Neemias Queta: Making History for Portugal, Playing with Danny Ainge’s Son

Neemias Queta joins Marc and Sean this week to talk about his path to the NBA and the Celtics – which is incredibly unconventional. Queta became the first Portuguese player to ever be drafted into the NBA and to ever play in an NBA game, after moving from Lisbon to Utah to play three years for Utah State. At Utah State, Queta ironically played with Danny Ainge’s son, Crew, and quickly became one of the top shot blockers in the nation. Now, after two years of development in the Kings organization and being the runner up for G League MVP, Queta is playing more minutes for the Celtics than he ever has before in the NBA, all while showing his true promise as a big man – and especially as a shot-blocker.

 

0:30 – Becoming the first Portuguese player in the NBA

 

3:10 – Cultural differences between Portugal and Spain, and why to visit Portugal

 

6:55 – Why Queta chose to attend Utah State instead of going pro in Europe

 

12:05 – Becoming an elite shot blocker

 

20:00 – Being drafted by the Kings and developing in the G League

 

23:30 – Looking up to Al Horford and contributing to the Celtics this season

 

27:55 – Joe Mazzulla joking to the media about Queta’s goaltending tendencies

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