Nicola Akele

Early life and career

Akele first picked up a basketball at age six, playing for Basket Montebelluna, and also grew up playing football. He later suited up for Serie B club Bears Mestre before moving into Reyer Venezia's youth ranks.

Heart issues sidelined him for half of the 2012–13 season, but the following year he began getting regular minutes with Reyer's senior team in Serie A. In June 2014, Reyer loaned him to Pallacanestro Trieste of the Serie A2, but a contract dispute with Reyer kept him from playing. He then spent a season at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, helping his prep squad post a 23–4 record and earn a National Prep School Championship berth. On 9 May 2015, he chose Rhode Island over offers from South Florida, George Washington, and George Mason.

College career

Over three years at Rhode Island, Akele appeared in 96 games, starting six of them. On 4 January 2016, he was named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week after putting up averages of eight points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in wins over Brown and Saint Louis.

His freshman-season high and career high came when he scored 15 points in a 79–62 victory against La Salle. For his college career, he averaged 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds in 11.7 minutes per contest. After his junior season, he left to begin his professional career in Italy.

Professional career

Akele signed with Roseto Sharks of the Serie A2 on 4 September 2018. In a December win over Ravenna, he posted a season-high 34 points and 10 rebounds. For the 2018–19 season, he averaged 13.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.

On 11 June 2019, he inked a three-year deal with Vanoli Cremona of the LBA. On 24 December, he was named the top Italian player in Round 14 after recording a season-high 21 points, six rebounds, and three assists in a 93–72 win over Varese. In 2019–20, he averaged 7.6 points and 4.2 rebounds in the LBA.

He moved to Universo Treviso Basket on 25 June 2020, then to Germani Brescia on 25 June 2022. In 2024, he joined Virtus Bologna, which finished 17th in the EuroLeague but captured the Italian championship by beating Venezia 3–2, Milan 3–1, and Brescia 3–0 in the finals—Akele's first scudetto. On 6 July 2026, he signed with Olimpia Milano.