SAMKELO “BUCKETS” CELE IS A SOUTH AFRICAN BASKETBALL SENSATION MAKING
SIGNIFICANT STRIDES BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. STANDING AT

6’4” AND WEIGHING 209 LBS, CELE PLAYS AS A SHOOTING GUARD FOR ANGOLA’S
PETRO DE LUANDA IN THE BASKETBALL AFRICA LEAGUE (BAL).
 HIS EXCEPTIONAL PERFORMANCE IN THE 2023/24 SEASON, WHERE HE AVERAGED
21 POINTS AND 2.4 STEALS PER GAME, EARNED HIM A SPOT ON THE ALL-BAL FIRST
TEAM, MAKING HIM THE FIRST SOUTH AFRICAN TO ACHIEVE THIS HONOR. CELE’S
BASKETBALL JOURNEY INCLUDES PLAYING COLLEGE BASKETBALL IN THE UNITED
STATES AT INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS NORTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA A&M, SOUTHERN
COLLEGE, AND MARIST COLLEGE.
 HE CONCLUDED HIS COLLEGIATE CAREER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & ARTS OF
OKLAHOMA, WHERE HE WAS NAMED AN NAIA ALL-AMERICAN THIRD TEAM
SELECTION IN 2023. IN 2023, HE SIGNED HIS FIRST PROFESSIONAL CONTRACT WITH
THE CAPE TOWN TIGERS AND WAS NAMED TO THE BAL ALL-DEFENDERS TEAM IN
HIS ROOKIE SEASON.
 IN FEBRUARY 2024, CELE MADE HIS DEBUT FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL
TEAM, FURTHER SOLIDIFYING HIS STATUS AS A KEY PLAYER IN SOUTH AFRICAN
BASKETBALL. BUCKETS ALSO PLAYED FOR THE NEW YORK KNICKS IN THE 2024 NBA
SUMMER LEAGUE, AND WAS SELECTED TO JOIN SPANISH CLUB REAL VALLADOLID,
HIS FIRST EUROPEAN CLUB, IN MARCH 2025.
 SAMKELO “BUCKETS” CELE JOINS US IN STUDIO….