"As soon as we qualified, right at the end of the game [in February], I spoke to Brad [Brad Stevens, general manager of the Boston Celtics] the next day and told him I wanted to come and play for Portugal, and he said that it would be ideal for me to come and play. He wants us to come and play for our country, to represent our country, and I think it will help me immensely, not only for the national team but also for me to prepare for next season," the basketball player told the Lusa news agency.
Neemias Queta, who is in Portugal as the driving force behind the Neemias Queta Training Camp event, the second edition of which is being held at the Quinta dos Lombos Pavilion in Carcavelos, is preparing to join the Portuguese team as it prepares for EuroBasket 2025.
Queta, who has only played two games for the Portuguese national team, is on the list of 15 pre-selected players announced by coach Mário Gomes, which will be reduced to 12.
"I think, above all, we have to take it one game at a time, be competitive and try to win every game. Let's do it, we are not favourites, not even close, but I think that, above all, we have a very cohesive team. We have been playing together for many years, whether in the national team or in clubs, and we already have a lot of chemistry. What we won't lack is the hunger to win," promised the basketball player, who turned 26 this Sunday.
To qualify for the round of 16, which will be held in Riga, like the entire knockout stage, Portugal will have to finish in one of the top four places.
After the European competition, Queta will return to the US to play in the NBA for the Boston Celtics, where he is happy with the ‘confidence’ he has been shown.
Neemias Queta has already played four seasons in the NBA, the last two with the Boston Celtics, after two with the Sacramento Kings, the team that selected him 39th in the 2021 NBA draft.
The Portuguese national team has participated in the final phase three times, finishing 15th out of 18 teams in 1951 in France, where it played by invitation, ninth out of 16 in 2007 in Spain, and 21st out of 24, with five defeats, in 2011 in Lithuania.
Portugal qualified for Eurobasket2025 by winning Group F of the second pre-qualification round, ahead of Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus, and finishing third in Group A of the qualification phase, behind Israel and Slovenia and ahead of Ukraine.
The final phase of Eurobasket 2025, which will be the 42nd edition of the event, will take place in Latvia, Cyprus, Finland and Poland between 27 August and 14 September.