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PRETORIA, TSHWANE – JUNE 7: Samkelo Cele #23 of Metro de Luanda looks on during the game against … More Armee Patriotique during the 2025 Basketball Africa League Playoffs on June 7, 2025 at SunBet Arena in Pretoria, Tshwane. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2025 NBAE (Photo by Armand Lenoir/NBAE via Getty Images) NBAE via Getty Images For Samkelo Cele, basketball has always been the constant, what changes is everything around it. From Claremont in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa to U.S. college gyms, The NBA2K Summer League, the pro leagues of Spain, and now back under the bright lights of the Basketball Africa League (BAL), Cele’s belief remains simple: “Basketball is basketball.” In an interview with Forbes.com, Cele shared how this mindset has carried him across continents and through challenges, allowing him to grow without losing sight of who he is or where he’s from. Now suiting up for Petro de Luanda, one of Africa’s most storied basketball clubs, Cele is once again on a big stage, helping guide his team through the BAL playoffs. Following Petro’s commanding 95–84 win over US Monastir in the quarterfinals, they now prepare for a high-stakes semifinal clash against Egypt’s Al Ittihad. However, for Cele, this playoff run holds deeper significance. Competing on South African soil, with his family watching from the stands for the very first time, has turned this campaign into something far more personal. It’s not his first appearance in the BAL but it was a homecoming. A Homecoming to Remember PRETORIA, TSHWANE – JUNE 7: Samkelo Cele #23 of Metro de Luanda drives to the basket during the game … More against Armee…

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Filed under: News - @ June 10, 2025 11:27 pm