of Mayotte. You should know that I started playing high-level basketball at 15 in Cholet. Now I'm 30 and I've never had a real break since I started. Over the years, I have built a post-career project here. I just felt that I could take the time to move my plans forward so that everything would be in place when I finished my basketball career.
What are these projects?
I have always been interested in sports teaching. The objective is to participate in the development of sport on the island of Mayotte. I feel indebted. I would like to give back to Mayotte and the Mahorese youth through my journey. I want to give lots of young Mahorais the chance to advance faster, to become professionals and even try to do better than me. The idea is to set up a structure between the private and the public to work with sports authorities on the island. This is a project that is close to my heart.
“I never considered that I was the best player on the island (Mayotte)”
You are no longer the only Mahorais in the LNB since the young Maxime Sconard turned pro in Blois in 2023 but there are only two of you. Do you think this is an anomaly?
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