Clint Capela at a young age didn’t have a home to call his own but was moved from one welfare home to another orphanage, in a bid to put a roof over his head as his father absconded and left a family comprising of his two sons and wife to fend for themselves. Despite all the challenges, he has risen above them to become the bright light of hope in the family, thanks to a thriving career in basketball in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Houston Rockets.
Clint Capela Biography, Age
Clint Capela’s story on earth began in Geneva, Switzerland when he was born as Clint N’Dumba-Capela on May 18, 1994. His parents hailed from Africa – his father from Angola and his mother from Congo – but met themselves in Switzerland where they settled to have a family. He has an older brother named Fabrice Capela who was the one to encourage him to give basketball a try. His father had left the family just a little while after he was born which meant that he knew nothing of his father. This was mainly responsible for them having to end up in an orphanage where he practiced and played soccer initially while his brother played basketball.
It was in the orphanage that he attended elementary school, though the name of the school is not known. Apart from his brother, another reason he would later opt for basketball ahead of soccer is his height. At age 13, Clint had a height measured at 6 feet 3 inches (190 cm), which was a good height for the game of basketball. He began picking basics lessons in the sports with his brother by watching highlights of games. He then participated in the European Junior (basketball) Championships where scouts spotted him and soon, he joined the Chalon-sur-Saône training center, INSEP, before joining the famous Chalon EuroLeague basketball team at the age of 15.
Career
Clint Capela decided to go professional when he was 20 years old so he declared for the NBA Draft in 2014, having played at the Nike Hoop Summit in April the same year with Team World. His first (and only so far) NBA team was the Houston Rockets who selected him as the 25th overall pick of the draft. He signed a four-year contract on July 25, 2014, after a little dispute with the franchise. Capela started off his NBA career by playing the 2014-15 season in the D-League affiliate of the Rockets, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, and by the beginning of the 2015 season, his name was on the Rockets roster.
He has gone on to become a focal point in the Rockets team over the years. So important are his contributions to his team that he held out for a $100 million contract extension in 2018. After much deliberations, he was given a five-year deal worth $90 million with a guaranteed sum of $80 million and an average salary base of $18 million.
The deal looks to be a win-win situation for all the parties involved. The way it is, Clint Capela continues to enjoy his basketball with the team he has come to love, playing with famous names in the games such as James Harden, Chris Paul, and the likes, while smiling to the banks with over the top earnings, his team, the Houston Rockets, on the other hand, with this deal have secured a young, talented and gifted star for the future of the franchise.
Salary: How Much Does Clint Capela Earn?
Clint Capela’s latest contract with the Houston Rockets is massive and ranks among the biggest in the league. On July 27, 2018, he put pen to paper, signing a five-year contract extension to the tune of $90 million. He had initially held out for a 4-year deal that would be worth $100 million has become a restricted free agent after his initial contract expired.
This contract extension comes with $10 million extra incentives and a guaranteed sum of $80 million. This moves his annual salary to $18 million. Even though the amount is $10 million short of what he originally held out for, it is considered a good deal by observers, in the sense that even though he became one of the high-value free agents around in 2018, it was speculated that salary cars of teams would make it impossible, or rather difficult for any team to splash the desired cash to obtain his services.
Body Stats – Height, Weight
Capela’s height is one of the factors why he is a basketball player today. Standing at 6 ft 3 as a 13-year-old boy, he decided to drop a soccer career for a career in basketball. Presently, the Houston Rockets’ power forward is measured at the height of 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 m) while his weight is listed at 109 kg (240 lbs).
Other Facts About Clint Capela
Upon signing his rookie contract in 2014 with the Houston Rockets, Clint Capela sent a huge chunk of the total some to help clear his mother’s debt from taxes. She had been a factory worker for over 30 years and had owed taxes which meant she had to keep working. But his effort ensured that she retired.
Capela and his brother Fabrice had to go to a welfare home because their mother, Philomene, who had been abandoned by their father, could no longer take care of them.
He was bullied by other boys in the orphanage because of his slim and lanky body build and often desired to go back home.
As a soccer player when he was growing up, his soccer hero was Thierry Henry of France. He has the chance to meet him as a basketball player when he came to watch a game he was playing (even though Thierry didn’t come to meet him).
