The Boston Celtics filled their third and final two-way roster spot this week by signing 7-foot center Neemias Queta. The 24-year-old Portugal native has made history in numerous ways throughout his basketball career, so let’s get to know him more before he hits the floor for Boston and Maine this coming season.
Here are Queta’s Five Facts:
- As a freshman at Utah State, Queta smashed the program’s record for most blocked shots in a single season, swatting 84 shots to break Shawn Daniels’ previous record of 59. That season, he was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year and was also the conference Defensive Player of the Year.
- Two seasons later, Queta broke his own single-season blocks record with 97 swats for the Aggies. He averaged 14.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and a school record 3.3 blocks per game during his junior season, while racking up several accolades including a First Team Mountain West nod, his second conference Defensive Player of the Year award, and was one of four finalists for the nationwide Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award along with Herb Jones, Evan Mobley, and winner Davion Mitchell. He logged a program-record 219 blocked shots in just three seasons at Utah State. The next-closest mark is 155, and the next-closest by a player who played fewer than four seasons is 117.
- At the 2021 NBA Combine, Queta logged the top measurements for height (7 feet, 0.5 inches), wingspan (7 feet, 4.0 inches), standing reach (9 feet, 4.5 inches), and hand width (10.5 inches) among all participants.
- On July 29, 2021, Queta became the first Portuguese draftee in NBA history when the Sacramento Kings selected him 39th overall. Later that year, he became the first Portugal native to play in an NBA game.
- Queta was the runner-up for G League MVP this past season, posting averages of 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.9 blocks per game while leading the Stockton Kings to a league-best 25-7 record.