STEPHENVILLE, Texas —Tarleton State Men's Basketball standout Chris Mpaka signed his first professional contract with Rouen Métropole Basket of the LNB Pro B League in France.

Mpaka spent the final two seasons of his collegiate career in Stephenville. His 74 total blocks is the most career blocks in the Texans' Division I era. He is third in the D1 era with 299 career rebounds and ranks in the top 15 with 466 total points. In total, the Kinshasa, Congo, native, averaged 8.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 19.0 minutes per game. He played in 56 contests while starting 49. He is also one of two D1 Texans to play in at least 50 games and own a greater than 50 percent field goal percentage in his career, ending with a 50.9 percentage from the field.

"I want to congratulate Chris Mpaka on signing to play professionally overseas," said first-year head coach Eric Haut. "In my short time at Tarleton State, Chris has been nothing short but a great young man with a great future. Texan Nation, please join me in congratulating Chris during the start of his professional basketball career!"

In his senior season with the Texans, Mpaka posted a pair of 20+ point games setting a career-high with 24 points in a dominant performance against Merrimack. He also played a vital role in the Texans' upset win of AAC opponent Rice scoring 22 points. In total, the senior posted nine double-digit scoring totals and a double-double. Mpaka was second on the Texans in both blocks and rebounds.

Mpaka made his Texan debut for his junior year of college basketball. After starting his first Division I collegiate contest, Mpaka scored 15 points in each of his second and third games of the season. He tallied his first D1 double-double on the road at ACC powerhouse, Florida State, with 15 points and 11 boards. He scored in double figures in 15 games as a junior, including a season-high 20 points against Seattle U. The junior was second on the squad with three double-doubles in his Texan rookie campaign. He led the Texans with four 10+ rebound performances. Mpaka led the team in blocks in a staggering 18 games and posted the second most blocks in a single D1 season, 51. His 51 blocks ranked in the top 60 in the nation and third in the WAC.

Mpaka started his collegiate journey after entering the United States from the Republic of the Congo at the age of 18. The Kinshasa, Congo, native, played a pair of seasons at the junior college level at Frank Phillips College and Indian Hills. He was an All-Conference selection in his first collegiate season. After being a top junior college prospect, Mpaka chose to transfer to Tarleton State ahead of the 2024-25 season.

Rouen Métropole Basket is one of 20 teams in the LNB Pro B League. Last season, the squad placed 14th in the league finishing with an 18-20 overall record. The team has a storied history winning the 2008 and 2023 regular season title and reaching at least the semifinals of the league five times. In 2010, Rouen reached the semifinals of the French Cup, the most prestigious event in French basketball. 

Currently on the Rouen roster is one former NBA player, Karim Mané who played for the Orlando Magic. Former NBA players such as Chima Moneke and Narcisse Ngoy have suited up for Rouen as well as NBA first round pick and the 2009 NBA Three Point Contest Champion, Daequan Cook. Mpaka is one of numerous players in the league to have made the move from playing collegiately in the United States. Rouen will begin its season in just over two months with its first game scheduled for September 15, 2026. 

For more information, news and updates follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram and X. The Texans 2026-27 roster can be found on the Tarleton State Men's Basketball website. Future games and schedule releases will be announced when available.