Ayinde X. Ubaka (born February 9, 1985) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the California Golden Bears and spent seven seasons playing professionally overseas.

High school career

Ubaka attended Oakland High School in Oakland, California. As a junior, he averaged 23 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists per game. As a senior, he averaged 23.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game as he earned fourth-team ''Parade'' All-American honors, selected first team all-state by Cal-Hi Sports, first-team All-ANG Newspapers and league MVP, and chosen All-Metro by the San Francisco Chronicle. Ubaka also played both quarterback and cornerback on the Oakland High football team his sophomore and senior years.

College career

In his freshman season at

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, Ubaka ranked third in the Pac-10 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.96) and ninth in the league in assists to earn honorable mention Pac-10 All-Freshman honors. He also earned Cal's 2004 Most Unselfish Player Award. In 28 games (26 starts), he averaged 6.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. In his sophomore season, Ubaka missed a portion of the year due to injury. On November 23, 2004, he broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot which required surgery and two months on the sidelines. He returned to action on January 15, 2005. In 18 games (11 starts), he averaged 6.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. In his junior season, Ubaka improved dramatically. He was named to the second team NABC all-district, as well as the all-tournament team at the Pac-10 Tournament. He was also the co-recipient of Cal's Most Improved Player Award. In 31 games (all starts), he averaged 14.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. In his senior season, Ubaka had another solid year as he was named to the All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention team. In 33 games, he averaged 13.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.

Professional career

Europe

After going undrafted in the 2007 NBA draft, Ubaka joined the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

for the 2007 NBA Summer League. He later signed with

Śląsk Wrocław Wrocławski Klub Sportowy Śląsk Wrocław Spółka Akcyjna, commonly known as WKS Śląsk Wrocław, Śląsk Wrocław () or simply Śląsk, is a Polish football club based in Wrocław that plays in Ekstraklasa, the highest level of the Polish f ...

of Poland but left after pre-season. In November 2007, he signed with

Czarni Słupsk Czarni Słupsk, more commonly known as Grupa Sierleccy Czarni Słupsk because of sponsorship reasons, is a Polish basketball team, based in Słupsk, playing in Polish Basketball League (PLK). The home arena of the club was Hala Gryfia. History I ...

but managed just two games for the club before moving to Germany and joining Skyliners Frankfurt on a two-month contract. In January 2008, he left Skyliners after appearing in 11 games and signed with the

Antwerp Giants Antwerp Giants, named Telenet Giants Antwerp for sponsorship reasons, are a Belgians, Belgian professional basketball club based in Antwerp. Their home arena is Lotto Arena. The club plays in the BNXT League, the highest tier of Belgian basketbal ...

for the rest of the season. In July 2008, Ubaka joined the Golden State Warriors for the 2008 NBA Summer League. On November 6, 2008, he was allocated to the

Anaheim Arsenal The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...

of the NBA Development League. On January 2, 2009, he was waived by the Arsenal. Ubaka played 12 games for the Arsenal where he averaged 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds in a reserve role. On February 20, 2009, he signed with Phantoms Braunschweig of Germany for the rest of the season.

Australia

In August 2009, Ubaka signed with the

Gold Coast Blaze The Gold Coast Blaze were an Australian men's professional basketball team which competed in the National Basketball League (NBL). The Blaze competed in their inaugural season in 2007–08. The club was based on the Gold Coast and joined the ...

for the

2009–10 NBL season The 2009–10 NBL season was the 32nd season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The 48-minute game switched to a 40-minute game. Preseason Pre-season training began for a majority of clu ...

. In 22 games for the Blaze, he averaged 16.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. On June 1, 2010, Ubaka signed with the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The ...

for the

2010–11 NBL season The 2010–11 NBL season was the 33rd season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of nine teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2010 and April 2011, followed by a post-season involving the to ...

. He was selected to the All-NBL Third Team and he helped the Taipans to their first ever grand final appearance. In 34 games for the Taipans, he averaged 13.9 points, 2.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. In May 2011, Ubaka signed with the

Melbourne Tigers Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...

for the 2011–12 NBL season. On January 16, 2012, he was released by the Tigers following a 73–60 loss to the Gold Coast Blaze the previous day. A week later, he signed with the

Wollongong Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball ...

for the rest of the season. His first game for the Hawks was against the Tigers, where he scored 15 points in a win.

Ukraine

On November 9, 2012, Ubaka signed with BC Goverla of the Ukraine for the rest of the season. In January 2013, he left Goverla after appearing in 13 games where he averaged 8.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.

Return to Melbourne

On October 8, 2013, Ubaka returned to the

, signing with the club for the

2013–14 NBL season The 2013–14 NBL season was the 36th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 10 October 2013 and 23 March 2014, and was followed by a post-season f ...

. However, just seven games into the season, he was released by the Tigers on November 17, 2013. He averaged 5.3 points per game in his seven-game stint with the Tigers.

Post-playing career

In January 2014, Ubaka joined Project Basketball as a skills trainer and as their Director of Player Development.

References

External links

California bioDraftExpress.com profileNBL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ubaka, Ayinde 1985 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Australia American expatriate basketball people in Belgium American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Poland American men's basketball players Anaheim Arsenal players Basketball Löwen Braunschweig players Basketball players from San Francisco Cairns Taipans players California Golden Bears men's basketball players Gold Coast Blaze players Melbourne Tigers players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Point guards Shooting guards Skyliners Frankfurt players Basketball players from Oakland, California