Mfiondu Tshimanga Kabengele (born August 14, 1997) is a Canadian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Boston Celtics of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

, on a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the Maine Celtics of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Florida State Seminoles. He was drafted 27th overall in the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

by the

Brooklyn Nets The Brooklyn Nets are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Nets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The ...

and immediately traded to the Clippers.

College career

Kabengele came to Florida State as an unheralded recruit and

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

his freshman season. As a redshirt freshman, he played an important role on a team that reached the Elite Eight, averaging 7.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. In his sophomore year, Kabengele led the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game along with 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game despite not starting a single contest. He was named ACC Sixth Man of the Year. During the NCAA Tournament, Kabengele averaged 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. On April 9, 2019, he declared for the NBA draft, thus forgoing his remaining two years of collegiate eligibility.

Professional career

Los Angeles Clippers (2019–2021)

On June 20, 2019, Kabengele was selected by the

with the 27th pick of the

, and his draft right was later traded to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

in exchange for a future first-round pick in the 2020 NBA draft and the draft rights to the 56th pick of the 2019 NBA draft,

Jaylen Hands Jaylen Joseph Hands (born February 12, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for PAOK Thessaloniki of the Greek Basket League. He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a high school senior in 2017, he was selected to pla ...

. On July 9, 2019, the Clippers announced that they had signed Kabengele. On October 24, 2019, Kabengele made his debut in NBA, coming off the bench in a 141–122 win over the Golden State Warriors with three points, a rebound and a block. On November 16, 2019, Kabengele got himself 10 points and two rebounds in a 150–101 blowout win against the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. Kabengele posted 25 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and two steals on assignment for the G League's Agua Caliente Clippers in a 112-102 loss to the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won fo ...

on January 14, 2020. He recorded 38 points, 12 rebounds, and a block on January 19 in a G League win over the Stockton Kings. He worked to establish a three-point shot from the professional distance, in the G League. On March 22, 2021, Kabengele, along with a 2022 second-round pick belonging to the Atlanta Hawks, was traded to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

for the Kings' 2022 second-round pick. Three days later, he was waived.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2021)

On April 10, 2021, Kabengele signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. On April 21, he signed a second 10-day contract. On May 1, he signed a multi-year contract. On May 9, Kabengele logged a career-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 1-of-2 from three, along with four rebounds and one assist across a career-high 23 minutes of play in a 124–97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. On October 12, 2021, the Cleveland Cavaliers waived Kabengele.

Rio Grande Valley Vipers (2021–2022)

On October 17, 2021, Kabengele signed with the Houston Rockets, but was waived shortly thereafter. He subsequently joined the

of the

Boston Celtics (2022–present)

On July 16, 2022, Kabengele signed a two-way contract with the Boston Celtics after an impressive showing during Summer League Play.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 12 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .438 , , .450 , , 1.000 , , .9 , , .2 , , .2 , , .2 , , 3.5 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 23 , , 0 , , 4.1 , , .281 , , .222 , , .833 , , .6 , , .2 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, 16 , , 0 , , 11.6 , , .421 , , .281 , , .786 , , 2.9 , , .8 , , .4 , , .6 , , 4.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 51 , , 0 , , 6.7 , , .388 , , .314 , , .840 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , .2 , , .3 , , 2.7

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

, 34 , , 0 , , 14.8 , , .491 , , .385 , , .657 , , 4.6 , , .3 , , .4 , , .9 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 37 , , 0 , , 21.6 , , .502 , , .369 , , .761 , , 5.9 , , .3 , , .6 , , 1.5 , , 13.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 71 , , 0 , , 18.3 , , .498 , , .374 , , .724 , , 5.3 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.2 , , 10.3

Personal life

Kabengele's parents Tshilongo and Tshimanga Kabengele are originally from the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

but moved to Canada for educational reasons. His maternal uncle is Dikembe Mutombo, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee who played in the

(NBA) for 18 years. Kabengele was an international affairs major at Florida State University, and is fluent in French.

References

External links

Florida State Seminoles bioFlorida State's Mfiondu Kabengele ready to excel in reserve role
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kabengele, Mfiondu 1997 births Living people Agua Caliente Clippers players Basketball people from Ontario Black Canadian basketball players Brooklyn Nets draft picks Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players Canadian people of Democratic Republic of the Congo descent Centers (basketball) Cleveland Cavaliers players Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Maine Celtics players National Basketball Association players from Canada Power forwards (basketball) Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Sportspeople from Burlington, Ontario