The NBA has added one more player with ties to Australia.
Nigerian-born Chima Moneke, who has spent considerable time in Australia, is signing a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, according to Sean Cunningham of Sacramento television station KTXL.
The deal is believed to be only partially guaranteed.
Former UC Davis star Chima Moneke is signing with the Sacramento Kings, according to sources. The former Aggies star is very familiar with the organization, has been playing internationally for the past few years and will bring defense, athleticism and length to the Kings.
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) July 15, 2022
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Moneke fills the 13th spot on the Kings' roster.
New Kings head coach Mike Brown is quite familiar with Moneke from his time as coach of the Nigerian national team. Moneke was a member of the team at the Tokyo Olympics.
The 26-year-old Moneke also played college basketball at UC Davis, just outside Sacramento.
He had signed to the South East Melbourne Phoenix in 2019 under the provision that he gain Australian local player status. He was not able to do that and the Phoenix had to release him.
"We were really excited for him to come in. He's lived his whole life in Australia. It's a real shame with the way it's panned out for him," Phoenix coach Simon Mitchell said at the time.
Moneke has been playing in Europe since then, first in France and most recently with Spain's BAXI Manresa, where he was named MVP of the Basketball Champions League.
Across 51 games in the Spanish ACB and BCL in 2021-22, Moneke averaged 14.3 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.
