Earlier this summer, former Pitt standout Nike Sibande signed with Basquet Girona, a team that competes in what is widely known as the best league in European professional basketball.
The former Panther competed weeks ago in Pittsburgh for Zoo Crew in The Basketball Tournament, but now, Sibande’s focus has shifted back to his individual basketball career, which will now take place in Spain.
On Saturday, the team posted a welcome video to its Instagram page, with clips of Sibande touring the facilities and speaking to the team’s fans as well.
Last year, Basquet Girona’s roster included former Pitt and NBA player Khem Birch. Former Washington State star Ike Iroegbu was the leading scorer on the team, and former Arizona Wildcat Gabe York also averaged 14+ points per game before changing teams. The squad, based in Girona, Spain, was founded by NBA big man Marc Gasol in 2014.
The Miami (OH) transfer Sibande spent three years in Pittsburgh, playing in 2020-21, missing the 2021-22 season due to an ACL tear, and playing in the 2022-23 season. Sibande won the ACC Sixth Man of the Year award with Pitt in 2022-23, playing a big role off the bench in Pitt’s NCAA Tournament run. He averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a senior, shooting 43% from the field and 35% from three-point range.
Sibande played for three different teams last year, per eurobasket.com. He played for Kataja in Finland from September to December, scoring 25+ points seven times in 12 games for the club. He most recently played for Merkezefendi (Turkey), where he averaged 14.7 points per game across 12 games. Sibande now joins Liga ACB, which is considered one of the top basketball leagues in the world. Liga ACB includes top international squads like Barcelona, Real Madrid, and more.
Find out more information about Basquet Girona here
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