Honey Badgers Welcome Back CEBL Finals MVP Christian Vital
The Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) announced Wednesday that CEBL Finals MVP Christian Vital has re-signed ahead of the 2023 campaign that opens later this month. A former NBA G League and CEBL Champion with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Honey Badgers respectively, Vital brings championship success to Brampton’s backcourt this summer.
The six-foot-two guard is coming off a second full season in the NBA G League where he averaged 12.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 48 games between Raptors 905 and the Salt Lake City Stars. A proven scorer from beyond the arc throughout his career, he ranked second on the Stars in three-pointers made with 85. Vital’s season was highlighted by 18 consecutive double-digit scoring performances to close out the season, including a season-high 26-point game against Wisconsin on February 28. Vital signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Toronto Raptors on October 15 following an impressive season in the CEBL. The guard was optioned to NBA G League affiliate Raptors 905 and appeared in 14 games before being dealt to Salt Lake City on December 16.
“We are fortunate to welcome back Christian to the Honey Badgers family as his game continues to grow,” said Jermaine Anderson, general manager and vice-president of basketball operations. “His talent, passion and effort on the court makes him one of the best players in the CEBL. Brampton fans will quickly come to appreciate the high quality play Christian brings to every game."
Vital, 24, was a huge reason why the Honey Badgers raised the CEBL trophy in Ottawa last August. Following a 17-point performance with five rebounds and four assists, Vital was named CEBL Finals MVP in Hamilton’s defeat of the Scarborough Shooting Stars. In 15 games wearing the black and gold pinstripes, he averaged 17.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.1 steals. The sharpshooter currently sits tied with teammate Koby McEwen for sixth all-time in scoring in Honey Badgers franchise history with 261 points. Vital’s debut campaign in Canada was interrupted in early July as he traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the NBA Summer League with the Toronto Raptors. He averaged 4.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in three games, featured by an 11-point performance against the Milwaukee Bucks.
A four-year standout at the University of Connecticut, Vital finished his collegiate career inside the Top 10 in school history with 1,735 points. Over the course of 127 games with the Huskies, he averaged 13.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.7 steals. In his senior season, Vital set an American Athletic Conference record with 265 career three-pointers. His final campaign with the Huskies began by setting a career-high in steals with seven against Sacred Heart at the historic Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Before committing to UConn, Vital was a Top-100 recruit out of St. Thomas More Prep in Oakdale, Connecticut.
Vital joins a Honey Badgers lineup that already has a wealth of experience from last year’s championship squad, including Koby McEwen, Jeremiah Tilmon Jr, Kyle Johnson, Prince Oduro, and Zane Waterman. Recently announced head coach Antoine Broxsie’s roster will begin their title defense preparation when training camp opens on May 15 at Humber College.
Coming off a historic championship in 2022, the Honey Badgers start the 2023 campaign May 24 at TD Place Arena in Ottawa, in what will tip off the CEBL's fifth season live on national television, as part of a multi-year deal with TSN. The Honey Badgers play their first home game at the CAA Centre in Brampton two days later, May 26, against rival Scarborough. The CEBL announced the permanent relocation of the Honey Badgers from Hamilton to Brampton on November 28, 2022. For more information on the season and for tickets, visit honeybadgers.ca/tickets or call 905-522-BALL (2255).
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 per cent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian national team program, in addition to top NCAA and U SPORTS teams. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps last October. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.
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