Yankuba Sima has found a new team. According to COPE Valencia, the center is heading to Alba Berlin, just one day after Valencia Basket announced the termination of his contract, which was set to expire in 2028. Sima is seeking playing time in Germany that he hasn't found in Valencia, where injuries and competition in the paint left him sidelined.
His stint at Roig Arena didn't go as planned. He arrived in the summer of 2025 from Unicaja with a three-year contract, but a left leg muscle injury during preseason, with a setback included, marked his first season. He played 20 Liga Endesa games and six EuroLeague games, always with just over eight or nine minutes. This season, under Xavi Albert, he had only played eleven minutes, in the Supercopa Endesa semifinal against Barcelona.
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A Bilbao Rival
In Berlin, Sima will play in the Basketball Champions League, and he'll do so in the group with Surne Bilbao. The two teams share the lead in Group G with a 2-0 record and face off on October 28 in Berlin. It will be the third foreign league in the center's career, having previously played for Reyer Venezia before returning to Spain with Unicaja. Born in Girona, developed at Manresa and European U-20 champion with Spain in 2016, Sima made his debut with the Spanish national team in 2021.