Eli Ndiaye, a product of Real Madrid's youth academy, will leave the NBA to return to the ACB after his time with the Atlanta Hawks. The white club has five days to match any offer.
The 22-year-old forward Eli Ndiaye has decided to end his adventure in the NBA to return to the Spanish league. After playing in the Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks, the player trained at the Real Madrid academy will return to an ACB team with a spot in the EuroLeague, although it will not be the white team. According to sources close to the player, the options are reduced to Barça, Baskonia, and Valencia Basket.
Real Madrid, which holds the right of first refusal on Ndiaye, will have a period of five days from when they receive the offer to match it and reclaim the player. This mechanism, common in Spanish basketball, allows the original club to retain the player if they match the financial terms presented by another team. Madrid's decision will be crucial for the immediate future of the forward.
An injury interrupted his progress in the United States
Ndiaye joined the Real Madrid academy at the age of 13 and developed in the white factory. In 2021, he was named MVP of the Adidas Next Generation tournament, which Madrid won against FC Barcelona in the final. With the first team, he won the EuroLeague in 2023 and the ACB titles in 2022, 2024, and 2025. Last summer, he made the jump to the NBA by signing a two-way contract with the Atlanta Hawks, combining the first team with the G-League affiliate, the College Park Skyhawks.
However, a shoulder injury in December sidelined him for the rest of the season, and he was cut in January. In the G-League, he averaged 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in 26 minutes, with 42% shooting from the field. Atlanta continued his rehabilitation and gave him a chance in the Summer League, but Ndiaye barely had minutes: only three appearances in eight games, averaging 3.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Baskonia is the team most frequently mentioned
The portal Encestado indicates that Baskonia is interested in acquiring the forward, who is a quota player, a highly valued quality in the ACB. Ndiaye, of Senegalese origin but naturalised Spanish, can play both as a forward and a power forward, with an elite defensive profile and a good shooting hand from the perimeter. His versatility fits into any system.
For Madrid fans, the uncertainty is at its peak: if Real Madrid decides not to match the offer, Ndiaye will move to a direct rival in the EuroLeague. If they do match, the player will return to the place that has been his home since he was 13 years old. The decision will be known in the coming days, once the player formalises his exit from the NBA and receives firm offers.
Other Spaniards in the Summer League
Ndiaye has not been the only Spaniard in the NBA Summer League. Others who participated include Hugo González (Boston Celtics), Aday Mara (Oklahoma City Thunder), Baba Miller (Clippers), Sergio de Larrea, and brothers Jorge and Guillermo Díaz Graham (Dallas Mavericks). The latter, selected by Dallas's affiliate in the G-League International Draft, still have their situation to be defined: La Laguna Tenerife holds their rights in the ACB.
For followers of Madrid basketball, Ndiaye's case is an example of Real Madrid's youth academy: a player developed in-house who tries his luck in the NBA and, if unsuccessful, returns to the Spanish league with options to play at the European elite. Now, the white club has the final say.
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