Former Raptors Champion Finds New Team Abroad

Serge Ibaka will have a new team next season.

The former Toronto Raptors champion has reportedly inked a new deal to join Real Madrid of the Liga ACB in Spain for next year, according to FCB Basket News. Ibaka had played this past season for Bayern Munich of the German League following his departure from the NBA.

It's a return to Spain for Ibaka who appeared in 12 games for Real Madrid during the 2011 NBA lockout. Prior to that, Ibaka first broke into professional basketball with Bàsquet Manresa in 2008-09 where he spent one season before coming to the NBA.

Ibaka played in 14 NBA seasons and four with the Raptors following a trade with the Orlando Magic that brought Ibaka to Toronto in 2017. He helped the organization clinch its first NBA championship as a crucial bench big man behind Marc Gasol in 2019. Following the championship, Ibaka remained in Toronto for one year before signing with the Los Angeles Clippers as a free agent in 2020.

The 6-foot-11 power forward was never quite the same after leaving Toronto. He battled injuries in Los Angeles and eventually lost his spot in the starting lineup for the Clippers. He was dealt to the Milwaukee Bucks in 2022 and was eventually bought out during the 2023 season before leaving the NBA.

Ibaka, now 34, averaged 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds for Bayern Munich this past year while shooting 48% from three-point range and 59.8% from the field across 28 games EuroLeague games.