By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Mangok Mathiang re-upped with Cedevita Olimpija for the 2021-22 season, the team based in Ljubljana announced Thursday. The South Sudanese-Australian big underwent surgery in September due to a right leg injury marking the conclusion of his 2020-21 run before the first official contest.
Per the press release: “Cedevita Olimpija and the Australian Center with South Sudanese Roots, Mangok Mathiang, have agreed to extend their cooperation. Mathiang will stay in Ljubljana at least until the end of the 2021/22 season.
An unfortunate leg injury has taken Mangok Mathiang off the basketball courts in recent months just before the official start of the 2020/21 season. The Australian giant has also devoted time to recovery to the socially responsible campaign Zmajev nasmeh, whose ambassador he is in the 2020/21 season, while Mathiang is successfully recovering from September’s injury. Now Cedevita Olimpija and Mangok have agreed to extend their contract, and Mathiang will stay in Ljubljana at least until the end of the 2021/22 competition season.
After Mangok Mathiang was not selected in the 2017 NBA Draft, he joined Charlotte Hornets during the summer league in Orlando, and in August he signed a contract with the Hornets. At the same time, Mathiang wore the Greensboro Swarm jersey, which plays in the NBA Development League, and averaged 10.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.
In August 2018, Mathiang joined Cremona, and with it won the title of Italian Cup Champion. He transferred to Turkey in July 2019 and averaged 12.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.1 steals in the 2019/20 season. He scored double-digit points in 13 matches and reached or exceeded the 20-point mark three times. He had a double-double in ten games.
Bahçeşehir also competed in the FIBA European Cup in the 2019/20 season, where Mathiang averaged 12.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 0.4 steals in 28.7 minutes in 14 games. In as many as four games, he managed to record at least 15 rebounds, while at the same time scoring or exceeding the limit of 10 points in 10 games.
Unfortunately, we have not seen Mathiang in the Cedevita Olimpija jersey in the 2020/21 season, as he is continuing his rehabilitation after a leg injury.”
Sani Bečirović, sports director of Cedevita Olimpija:
“We are extremely pleased and happy that we managed to agree with Mangok Mathiang on the extension of cooperation. We are sorry that we did not see him on the floor in the 2020/21 season together with other Cedevita Olimpija basketball players, so we are optimistic about the upcoming season, when Mangok will present himself to us, the fans and all basketball fans in full force. Mangok is a man with a wide smile, who, despite not spending a second on the pitch in Ljubljana, proved that he is a strong person who used his time with us for rehabilitation after a serious injury. We are looking forward to the day when he will finally wear our jersey at the official match as well, and impress the fans with his energy that he can bring to our team.”