Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard R.J. Nembhard reportedly will join Filou Oostende to compete in the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League.
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The Basketball Champions League is the premier European professional basketball competition for clubs launched by FIBA. The season for the league begins on Oct. 17 of this year.
Former Golden State Warriors and Toronto Raptors wing Patrick McCaw was set to play for Filou Oostende before he was detained in Belgium because of issues with his visa. McCaw failed to pass passport control due to his passport being flagged as stolen or lost.
A former NBA champion, McCaw would have been a great addition to the team, but his misfortune opened up an opportunity for Nembhard.
Nembhard now gets a chance to join the team and continue his professional basketball career, something the former undrafted free agent out of Texas Christian University is surely hoping to take advantage of.
He played in just 14 games for the Cavs during the 2021-22 season, averaging 4.5 minutes per game. He averaged 1.1 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game in Cleveland while shooting 33.3 percent from the field.
While Nembhard wasn’t able to stick in the NBA, he might have a chance to revive his career in the NBA if he plays well for Filou Oostende in the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League.
The 2023-24 Basketball Champions League will be the eighth season of its existence. There are a total of 54 teams from 29 countries participating in this year’s edition, so players from all over should be competing against Nembhard and Filou Oostende.
Nembhard is a solid scorer who could shine in this league. While he didn’t really show that for the Cavs, he did play extremely well at the G League level in the 2021-22 season.
During that campaign, Nembhard averaged 24.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists in 38.3 minutes per game. He shot 45.0 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from beyond the arc in the G League.
It will be interesting to see if the former Cavs guard can earn himself another shot in the NBA by succeeding in the Basketball Champions League.
There are plenty of players who have revived their NBA careers by playing overseas, and Cavs fans should be hoping Nembhard gets back in the league at some point in the future.
