South African basketball star Samkelo Cele, who played in the NBA Summer League with the New York Knicks, has signed with Basketball Africa League defending champions Petro de Luanda ahead of the BAL playoffs in June.
Cele played in the NBA Summer League with the Knicks in 2024, scoring 11 points with 2 rebounds in just under 18 minutes on the floor in a win over the Atlanta Hawks. After stints with Burundi's Dynamo BBC and Oman's Al Bashaer, he joined Spain's Real Valladolid this year.
Cele told ESPN that in the Summer League, around NBA players, he did not feel out of place: "I showed I belong, but the situation or the opportunity wasn't - I guess - the right one to fully showcase who Samkelo is, but the experience overall was great."
He acknowledged that the Knicks have invested heavily in star players who he was always unlikely to dislodge from the team in the current moment, even after a strong showing.
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He added: "Being around those guys, working with them, seeing how meticulous things are at that level - it was a great experience overall. I loved every single part of it. It was enjoyable; it was fun.
"I learned, but again; apart from learning more, I learned that I belong. That was the most gratifying and the more fun part of the whole experience - realising that I definitely belong."
Cele's confidence comes largely from battling his way into the starting five in his first season at his former team, the Cape Town Tigers, before being the star player in his second. Even though he has yet to be handed the keys to lead a team in the NBA or Europe, he is likely to be given significant responsibility with Petro.
Given that the defending champions are 3-3 in this year's tournament and were inconsistent in their group phase, the energy and confidence he will inject could hardly come at a better time.
Cele said: "I get to go take us home at home in South Africa. [Aboubacar] Gakou, who plays for Petro, has always been a good friend of mine and a good adversary too. He always said that he hated playing against me and when he learned that I was going to come join them, we were all happy.
"He was like: 'We're going to make sure we handle business [in the Sahara Conference] to make sure we're good for South Africa because we know how you play in your home [country].'
"I was like: 'Handle business. I'll go put on a show at home and hopefully go back-to-back.'"
While Cele stood out in a struggling team in Spain's second-tier Primera FEB, they ultimately suffered relegation after a coaching switch failed to steer the ship to safety.
His experiences in the US and Europe have given him confidence that he is good enough to play in the NBA or EuroLeague.
Petro coach Sergio Valdeolmillos was an assistant coach in the EuroLeague in his 2017-18 stint at Baskonia and Cele believes that playing for him can help bring attention to his skills.
The South African guard told ESPN: "Europeans [in basketball are] a tight group. I'm here in Spain playing for a Spanish coach and Petro is coached by a Spanish coach.
"If I call an ACB team or another team here, [they will say]: 'Oh; you played for another European coach - a Spanish coach - let's listen.'
"In Africa, we look for the coaches on the outside to come in and help us. Here in Spain, they like it to be closed. If I play for a Spanish coach outside of Spain, coaches will want to hear more about me, because they will believe that if I play for a Spanish coach, I can understand the style of play in Spain or Europe."
Cele - who has averaged 10.2 points per game with Valladolid in just under 17 minutes per game - is certainly in no doubt that based on his on-court performances alone, he has what it takes to succeed.
He added: "[Playing in Spain has] made me realise that I can definitely play in the ACB, because I've guarded guys here that played in the ACB and some of the teams we play here were once in the ACB and came down to the second division.
"We'll see how the [European] summer goes. I've had really good games here, which will put me in a good position to talk to teams that have played in the EuroCup or Champions League or whatever, but in two years, for sure, I will be playing EuroLeague."
The BAL airs on ESPN's channels in Africa (DStv 218 and 219, Starsat 248).