PRETORIA, South Africa -- As Jonathan Kuminga finds himself at a pivotal moment in his career with the Golden State Warriors, his brother, Joel Ntambwe, is at a similar crossroads in the Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Kuminga appears to be behind Jimmy Butler in the Warriors pecking order and will head into the American summer as a restricted free agent.
Ntambwe - who has the same mother and father as Kuminga but carries their late grandfather's surname - also faces an uncertain future as he looks to bounce back from the back injury which derailed his G League experience, most recently with the Delaware Blue Coats.
However, he has his best opportunity since with Cape Verde's Kriol Star at the Basketball Africa League (BAL) playoffs in South Africa, starting on June 6.
Ntambwe, who played his college ball for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, told ESPN: "It was a really great opportunity presented to me by my agent. I've had the desire to play in the BAL since the first BAL started.
"Amadou [Gallo Fall], the president, asked me to come and play, but at that time, I think I wasn't ready... Having my little brother who plays in the NBA, we've met several times. That's how we built that relationship between him and us.
"I decided to come this year because I felt like it was a great opportunity and it's actually a very big stage to showcase my career and showcase my talents.
"I was battling with a lot of injuries and stuff like that. That's what a lot of people don't know. When I got to the G League [with the Sioux Falls Skyforce], I got a back injury and I had to do rehab. After that, I got picked up by Delaware [Blue Coats].
"Thank God, we made it all the way to the finals... Right now, my body is actually feeling the best that it's ever felt before."
Kriol Star qualified for the playoffs as one of the two best third-placed teams after finishing with a 3-3 record in the Sahara Conference. The country they are representing, Cape Verde - with a population of just over 500,000 people - is the smallest ever to send a team to the BAL.
Kuminga has spoken highly of South Africa, where the playoffs will take place in Pretoria from June 6-14. Kuminga coached at Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Africa in 2023 in nearby Johannesburg.
Ntambwe said of his brother's opinion: "He told me it was a very great country; very developed [in terms of] the infrastructure... We spoke after my first game and he just told me: 'Try to do as good as you can, so you guys can actually qualify.'
"He takes some time to actually watch and actually send me film and we bounce ideas on how we should play."
Ntambwe is from a basketball-mad family. His father played the sport and introduced Ntambwe and his three younger siblings -- Jonathan, Alex and Flory -- to the sport. Ntambwe's cousin, Daniel, also plays.
While Ntambwe played for Texas Tech and UNLV before Kuminga's rise, it is no surprise to him that his younger brother has become the star he is today.
"We believe in work and we put so much work and planning into how his career would be moving forward. It wasn't surreal - I was just thankful because of the people who gave us opportunities to showcase J.K.'s talent at the biggest levels," Ntambwe said.
"I feel like it's just the work that's paying off because J.K. is a very hard-working guy. A lot of people don't know anything about J.K. As a 10th-grader, he used to wake up every day at 5AM to work out before class. He built his skills and when it was time for him to play at the big stage, I wasn't surprised because I knew he put in the work and it was game on for him."
The two brothers are well-travelled in Africa and around the world, with Ntambwe having notably played in the Road to BAL qualifiers with the Central African Republic's Abeilles and made a second home for himself in Kenya, where he recently represented Umoja.
However, home is where the heart is for the two brothers, who have played together for the DR Congo national team.
The BAL airs on ESPN's channels in Africa (DStv 218 and 219, Starsat 248) and affiliated local braodcasters.