Mickael Gelabale returns to Cholet officially

Less than 48 hours before the start of the Eurocup season, Cholet Basket boosted its chances by signing an old friend who had blazed a trail out of the club a few years ago.


On Sunday, Cholet announced the arrival of small forward Mickael Gelabale, who inked a contract for the remainder of the season. Gelabale (201, 26) arrives from the Los Angeles Lakers, where he had joined the team in preseason. He finished the 2008-09 season with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBDL, averaging 16 points in 6 games.

Gelabale had played for Cholet right at the start of his career, playing two seasons in the ULEB Cup. In the second of those, he averaged 10.2 points and 5.3 rebounds over 10 games for Cholet before joining Real Madrid in the summer of 2004. For Madrid, he averaged 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 19 Euroleague games the next season.

He helped Madrid win the Spanish League title in 2005, right before joining the now-defunct Seattle Supersonics of the NBA. Gelabale appeared in 109 games for an average of 15 minutes and 4.5 points during his two years in Seattle. Gelabale is an accomplished dunker who won the Spanish League Slam Dunk contest in 2004 and 2005. He has also been a member of the French national team, winning the bronze medal at EuroBasket 2005.

source : eurocupbasketball.com

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