NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
LAS VEGAS — The first time that Neemias Queta showed up in Las Vegas for Summer League was in July of 2021.
Donning a Sacramento Kings uniform, the then-21-year-old began what would end up being a long fight for a spot in the NBA. After being drafted in the second round by Sacramento, he tallied 5 points and 4.5 rebounds across five games in that first summer, while showing signs he could eventually become an NBA player.
Advertisement
At the same time, there was also no guarantee.
Queta would go on to play in three more Summer Leagues after that first one, two with the Kings and one with the Celtics. There were moments in which he was the most dominant player on the floor. But there were also moments of heartbreak, such as getting cut by the Kings and finding himself back at square one.
But last week, when Queta walked into the Celtics’ Summer League practice, everything was dramatically different.
The 7-footer was just a few days removed from signing the biggest contract of his career, a 4-year, $56 million extension that keeps him in Boston long-term — and gives him life-changing money. At the Celtics’ first Summer League practice, he appears as a special guest, there to get in an individual workout with assistant coach Tony Dobbins, among others.
Advertisement
He greeted some of the current Celtics players, players who are fighting for their NBA lives, just as he once was. And, upon entering the University of Las Vegas gym, he shook hands with Joe Mazzulla, the same coach who sometimes reams him out from the sidelines, but also travelled to Portugal this summer to learn more about his childhood and upbringing, an experience Queta described as ‘surreal.’
“I couldn’t be happier to be in Boston for much more time,” Queta said. “It’s my home, so I’m excited for the future.”
In the Celtics Summer League opener, he sat on the sidelines as a spectator for the very first time, cheering on the Summer League Celtics alongside teammates Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, and Jordan Walsh.
“It’s been a long time,” Queta said. “I’ve been wishing for something like that to happen, and [it] coming down in this moment is really…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/neemias-queta-experienced-full-circle-162125152.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-07-15 16:21:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
