By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
From AEK Betsson to Umana Reyer Venice, Mfiondu Kabengele completed the move on Tuesday.
Kabengele, 26, left the team and was released from his contract with AEK, and Venice later confirmed his signing. A replacement will be named by the Athens outfit over the next few days, as noted in the official announcement. Another recent departure involving an NBA veteran saw Ben McLemore moving from the Queen to fellow Basketball Champions League outfit Rio Breogan.
The team coached by Spanish tactician Joan Plaza punched in a direct ticket to the Round of 16 of the BCL, skipping the Play-In stage, by winning Group D of the Regular Season. From a 5-1 W-L tally to a fresh start in a new six-game round-robin schedule meets UCAM Murcia and two Play-In winners in Group L of the next round.
Kabengele chipped in 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per contest over four appearances in the Champions League. In Greece’s Stoiximan Basket League, he averaged 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game over six appearances. The next challenge meets Venice and head coach Neven Spahija at 4-8 in Group A of the EuroCup Regular Season and 10-3 in Italy’s LBA UnipolSai.
Following 55 games played in the NBA spread between the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Clippers, the Canadian big joined AEK, his first European club, in August. Coming out of Florida State, he was selected with the 27th overall pick of the draft in 2019.