Chimezie Chukwudum Metu (born March 22, 1997) is a Nigerian-American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played college basketball for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...

High school career

Metu's attended

Lawndale High School Lawndale High School is one of three high schools in Lawndale, California, United States. The school was closed in 1981, and reopened in 1998. It is one of three schools in the Centinela Valley Union High School District. In 2009, Lawndale High ...

Lawndale, California Lawndale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 32,769 at the 2010 census, up from 31,712 according to the 2000 census.United States Census Bureau. �” The city is in th ...

. A four-star recruit, he was the No.46 recruit according to Rivals.com. Metu committed to the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

(USC) on May 12, 2014.

College career

As a freshman, Metu played in 34 games, starting 2. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He also had 54 blocks, which was the 2nd most blocks by a USC freshman since

Taj Gibson Taj Jami Gibson (born June 24, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gibson played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected 26th overall by th ...

. He also played 10 minutes in USC's loss to Providence in the first round of the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. Metu started in all 36 games as a sophomore, averaging 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He led the team to the 2nd round of the 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. He was named 2017 Pac-12 Most Improved Player, 2nd Team All-Pac-12 and All-Academic Honorable Mention. Metu played in 34 games as a junior, starting 33. He averaged 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. On February 23, 2018, he was named in a federal document that linked him to an alleged $2,000 payment from a sports agency, but was cleared by USC. On March 5, 2018, he was named 1st Team All-Pac-12 along with teammate

Jordan McLaughlin Jordan McLaughlin (born April 9, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans men's basketball, USC Trojans. Hig ...

. Being set to graduate in three years and after sitting out the 2018 National Invitation Tournament to avoid injury, he declared for the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including inte ...

Professional career

San Antonio Spurs (2018–2020)

On June 21, 2018, Metu was drafted by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...

with the 49th pick in the

. Metu was later included in the 2018 NBA Summer League roster of the

. On September 4, 2018, Metu signed with the

. On October 20, 2018, Metu made his NBA debut, coming off from bench for about three minutes with two points, two rebounds and a block in a 108–121 loss to

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. On November 20, 2020, the Spurs waived Metu.

Sacramento Kings (2020–2023)

On November 28, 2020, Metu signed with the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

, but was waived on December 22 after appearing in four pre-season games. Two days later, he signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the Kings. On April 28, 2021, the Kings signed him to a multi-year deal after making 28 appearances. On August 15, 2021, during a 86–70 Las Vegas Summer League victory over the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

, Metu was ejected after throwing a punch at opposing forward

Eugene Omoruyi Eugene Omoruyi (born February 14, 1997) is a Nigerian-Canadian professional basketball player for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Oregon Ducks. ...

. The next day, the NBA suspended Metu for the Summer League championship game, which the Kings won. On December 29, 2021, Metu hit a game-winning three from the right corner at the buzzer to propel Sacramento to a 95–94 home victory over the

Phoenix Suns (2023–present)

On July 4, 2023, Metu signed with the

National team career

On August 27, 2019, Metu was included in the

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

final roster for the

2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 18th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams. The tournament was hosted in China and was rescheduled from 2018 to 2019, becoming the first since 1967 FIBA World Ch ...

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, 29 , , 0 , , 5.0 , , .328 , , .000 , , .765 , , 1.2 , , .4 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 18 , , 0 , , 5.8 , , .571 , , .000 , , .769 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .2 , , .3 , , 3.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 36 , , 6 , , 13.6 , , .508 , , .351 , , .721 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 6.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 60 , , 20 , , 21.3 , , .452 , , .306 , , .780 , , 5.6 , , 1.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 66 , , 0 , , 10.4 , , .589 , , .237 , , .740 , , 3.0 , , .6 , , .3 , , .3 , , 4.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2" , Career , 209 , , 26 , , 12.9 , , .492 , , .298 , , .755 , , 3.4 , , .7 , , .5 , , .4 , , 5.7

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

, style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 3 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , , , .667 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , , , .667 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

, 34 , , 2 , , 18.5 , , .518 , , .000 , , .513 , , 3.6 , , .5 , , .6 , , 1.6 , , 6.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 36 , , 36 , , 31.3 , , .552 , , .500 , , .741 , , 7.8 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 1.5 , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 34 , , 33 , , 31.0 , , .523 , , .300 , , .730 , , 7.4 , , 1.6 , , .8 , , 1.7 , , 15.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 104 , , 71 , , 27.0 , , .533 , , .302 , , .692 , , 6.3 , , 1.2 , , .7 , , 1.6 , , 12.3

Personal life

Born in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, he spent the first years of his life in California before moving to

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

with his father at the age of six. He then lived in Nigeria the following six years. In Nigeria, he played soccer.

References

External links

USC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metu, Chimezie 1997 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Austin Spurs players Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Los Angeles Centers (basketball) Igbo sportspeople Lawndale High School alumni National Basketball Association players from Nigeria Nigerian men's basketball players Olympic basketball players for Nigeria Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) Sacramento Kings players San Antonio Spurs draft picks San Antonio Spurs players Sportspeople from Lawndale, California USC Trojans men's basketball players