Daniel Ochefu (born December 15, 1993) is an American-born Nigerian 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 for

Al Riyadi Club Beirut Al Riyadi Club Beirut ( ar, نادي الرياضي بيروت, lit=Sporting Club Beirut) is a multi-sports club based in Manara, a district in Beirut, Lebanon. Founded in 1934, the basketball team competes in the Lebanese Basketball League. T ...

of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB). Currently, the leagu ...

(LBL). He played college basketball for the

Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East (NCAA Division I) for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association ( Football Championship ...

, and had a short stint in the NBA with the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

High school career

Born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Ochefu attended the

Westtown School Westtown School is a Quaker, coeducational, college preparatory day and boarding school for students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade, located in West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States, 20 miles west of Philadelphia. Founded in 1799 b ...

, where he averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior. As a senior, he transferred to

Downingtown East High School Downingtown High School is a secondary school located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania and Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania. Population growth in the burgeoning Downingtown Area School District forced the original Downingtown High School to split int ...

. He was ranked 54th on ESNPU's list of the top 100 players in his high school class."Daniel Ochefu"
. villanova.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016.

College career

Ochefu played college basketball for Villanova. As a freshman, he played behind center Mouphtaou Yarou. In 2013–14, he averaged 5.7 points per game as a reserve player. The following season, he had 9.2 points per game. Ochefu scored a career-high 25 points in a 73–63 win over St. John's on February 13, 2016. At the conclusion of the regular season, he was named Honorable Mention All-Big East. Ochefu played in the NCAA championship game on April 4, 2016 against

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, where he helped the Wildcats defeat the Tar Heels 77–74, and claim Villanova's second national championship.

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2016–2017)

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Ochefu joined the

for the Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 1.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. On September 23, 2016, he signed with the Wizards. He made his debut for the Wizards in their season opener on October 27, recording one rebound in four minutes off the bench in a 114–99 loss to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

Maine Red Claws (2017)

On October 9, 2017, Ochefu was waived by the Wizards. The Boston Celtics signed him on October 13, 2017. He was assigned to G-League affiliate team the

Maine Red Claws The Maine Celtics (formerly the Maine Red Claws) are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Portland, Maine, and are affiliated with the Boston Celtics. The Maine Celtics play their home games at the Portland Expo B ...

Windy City Bulls (2017–2018)

On November 30, 2017, Ochefu was acquired by the

Windy City Bulls The Windy City Bulls are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls play their home games at Now Arena, from Chicago. It became the thir ...

Reno Bighorns / Stockton Kings (2018–2019)

On February 12, 2018, Ochefu was traded by the Bulls to the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

along with a 2018 third-round draft pick and the returning player rights to

Spencer Dinwiddie Spencer Gray Dinwiddie (born April 6, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes and earned first-team all- ...

in exchange for Will Davis, the returning player rights to Lamar Patterson, and a 2018 first-round draft pick. He remained on the team as it became the Stockton Kings. Ochefu averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game.

Overseas (2019–present)

On April 2, 2019, Cafés Candelas Breogán of the Liga ACB announced the signing of Ochefu. In July 2019, Ochefu signed with the Ibaraki Robots in Japan. In August 2022, he signed with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA) as the team's import for the

2022–23 PBA Commissioner's Cup The 2022–23 PBA Commissioner's Cup also known as the 2022–23 Honda PBA Commissioner's Cup for sponsorship reasons, is the second conference of the 2022–23 PBA season of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The 20th edition of the ...

. However, he was replaced by Steve Taylor prior to the start of the tournament. In February 2023, Ochefu signed with the

TNT Tropang Giga The TNT Tropang Giga is a professional basketball team currently owned by Smart Communications, a subsidiary of the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT), playing in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) since 1990. The f ...

as the team's import for the 2023 EASL Champions Week held in Japan.

International career

He was called up for the

Nigeria national basketball team The Nigeria national basketball team represents Nigeria in men's international basketball and it is overseen by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF). In March 2021, the global governing body FIBA ranked Nigeria as Africa's top men's basket ...

for the 2017 FIBA Africa Championship.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Playoffs

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References

External links

ESPN bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ochefu, Daniel 1993 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Basketball players from Baltimore Basketball players from Pennsylvania CB Breogán players Citizens of Nigeria through descent Ibaraki Robots players Libertadores de Querétaro players Liga ACB players Maine Red Claws players Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Japan Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Mexico Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Spain Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Nigerian men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) Reno Bighorns players Seoul Samsung Thunders players Stockton Kings players Undrafted National Basketball Association players Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players Washington Wizards players Windy City Bulls players Westtown School alumni TNT Tropang Giga players American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines