Ikechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu (born September 11, 1983) 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
Piratas de La Guaira
The Piratas de La Guaira are a professional basketball team based in Maiquetía, Vargas, Venezuela. Founded in 2008, from 2010 to 2022, they were known as the Bucaneros de La Guaira. The team was re-founded as the Piratas in 2022. The team currentl ...
of the
Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto
The Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto, commonly known as the SPB, is the Venezuelan first division national professional basketball league. Founded in 1974 as the Liga Especial de Baloncesto, it adopted the name Liga Profesional de Baloncesto i ...
in
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.
Family and early life
Diogu's parents, natives of Nigeria, moved to the U.S. in 1980 to pursue further education. They later moved from
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, where he was born, to
Garland, Texas
Garland is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is located northeast of Dallas and is a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is located within Dallas County except for small portions located in Collin and Rockwall Counties. At the ...
. Ike attende
Austin Academy then enrolled at
Garland High School
Garland High School is a high school located in Garland, Texas, which serves grades 9-12. It is a part of the Garland Independent School District. The school is a member of the AP program, the IB program, and is known for its football team, the ...
. Diogu is a member of the
Igbo ethnic group.
College career
Diogu stands at tall, which is considered slightly undersized for an NBA
power forward
The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...
, but he makes up for his lack of height with his muscle, girth and wingspan.
Diogu attended
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
, where he excelled on the team under head coach
Rob Evans. He garnered several honors, both in the
Pac-10 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
and nationally. He won
Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and then
Pac-10 Player of the Year in his final season with ASU, as a junior. Many speculated that Diogu would enter the draft after playing his third season with Arizona State. On June 21, 2005, he made the decision to enter the NBA draft.
On January 15, 2022, Diogu's number 5 jersey was retired by the Sun Devils. He was the first consensus All-American in program history.
Professional career
Diogu was selected 9th overall in the first round of the
2005 NBA draft by the
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...
. On December 23, 2005, he recorded a professional career-best 27 points on 13–15 shooting, surpassing his previous best by 12 points.
On January 17, 2007, Diogu, whom
Larry Bird
Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend", Bird is widely regarded a ...
called the "gem" of the deal, was traded to the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
along with teammates
Mike Dunleavy, Jr.
Michael Joseph Dunleavy Jr. (born September 15, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who is the vice president of basketball operations for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previou ...
,
Troy Murphy
Troy Brandon Murphy (born May 2, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played twelve seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Murphy was born in Morristown, New Jersey but grew up in Sparta Township. He at ...
, and
Keith McLeod
Keith McLeod (born November 5, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player and current varsity boys basketball head coach at East Canton High School in Canton, Ohio. He is tall. He has also played in the NBA for the Minnesota Timbe ...
for
Stephen Jackson
Stephen Jesse Jackson (born April 5, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player who played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the New Jersey Nets, Atlanta Hawks, Indiana Pacers, Golden State Warriors, Mi ...
,
Al Harrington
Albert Harrington (born February 17, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player and current assistant coach for the Cape Town Tigers. Selected with the 25th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Harrington played 16 seasons in the ...
,
Šarūnas Jasikevičius
Šarūnas "Šaras" Jasikevičius (; born 5 March 1976) is a Lithuanian professional basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as a head coach for FC Barcelona of the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. During his playing career, standing ...
, and
Josh Powell
Josh Powell (born January 25, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Powell won two NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010, and has also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks, Indiana Pacers, ...
.
On June 26, 2008 (
draft night), Diogu was traded by Indiana to the
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 ...
along with the draft rights to
Jerryd Bayless
Jerryd Andrew Bayless (born August 20, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played a year of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats after playing high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. He was ...
in exchange for
Jarrett Jack
Jarrett Matthew Jack (born October 28, 1983) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended four high schools in No ...
,
Josh McRoberts
Joshua Scott McRoberts (born February 28, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McRoberts, a power forward, played college basketball for the Duke Blue ...
and the draft rights to
Brandon Rush
Brandon Leray Rush (born July 7, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, before being traded to the Indiana Pacers on draft day, after pl ...
to the
Indiana Pacers
The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The Pacers were first esta ...
.
Diogu was traded to 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 ...
for the
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...
'
Michael Ruffin
Michael David Ruffin (born January 21, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player currently working as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). At 6'8" and 248 lbs, he played as a ...
on February 18, 2009.
Diogu signed with the
New Orleans Hornets
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
on July 29, 2009, but never appeared in a game for the team.
He signed with the
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...
on September 27, 2010, becoming a member of their preseason roster. On October 20, 2010, Diogu was waived by the Pistons.
The
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...
signed Diogu as a free agent on December 22, 2010.
On February 8, 2011, Diogu scored a season-high 18 points against the Orlando Magic.
Diogu joined 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 ( ...
on January 3, 2012. One week later, the Spurs waived him.
During the
2012 CBA Playoffs, the
Xinjiang Flying Tigers
The Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers () is a professional basketball team based in Ürümqi, Xinjiang, China. The team play its home games at the Hongshan Arena, which has a capacity for 3,800 spectators. The club joined the Chinese Basketball ...
signed Diogu for the rest of the
2012 CBA Playoffs. Diogu was a replacement for
Gani Lawal
Gani Oladimeji Lawal Jr. (born November 7, 1988) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Trotamundos in the Venezuelan SuperLiga. He played college basketball for Georgia Tech.
High school career
During his time at Norcross Hi ...
during this time. He later signed with
Capitanes de Arecibo
The Capitanes de Arecibo are a Puerto Rican professional basketball team based in Arecibo that competes in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league. In 2010, the team also had the distinction to play in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) u ...
of the
Baloncesto Superior Nacional
The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation.
T ...
.
On October 1, 2012, Diogu signed with 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 ...
.
He was then waived on October 24, 2012.
In the fall of 2012, Diogu signed with the
Guangdong Southern Tigers
Guangdong Hongyuan Southern Tigers () or Guangdong Southern Tigers, also known as Guangdong Dongguan Bank () for sponsorship reasons, are a Chinese professional basketball team owned by the Guangdong Winnerway (Hongyuan) Group. The team is one o ...
of the
Chinese Basketball Association
The Chinese Basketball Association (), often abbreviated as the CBA, is the first-tier professional men's basketball league in China.
The league is commonly known by fans as the CBA, and this acronym is even used in Chinese on a regular basis ...
. After the season in China, he joined the
Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico.
On September 27, 2013, Diogu signed with the
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
. However, he was waived on October 25.
On December 12, 2013, he was acquired by the
Bakersfield Jam
Bakersfield is a city in Kern County, California, United States. It is the county seat and largest city of Kern County. The city covers about near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley and the Central Valley region. Bakersfield's pop ...
.
On February 3, 2014, Diogu was named to the Prospects All-Star roster for the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star Game. On April 25, 2014, he was named the 2014 NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year.
On April 29, 2014, Diogu re-joined the Leones de Ponce of the
Baloncesto Superior Nacional
The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation.
T ...
. This year Diogu helped the Lions to win the championship over the Capitanes of Arecibo.
On July 5, 2014, Diogu signed with the
Dongguan Leopards
The Shenzhen New Century Liebao Club, also known as Shenzhen Marco Polo or Shenzhen Leopards (previously Shenzhen Aviators) are a Chinese professional basketball team which plays in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (C ...
of China for the
2014–15 CBA season.
In October 2015, Diogu signed with Guangdong Southern Tigers for the
2015–16 CBA season.
In November 2016, Diogu signed with the
Jiangsu Monkey King
The Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings () are a China, Chinese professional basketball team based in Nanjing, Jiangsu, which plays in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). The club joined the league ahead of the 2014–15 CB ...
for the purpose of replacing
DeJuan Blair
DeJuan Lamont Blair (born April 22, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Pittsburgh Panthers from 2007 to 2009. Blair entered the 2009 NBA draft where he was selected as the 37th overall ...
.
In January 2018, Diogu signed with the
Sichuan Blue Whales
The Sichuan Jinqiang Blue Whales (sometimes spelled Whale) (四川金强蓝鲸), also known as Sichuan Jinqiang or Sichuan Jinrong Industry, are a professional basketball team based in Wenjiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, which plays in th ...
for the purpose of replacing
Jamaal Franklin
Jamaal Eric Franklin (born July 21, 1991) is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He was selected with the 41st overall pick in the 2013 NBA draf ...
.
In August 2019, Diogu joined the
Shimane Susanoo Magic
Shimane Susanoo Magic (島根スサノオマジック) is a Japanese professional basketball team in Japan's top-tier basketball competition, the B.League. The team is based in Shimane Prefecture with its home arena in Matsue City, but with a fo ...
of the Japanese
B.League.
In February 2021, Diogu joined
Chemidor B.C. of the
Iranian Basketball Super League
The Iranian Basketball Super League (IBSL) is a professional men's basketball league in Iran. It was founded in 1998. The current champions is Shahrdari Gorgan. The league follows the promotion and relegation system in which the worst two tea ...
.
In September 2021, Diogu joined the
Astros de Jalisco
Astros de Jalisco (English: ''Jalisco Astros'') is a professional Mexican basketball team, based in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The Astros are part the CIBACOPA and the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional, the top professional basketball league in M ...
of the Mexican
Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional
The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP) is the top professional basketball league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 10 teams. Despite its short history, the LNBP has established itself as the one of the most important ...
.
On January 16, 2022, he signed with
Zamalek
Zamalek ( ar, الزمالك , ''al zamalek'') is an affluent district of western Cairo encompassing the northern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River. The island is connected with the river banks through three bridges each on the east ...
of the
Egyptian Basketball Super League
The Egyptian Basketball Super League, also known as the Egyptian Basketball Premier League A, is the top professional basketball division of the Egyptian basketball league system. Administrated by the Egyptian Basketball Federation (EBBFED), it is ...
. On February 12, Diogu made his debut scoring 8 points and 4 rebounds against
Burgos
Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos.
Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence of t ...
in the semifinal of the
2022 FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
National team career
Diogu has played with the senior men's
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 ...
. He has competed at two Summer Olympiads: the
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
and
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
. He was named MVP of the 2017 FIBA Afrobasket tournament after averaging 22 points, 8.7 rebounds.
[ ]
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 69 , , 14 , , 14.9 , , .524 , , .000 , , .810 , , 3.3 , , .4 , , .2 , , .4 , , 7.0
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Golden State
, 17 , , 0 , , 13.1 , , .530 , , .000 , , .795 , , 3.7 , , .3 , , .2 , , .6 , , 7.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, 42 , , 2 , , 12.8 , , .454 , , .000 , , .802 , , 3.3 , , .5 , , .1 , , .4 , , 5.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Indiana
Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...
, 30 , , 1 , , 10.2 , , .478 , , .000 , , .851 , , 2.8 , , .3 , , .2 , , .1 , , 5.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, 19 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .316 , , .000 , , .750 , , .9 , , .0 , , .1 , , .1 , , 1.4
, -
, 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 ...
, 10 , , 1 , , 14.2 , , .600 , , .500 , , .758 , , 3.9 , , .3 , , .2 , , .1 , , 9.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;",
L.A. Clippers
, 36 , , 0 , , 13.1 , , .561 , , .000 , , .661 , , 3.2 , , .1 , , .1 , , .1 , , 5.8
, -
, 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 ...
, 2 , , 0 , , 7.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , .5 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 225 , , 18 , , 12.4 , , .509 , , .500 , , .786 , , 3.1 , , .3 , , .2 , , .3 , , 6.0
See also
*
History of Nigerian Americans in Dallas–Fort Worth
References
External links
*
*
Eurobasket.com profileArizona State Sun Devils bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diogu, Ike
1983 births
Living people
2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup players
American men's basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in China
American expatriate basketball people in Iran
American expatriate basketball people in Japan
American expatriate basketball people in Mexico
American people of Igbo descent
American sportspeople of Nigerian descent
Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball players
Astros de Jalisco players
Bakersfield Jam players
Baloncesto Superior Nacional players
Basketball players at the 2003 Pan American Games
Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from Buffalo, New York
Basketball players from Texas
Capitanes de Arecibo players
Centers (basketball)
Garland High School alumni
Golden State Warriors draft picks
Golden State Warriors players
Guangdong Southern Tigers players
Igbo sportspeople
Indiana Pacers players
Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings players
Leones de Ponce basketball players
Los Angeles Clippers players
New Orleans Hornets players
Nigerian expatriate basketball people in China
Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Iran
Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Japan
Nigerian men's basketball players
Olympic basketball players of Nigeria
Pan American Games competitors for the United States
People from Buffalo, New York
People from Garland, Texas
Portland Trail Blazers players
Power forwards (basketball)
Sacramento Kings players
Shenzhen Leopards players
Shimane Susanoo Magic players
Sichuan Blue Whales players
Sportspeople from the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex
Xinjiang Flying Tigers players
Zamalek SC basketball players