Cape Town Tigers guard Samkelo Cele will spend the next couple of months with the New York Knicks in the NBA Summer League.
After impressing with the Cape Town Tigers in Basketball Africa League (BAL), Cele will get the chance to make his dreams come true when he gets a participates in a trial with an NBA team.
Smooth middy from Samkelo Cele #BAL4 pic.twitter.com/bZAkWchIEG
— Basketball Africa League (@theBAL) May 26, 2024
And speaking about the “unbelievable” moment he got the call, Cele said it’s what he’s been playing for since making his way into the BAL.
“I had just got back from a workout. I got the call saying that I had been invited to the Summer League by the Knicks. It was surreal,” the 26-year-old Cele told ESPN on Tuesday.
“I couldn't believe it, even though it was something I had wanted and hoped for because opportunities have been spoken about since last year's BAL.”
In the BAL, Cele had a number of admirers. One of them was retired NBA legend Dwayne Wade, who watched the team regularly in order to keep tabs on his son Zaire.
According to ESPN, Wayde was impressed with Cele, and offered him some encouraging words of advice.
Another of Cele’s admirers was Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Rasheed Hazzard, who coached the Tigers in 2023.
"I love that kid and I told him when I first saw him play that he will be a star if he puts in the work," Hazzard said.
Cele started his basketball career at Durban High School, and after matric, he went to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, where he spent two years.
He finished up at University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma in 2022, and was picked up by the Cape Town Tigers for the 2023 season.
Should Cele impress the Knicks enough during the Summer League to earn a roster spot, he will become the first-ever South African to play in the NBA.
IOL Sport
A skill not all possess… Who on the #USABMNT can spin a ball on their finger? 🤔![CDATA[]]>👀![CDATA[]]>🏀 pic.twitter.com/mRwKDfJOKO
— NBA (@NBA) July 8, 2024
