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jul 23 2026The Andalusian club brings the Congolese center back to its roster for next season's interior defense. The player returns to Málaga after several years on loan at Liga Endesa and Primera FEB teams
Yannick Nzosa is coming home. The 6'10" (2.08m) 22-year-old center returns next season to Unicaja after completing a development period away from Martín Carpena. The Congolese player, who counts as a homegrown slot, will wear the green jersey again with the hope of reconnecting with the fans and bringing his energy, intimidation, and defense to the Málaga project.
Nzosa arrived at Unicaja in the summer of 2019, entering the first team's system at just 15 years old. His opportunity to debut professionally came in October 2020, at 16 years, 10 months and 12 days old—the 4th youngest in Club history—scoring 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks, a rating of 14 and a +17 in his Liga Endesa debut. To put it in perspective, only two players had reached double figures in ACB history at age 16: Luka Dončić (15 points) and Ricky Rubio (13). Additionally, he was the first in competition history to start with a perfect 9/9 from the field (5/5 in his debut against MoraBanc Andorra and 4/4 against BAXI Manresa) and to score double figures in his first two games while underage.
After his debut, the African big man was part of the first team roster from the 2020-21 through 2021-22 seasons, appearing in a total of 80 games. His best performance came against AS Monaco in the Eurocup, when he scored 16 points (8/9 from two-point range), 4 blocks, 3 rebounds for a rating of 16. His performances led to him being selected in the second round of the 2022 NBA Draft at pick 54 by the Washington Wizards.
Subsequently, the player went through several loan spells to continue his progression. In the 2022-23 season he was with Coosur Real Betis in Liga Endesa, though an injury limited his playing time that year. In 2023-24 he was part of Movistar Estudiantes' project in Primera FEB, a competition where he would continue in the 2024-25 season with Baloncesto Fuenlabrada, where he had a great season that allowed him to return to Liga Endesa.
Recoletas Salud San Pablo Burgos was his last destination last season, where he appeared in 28 games, helping strengthen Castilian defense to secure survival in Spain's top basketball division. Now, after regaining his form and developing his game, he returns to Unicaja to join the Málaga team's interior rotation in a zone he knows well.
