LAS VEGAS — The first time that Neemias Queta showed up in Las Vegas for Summer League was in July of 2021.
Donning a Sacramento Kings uniform, the then-21-year-old began what would end up being a long fight for a spot in the NBA. After being drafted in the second round by Sacramento, he tallied 5 points and 4.5 rebounds across five games in that first summer, while showing signs he could eventually become an NBA player.
At the same time, there was also no guarantee.
Queta would go on to play in three
more Summer Leagues after that first one, two with the Kings and one with the Celtics. There were moments in which he was the most dominant player on the floor. But there were also moments of heartbreak, such as getting cut by the Kings and finding himself back at square one.
But last week, when Queta walked into the Celtics’ Summer League practice, everything was dramatically different.
The 7-footer was just a few days removed from signing the biggest contract of his career, a 4-year, $56 million extension that keeps him in Boston long-term — and gives him life-changing money. At the Celtics’ first Summer League practice, he appears as a special guest, there to get in an individual workout with assistant coach Tony Dobbins, among others.
He greeted some of the current Celtics players, players who are fighting for their NBA lives, just as he once was. And, upon entering the University of Las Vegas gym, he shook hands with Joe Mazzulla, the same coach who sometimes reams him out from the sidelines, but also travelled to Portugal this summer to learn more about his childhood and upbringing, an experience Queta described as ‘surreal.’
“I couldn’t be happier to be in Boston for much more time,” Queta said. “It’s my home, so I’m excited for the future.”
In the Celtics Summer League opener, he sat on the sidelines as a spectator for the very first time, cheering on the Summer League Celtics alongside teammates Derrick White, Jayson Tatum, and Jordan Walsh.
“It’s been a long time,” Queta said. “I’ve been wishing for something like that to happen, and [it] coming down in this moment is really special.
White said he was overjoyed when he found out Queta earned his payday. The two have been teammates since 2023, and began to more extensively share the court last season.
“I was super happy for him,” White said. “Obviously, going into last year, everybody had a lot of questions about what he could do, and I think he proved a lot of people wrong. And so I’m super happy; obviously well-deserved. I texted him congrats, and it’s good to see him not here now. He’s got a couple extra dollars in his pockets.”
Queta said he always felt this type of long-term guarantee was possible, and that his inner belief never wavered, even when his on-court opportunities did. Last year, he went from being the team’s fourth-string center to their starting one.
“I think it’s more about having the trust in yourself, and belief, and work ethic that, eventually, everything will work itself out,” he said. “But I think once I figured out I’d be starting, and [be] able to play meaningful minutes night in and night out, I think it was —not pretty determined that it would come — but with the amount of work and the help that my teammates put in, I felt like it would eventually come up.”
Neemias Queta eyes another big role next season
Next year, Neemias Queta will share the center position with marquee free agency signing Mitchell Robinson, as well as Luka Garza.
He doesn’t know how those minutes will divvy up: “Joe’s the boss”, Queta said with a smile.
Regardless, he’s excited to see how he and Robinson can push one another, and make one another better.
“A lot of boxing out at practice,” Queta said. “We’re going to both crash a lot. We’re going to teach each other a little bit of what we do best, and I’ll just be positive. I’ve heard he’s a really positive guy and a really fun guy to be around, and I can’t wait to do that.”
