Eli Ndiaye is once again a Real Madrid player. The club announced on Sunday that the power forward rejoins the roster after reaching an agreement with Joventut to end his loan. The return had been in the works for days: head coach Pedro Martínez had expressed his desire to bring him back, and on Saturday Ndiaye played his final game with Badalona in a victory over Zaragoza.
A patch for the power forward position
Real Madrid has numerous injuries, particularly at the power forward position. Gabriel Deck will miss several months with a shoulder injury, Mikael Jantunen has a plantar fascia tear, and Usman Garuba has not played since the Final Four in May. They are joined by injuries to Facundo Campazzo and Théo Maledon on the perimeter. Ndiaye came through Real Madrid's youth academy, so he does not take up a non-EU roster spot in the Liga Endesa, which makes it easier for Pedro Martínez to include him in his lineups.
Minutes in Badalona
Real Madrid matched a Valencia Basket offer for Ndiaye in the summer thanks to their right of first refusal. They then loaned him to Joventut to get him playing time, with a clause to bring him back. In Badalona he played 8 Liga Endesa games, averaging 7.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in roughly 21 minutes, with his best performance coming against Barcelona: 17 points and a 20 rating. In the BCL he averaged 5.3 points and 4 rebounds in three games.
Last season was not easy for him. He signed a two-way contract with the Atlanta Hawks, but only played in the G League with the College Park Skyhawks (8.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in 9 games). In December he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder and the Hawks released him on the final day of 2025.