Portugal's Neemias Queta talks about experience with the Boston Celtics, personal journey
BOSTON - The value of Center Neemias Queta – the first Portuguese player in the NBA – to the Boston Celtics has been increasing with every performance.
On Feb.14, he registered eight points and four rebounds – two offensive and two defensive – in 13.13 minutes during the 136-86 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. It was his 23rd NBA game of the season.
“I am being treated very well. I’m very happy with the way things have developed,” Queta told O Jornal. “We have been playing very well and the season has gone very well - individually and with the team. Now, it’s a matter of continuing to stay on this path, so that we end the year in a happy fashion.”
Queta signed a two-way contract with the Celtics in September, but Coach Joe Mazzulla has often praised the work he has turned in and the quality of his performances. The fans also seem pleased with his performances.
So far, he has won three Tommy Awards - an award given at the end of each game to the player who worked the hardest, exceeded expectations and made important contributions during the match.
“I’m feeling more and more at home, the fans are able to support us in an incredible way,” Queta said. “Boston has great fans, so every place I go I feel a lot of love. I’m very happy with this kind of support.”
How are Neemias Queta’s contract negotiations going with the Celtics?
A couple of weeks ago, when speaking to the media, Celtics’ President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens praised Queta and admitted that the possibility of giving him a standard contract is being considered.
“Neemy has done a great job,” Steves said at one point.
When asked if there are negotiations underway, Queta first laughed and then replied: “If there were negotiations, it would already be done.”
“It’s not me that you should be asking, it’s not up to me,” he added. “But I’m never worried about that. What I’ve known since the beginning of the year is that I had this job and I’m very happy with it. From there, it’s about doing my job because I’m on the right track.”
With the Celtics, he has the privilege of working with great veterans, such as Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis, who have advised and supported him.
“We all draw trust from each other,” Queta said. “I think I can gain a little more confidence by seeing veterans with so much experience in the league, with so many titles, so many trophies, and in the league for so many years supporting me. It gives me a little more morale. It gives me more confidence on the floor knowing that I have them on my side.”
But on Feb. 8, the trade deadline, the Celtics signed Forward/Center Xavier Tillman from the Memphis Grizzlies. For some, this addition could jeopardize Queta’s chances of receiving a standard contract, although there is still an open 15th roster spot.
“I don’t see it that way,” Queta said. “It’s all very relative; they’re opinions. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. What I see is that competition for the position is always good. And after that, let the cards fall where they may, let the coach decide, let him decide what’s best for the team.”
The 7-foot center noted he is feeling much better.
“I work every day with the same goal, which is to get better, and I have teammates who help me become better every day,” he said. “From there, it’s a matter of sequence and I think I have everything I need to keep improving.”
Queta: Portuguese community has been a great supporter
Queta said the Portuguese community in the Boston area has been supportive and he has come across “many people from the Portuguese community or of Portuguese descent.”
“I feel very welcomed,” he said.
In Portugal, his success has encouraged many youngsters, who now dream of being the ‘new Neemias.’
In fact, Andreas Zagklis, the secretary general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), has stated that Queta’s arrival in the NBA “is a tremendous vehicle of promotion for the sport” in Portugal.
At the time, Zagklis was visiting the headquarters of the Portuguese Basketball Federation in Lisbon on a courtesy visit to mark the 90th anniversary of FIBA. Portugal was one of the founding members.
“Young generations need idols, role models and iconic players, both male and female,” he said. “That means more youngsters will want to put on the jersey, pick up the ball and go out and play.”
When asked about the idea of being a role model for younger fans, Queta said he tries to be a good example for the youth.
“Everyone knows that I’m a very shy person and I don’t really like those types of comparisons,” he said. “But if they want to see me as an example, good for them. Let what I do be a good example.”
Where did the Celtics get Queta from?
Born in Lisbon in 1999 and raised in Vale da Amoreira, in the district of Setúbal, Queta is the son of Guinea-Bissau natives.
He joined the NBA in 2021, when he was drafted in the second round by the Sacramento Kings.
After two seasons during which he failed to establish himself with the Kings, he was waived on Sept. 12, 2023.
“It wasn’t a shock,” he explained. “You have an idea of what’s going on and from there it’s a matter of moving on, without resentment.”
A week later, the Boston Celtics intrigued by the Portuguese center’s potential, offered him a two-way contract.
Queta on his journey from Portuguese basketball to the NBA
Queta revealed he was about 10 years old when he watched his first basketball game. His sister took him to a Barreirense game, and he immediately became a fan of the sport.
“It was through my sister that the basketball bug got me,” he said. “I started playing basketball because of her and since that day I’ve never looked back.”
He started playing with Barreirense and later moved to Sport Lisboa e Benfica. But the window to basketball stardom began to open when he represented Portugal’s U-18 team at the 2017 European Championship.
He led the tournament in blocked shots, averaging 2.9 per game. He also contributed averages of 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds. In the win over the Netherlands, he came very close to a rare triple-double, with 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine blocks.
“That’s when I started to gain visibility,” he said. “I started to get offers from colleges to come and play college basketball, and from then on it was a domino effect… from then on everything went well for me.”
Initially, he was leaning to accept offers from Texas Tech or Creighton, as Utah State University was slow to offer a scholarship. But Diogo Brito, a Portuguese player who was in his third year at Utah State and had been a classmate of his sister, ended up playing an important role in his decision to move to Utah.
“It was a mix of factors but having Diogo on the team where I was going to be was a great influence,” he explained. “He had already been in the same class as my older sister and he was an influence in that respect, having someone I could talk to in Portuguese in college, someone I had things in common with and could make my life a little easier there. It was something that contributed a lot to my coming to Utah State.”
Culturally, the state of Utah is very different from Portugal, so he initially struggled to adapt to the new reality.
“I was very young; I was 19 years old. Moving to a completely different country, a completely different area, in terms of weather, culture, ways of living, food - all that plays a role. But I think it was the right decision, everything would work out there.”
How Queta went from being a raw prospect to NBA player
In his first season, he was named 'Rookie of the Year', 'Defensive Player of the Year', and to the All-Mountain West Second Team, with averages of 11.8 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.4 blocks – a new Utah State University record.
In his junior year, he led the Western Conference in rebounds (10.1), blocks (3.3) and shooting percentage (.559), again earning 'Defensive Player of the Year' honors, as well as a spot on the All-Mountain West Conference team.
“I had a really good team at that time at Utah State,” he recalled. “I had teammates who supported me in every way and after that my life became a lot easier. Whether relating to the distance, or the way the game is different here, they were always on my side and they were able to explain everything in the best way so that we could succeed as a team.”
His performances at Utah State drew the interest of NBA teams. On July 29, 2021, he was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the second round of the NBA draft, the 39th player selected.
At the time, this appeared to be an ideal marriage because Sacramento was the city where Ticha Penicheiro, one of the top 50 WNBA players of all time, born in Figueira da Foz, Portugal, had 11 great seasons. It felt like a good sign.
“I was able to speak with her about what was going on in the city,” Queta recalled. “Ticha is a great person. She lived more or less in the same area where I lived, when she played there. So, I was able to pick up on a lot of the things that she had gone through, and I learned that from her.”
In Sacramento, he signed a two-way contract, which allowed him to play with the first team as well as the B team in the G-League.
In his first year, he made only 15 appearances in 82 games regular season games, for a total of only 119.34 minutes, totals that could have brought some level of discomfort for a player who used to be a reference at the college level.
“I wouldn’t say that,” he noted. “Sometimes it’s a matter of understanding where our performances are at, continuing to evolve, knowing that the biggest page is not what’s going on now and understanding what’s ahead. Knowing that I still have a lot of potential to get there, given the opportunities I hadn’t had yet. So, it was a matter of knowing how to understand what was happening and continuing to work in the best way possible. I think that helped me get to where I am now.”
Although he was unable to earn a spot with the first team, Queta was exceptional in the G League. He was named to the All-Star team and the All-Defensive Team, which suggested that the move to the first team would be around the corner. But the Kings did not offer a standard contract.
“I’ve always felt confident in my work, I think the way I faced these kinds of challenges, and the way things went always gave me the strength to know that I still had everything ahead of me,” he said, when asked about the possible disappointment of not being able to crack the first team. “I had to keep working to be able to get to where I am now, and I think everything went well due to that mentality.”
In reality, the situation improved dramatically for Queta.
He left Sacramento, a team that has never won the NBA title, and he signed for Boston, the team that leads the NBA, along with the Los Angeles Lakers, in titles, with 17.
“It’s a source of pride… I don’t even know how to explain it,” he said.
In the two seasons in Sacramento, he played in 22 games. In Boston, although it’s only February, he has already made 23 appearances - a sign that the coaching staff believes in his ability.
Queta left a word of gratitude and appreciation to the Portuguese community.
“Without you, I would not receive this kind of support,” he said. “It’s essential for me to continue to receive this kind of support, which is very much appreciated on my part.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Portugal's Neemias Queta talks about his experience with the Celtics
