He has starred for the Malian national junior teams on several occasions and trains with French club SLUC Nancy Basket.

[1] On 23 April 2021, Kanouté made his professional debut for SLUC Nancy, as he recorded 2 minutes in a LNB Pro B game against Saint-Chamond Basket.

[5] Kanouté averaged a tournament-high 24.8 points, 4.5 steals, and 4.2 assists per game, leading Mali to their first gold medal at the tournament and earning most valuable player (MVP) honors.

On 30 June 2018, Kanouté recorded 37 points, tied for fourth-most in a game in tournament history, six rebounds, and five assists in an 89–77 loss to Serbia.

He averaged a team-high 14.3 points, 5.4 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game, leading his team to its first gold medal at the tournament.