Neemias Queta Bio
Neemias Esdras Barbosa Queta is a Portuguese professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in Lisbon, Queta has built his reputation as a defensive-minded center, standing 7 feet tall and weighing 248 pounds. He was selected with the 39th overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, becoming the first Portuguese player ever drafted into the league, and he later won an NBA championship with Boston in 2024.
Known to teammates and fans as “Neem the Dream,” Queta has steadily grown from a teenage prospect in suburban Portugal into a starting NBA center. His journey has included stints with Portuguese club Benfica, the Sacramento Kings organization, the Stockton and Maine Celtics in the G League, and the Boston Celtics at the NBA level.
Early Life and Background
Neemias Esdras Barbosa Queta was born on 13 July 1999 in Lisbon, Portugal. He was raised in the community of Vale da Amoreira, in the municipality of Moita, just outside the capital. His parents, Mica and Djaneuba Queta, were born in Guinea-Bissau and fled that country during its civil war, eventually settling in Portugal as displaced Bissau-Guineans. His father worked as a businessman who regularly traveled through Europe, while his mother worked as a chef.
Queta first picked up a basketball at age 10 when he followed his older sister to a tryout with the youth program at Barreirense, a club based in the Barreiro area south of Lisbon. He remained with Barreirense’s youth system from 2009 to 2017, growing into a tall and athletic big man. He is also a cousin of Wolverhampton Wanderers footballer Mateus Mane, reflecting a family that produced athletes in more than one sport.
Path to Basketball
Queta’s first taste of senior professional basketball came in the 2017–18 season, when he played two games in the Portuguese Basketball League for S.L. Benfica. He parted ways with Benfica on 31 August 2018, choosing to take his career overseas. By that point, he had already represented Portugal at multiple FIBA youth tournaments, including the 2017 FIBA U18 European Championship Division B in Estonia, the 2018 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B in Bulgaria, and the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B on home soil, where he led Portugal to a gold medal.
On 29 August 2018, Queta signed a letter of intent to play college basketball for the Utah State Aggies. That move launched his rise in the United States and set the stage for his eventual entry into the NBA. He also earned the 2022 Personality of the Year honor from the Portuguese Basketball Federation, an early sign of his growing national profile.
Neemias Queta Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Queta’s earliest senior experience came with Barreirense and then Benfica between 2017 and 2018. Although his role at Benfica was limited, the opportunity allowed him to train and compete at a high level in Portugal’s top division.
During that same window, he was representing Portugal in age-group international play, giving him exposure to FIBA competition before he ever set foot on a U.S. campus. The two Benfica appearances in 2017–18 were his only senior club games before crossing the Atlantic.
Utah State Breakthrough (2018–2021)
Queta made an immediate impact at Utah State. On 19 November 2018, he recorded 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 blocks in an 80–63 win over Saint Mary’s. As a freshman, he averaged 11.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game, earning Second-team All-Mountain West, Mountain West Freshman of the Year, and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors. He set the program single-season record with 84 blocks before briefly declaring for the 2019 NBA draft and then withdrawing to return to school.
A knee injury cost him the first nine games of his sophomore year, but he bounced back to average 13 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game, repeating as Second-team All-Mountain West. On 17 February 2021, he posted a career-high 32 points and 10 rebounds in a 79–70 loss to Boise State, and on 12 March 2021, he tallied 18 points, 14 rebounds, and a school-record nine blocks in a 62–50 win over Colorado State at the Mountain West tournament semifinals.
As a junior, Queta averaged 14.9 points, 10.1 rebounds, 3.3 blocks, and 2.7 assists per game. He was named First-team All-Mountain West and Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, was a finalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year Award, and left as Utah State’s all-time leader in blocks. On 29 March 2021, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft and gave up his remaining college eligibility.
Boston Celtics Era (2023–Present)
Queta was selected in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft with the 39th pick by the Sacramento Kings, making him the first Portuguese player ever drafted in the NBA. He signed a two-way contract on 8 August 2021, splitting his time between Sacramento and its G League affiliate, the Stockton Kings. On 17 December 2021, he made his NBA debut against the Memphis Grizzlies, and on 11 January 2022 he became the first Portuguese player to score points in the NBA with 11 points and 5 rebounds in a 109–108 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. He was named to the G League’s inaugural Next Up Game for 2022–23, was voted Sacramento’s most popular player for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game, and was awarded a standard contract on 8 August 2023 before being waived on 12 September 2023.
On 19 September 2023, Queta signed a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics. He made his NBA playoff debut on 7 May 2024 and his NBA Finals debut on 14 June 2024, becoming an NBA champion on 17 June 2024 when the Celtics defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games. On 6 July 2024, he signed a three-year, $7.2 million contract extension, and on 4 November 2024 he made his first NBA start with 10 points and 7 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks, becoming the first Portuguese player to start an NBA game. Following major frontcourt turnover in Boston’s 2025 offseason, Queta was named the Celtics’ starting center entering 2025–26 and posted career-high averages of 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks across 76 appearances.
Driving Style and Strengths
Queta plays a traditional, physical center style built around rim protection, rebounding, and interior finishing. His length, timing, and willingness to contest shots have made him one of the Mountain West’s most decorated defenders and a respected shot-blocker at the NBA level, where he ranked among the league’s best in blocks per game during 2025–26.
Notable Events and Milestones
Key career milestones include becoming the first Portuguese player drafted in the NBA (2021), the first to score in an NBA game (January 2022), the first to start an NBA game (November 2024), and an NBA champion with the 2023–24 Boston Celtics. He also led Portugal to a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B and starred in Portugal’s first EuroBasket win in 18 years during EuroBasket 2025.
Neemias Queta Career Wins
Queta’s most significant wins include the 2019 FIBA U20 European Championship Division B gold medal, the 2021 NBA Summer League title with the Sacramento Kings, the 2024 NBA Championship with the Boston Celtics, and Portugal’s first EuroBasket victory in nearly two decades at EuroBasket 2025.
NBA Highlights
Queta’s NBA breakthrough came with Boston, where he grew from a two-way contract player into a rotation center. He made his playoff debut in May 2024 and helped the Celtics win the 2024 NBA Finals, then locked down a starting role in 2025–26 and posted career-best numbers in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks.
Other Wins & Performances
In the G League, Queta starred for the Stockton and Maine Celtics, earning All-NBA G League First Team, G League All-Defensive Team, and Next Up Game honors in 2023. In 2024, he powered the Maine Celtics to the G League Eastern Conference Finals with a 16-point, 19-rebound performance against the Long Island Nets.
Neemias Queta Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Queta is the son of Mica and Djaneuba Queta, Bissau-Guinean parents who left Guinea-Bissau during that country’s civil war and built a new life in Portugal. He is a cousin of Wolverhampton Wanderers footballer Mateus Mane, extending a family tradition of athletic achievement.
Personal Life
Queta grew up in Vale da Amoreira, in the municipality of Moita, where he developed his game at Barreirense from the age of 10. He is widely known by the nickname “Neem the Dream,” a moniker given to him by his Boston Celtics teammates during the 2023–24 championship run.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025–26 campaign marked Queta’s true arrival as a frontline NBA center. With Boston undergoing major frontcourt turnover, he was named the team’s starting center and delivered career-high averages of 10.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.3 blocks across 76 games, including 75 starts. Standout performances included 19 points and a career-high 18 rebounds against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 29 November 2025 and a career-high 27 points with 17 rebounds and 3 blocks against the Philadelphia 76ers on 1 March 2026, a stat line that made him the first Celtic to hit those marks in a single game since Robert Parish in 1989.
Queta’s growth mirrored Boston’s defensive identity, with his shot-blocking and rebounding anchoring a retooled frontcourt. Offensively, he showed improved passing out of the post and a higher free-throw conversion rate than in past seasons, factors that kept him in the closing lineups during tight games. He continued to serve as a cultural bridge for Portuguese fans following the NBA, with his every start drawing attention back home.
