Ike Nwankwo
Personal information
Born (1973-12-27) December 27, 1973
Houston, Texas, U.S.
NationalityAmerican / Nigerian
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight257.4 lb (117 kg)
Career information
High schoolCypress Creek (Houston, Texas)
College
NBA draft1997: undrafted
Playing career1998–2010
PositionPower forward / center
Career history
1998Cocodrilos de Caracas
1998Piratas de Quebradillas
1998–1999Tuborg Pilsener
1999Prokom Trefl Sopot
1999Piratas de Quebradillas
1999Tuborg Pilsener
2000Prokom Trefl Sopot
2000Mets de Guaynabo
2000Vaqueros de Bayamón
2000–2001Sioux Falls Skyforce
2001Marinos de Oriente
2001–2002Dynamo Moscow
2002Cocodrilos de Caracas
2003Huntsville Flight
2003Darüşşafaka
2004Huntsville Flight
2004–2005CAB Madeira
2005–2006Ovarense Basquetebol
2006–2007Queluz
2007Club Ourense Baloncesto
2007–2008Belenenses
2008–2009Club Malvín
2009Rotterdam Challengers
2009–2010Thailand Tigers
Career highlights and awards

Ikenna Nwankwo (born December 27, 1973)[1] is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. From Houston, Texas, he played college basketball with the UCLA Bruins, winning a national championship in 1995.

College career

Nwankwo played with the UCLA Bruins, and won a national championship on their 1994–95 team. In his second year as a reserve behind center George Zidek, he played in a career-high 23 games, averaging 2.7 points and 1.6 rebounds. After Zidek graduated, Nwankwo anticipated a larger role in 1995–96; however, freshman Jelani McCoy became the starting center instead. Seeking more playing time, Nwankwo transferred to Long Beach State in January 1996.[2]

Professional career

Nwankwo began his professional career in Venezuela with the Cocodrilos de Caracas. After a very successful stint where he was the league MVP he then moved to Puerto Rico where he was an MVP candidate in Puerto Rico, with Quebradillas Pirates of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) from 1998-1999. In 1998 Nwankwo also played his first season in Turkey where he would play for the next two seasons. He played with Tuborg where he led the league in rebounds at 10. 1 per game. He returned to Tuborg the following year until a knee injury cut his season short. He then signed in Poland with Prokom Trefl Sopot. Nwankwo signed with the Miami Heat of the NBA in 2000, the following year he signed with the Houston Rockets. From 2001-2003, Nwankwo played for several European clubs including MBC Dynamo Moscow of the Russian Superleague. In 2003 Nwankwo joined the Huntsville Flight (now Albuquerque Thunderbirds) of the National Basketball Development League. 2004 saw Nwankwo return to Turkey, where he played with Darüşşafaka S.K. of the Turkish Basketball League (TBL). Since 2005, Nwankwo has played in the Portuguese Basketball League (LCB) (2005 with CAB Madeira and since 2006 with CA Queluz.[3]

NBA teams

Nwankwo signed to play with an NBA squad every year from 2000-2004 except 2003, with the Miami Heat (2000), Houston Rockets (2001), Cleveland Cavaliers (2002)[4] and the Los Angeles Lakers (2004)[5] seasons.

International career

Although born in the United States, Nwankwo has represented the land of his ancestry, Nigeria, in international competition. He played for Nigeria at the FIBA Africa Championship 2003 and 2006 FIBA World Championship.[3]

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Nwankwo started a basketball academy for kids in Bangkok in 2010,[6] which he later launched in Hong Kong as well.[7]

Personal

His name "Ikenna" means "The Father's Strength" in Igbo[8]

References

  1. ↑ Sports Illustrated profile
  2. ↑ Reid, Jason (February 10, 1996). "Southern Exposure : Nwankwo Left UCLA for Long Beach, and the 49ers Like Ike". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Profile Basketpedya.com
  4. ↑ "Nwankwo, Barnes, and Cummings waived". Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2008-09-17.
  5. ↑ Ike Nwankwo NBA.com profile
  6. ↑ Sanguansak, Kitinan (April 20, 2012). "Shooting for the top". The Nation. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ Sauers, Craig (April 30, 2018). "TOP FLIGHT BASKETBALL". Bangkok 101. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Ikenna". Online Nigeria: Nigerian Names and Meanings. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
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