Real Madrid has brought back Eli John Ndiaye, agreeing to a two-year contract that will keep the forward with the club through the end of the 2027-28 season. The 23-year-old returns after spending four seasons with Real Madrid before leaving for the NBA and G League in 2025-26.
Real Madrid announced the agreement Monday, confirming that Ndiaye will return to the club where he won eight trophies between 2021 and 2025. His previous spell included one EuroLeague title, three Liga ACB championships, one Copa del Rey and three Spanish Super Cups.
Ndiaye first appeared for Real Madrid’s EuroLeague team during the 2021-22 season, playing four games at 3.8 minutes per game. His role expanded over the following seasons, and he reached 21 EuroLeague appearances in 2023-24 before playing a career-high 24 games in the competition during 2024-25.
In his final EuroLeague season with Real Madrid, Ndiaye averaged 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game. He shot 42.9% from the field and 34.1% from three-point range, while averaging 0.6 assists and 0.6 steals.
His Liga ACB production also increased during his four-year stint. In 28 games during the 2024-25 season, Ndiaye averaged 4.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.7 minutes, shooting 41.3% from the field and 29.0% from three-point range.
Ndiaye left Madrid in July 2025 after signing a two-way contract with the Atlanta Hawks. The NBA opportunity lasted through December 31, when Atlanta waived him, and he subsequently spent part of the 2025-26 season in the G League.
With the College Park Skyhawks, Ndiaye appeared in nine games and averaged 8.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 steals in 26.2 minutes. He shot 42.4% from the field and 23.5% from three-point range.
His return comes after significant changes to Real Madrid’s roster. Trey Lyles, Mario Hezonja, Alex Len and David Kramer have departed, while the club has added Jaime Pradilla, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Mikael Jantunen, Max Shulga and Olivier Sarr, with Pedro Martinez replacing Sergio Scariolo as head coach.
Real Madrid finished third in the 2025-26 EuroLeague regular season at 24-14, posting an 18-1 home record. The club advanced to the Final Four by defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv 3-1 in the playoffs before beating Valencia 105-90 in the semifinal and losing 92-85 to Olympiacos in the championship game.
