Obinna Oleka (born November 4, 1993) is an American 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

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 Venezuelan Basketball League. He played college basketball at

Arizona State 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 ...

Early life

Oleka grew up in

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, with his mother and brother. He played high school basketball at Florida Christian Institute in Cape Coral, Florida, where he averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds as a senior and earned an invitation to the ESBC All-Star Game. He also played

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) basketball with DC Assault.

College career

State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota

Coming out of high school, Oleka was considered a three-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

. However, he was academically ineligible to play for a major college, so he instead started playing junior college basketball at the

State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota State College of Florida, Manatee–Sarasota (SCF) is a public college with campuses in the Manatee and Sarasota counties of Florida. Part of the Florida College System, it is designated a "state college" because it offers a greater number of ba ...

(SCF Manatee–Sarasota) in 2012. As a freshman, Oleka recorded 10.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. He was named NJCAA Division I Player of the Week for the week of February 18 to 24, 2013, after a game against

Hillsborough Community College Hillsborough Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Hillsborough County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. History HCC was one of the last community colleges to be created in Florida, founded in 1968. Only P ...

in which he put up 32 points, 17 rebounds and 8 assists off the bench. He recorded 22 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in a 95–73 victory over

St. Petersburg College St. Petersburg College (SPC) is a public college in Pinellas County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of the institutions in the system designated a "state college," as it offers a greater number of bachelor's degrees th ...

, securing a runner-up finish in the

Suncoast Conference The Suncoast Conference (SCC), hosted by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), is one of four conferences within Region 8 of the NJCAA. It is composed of four state colleges within the state of Florida, and is administered by ...

and a berth in the state tournament. In the opening round, Oleka had 29 points and 12 rebounds in their 90–77 loss to the

College of Central Florida The College of Central Florida (CF) is a public college with campuses in Marion, Citrus, and Levy counties. It is part of the Florida College System. Founded in 1957 as Central Florida Junior College, CF has grown to span three counties and incl ...

. As a sophomore, Oleka averaged 25.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. In his first game of the season, he recorded 27 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists in a 92–83 win against

Miami Dade College Miami Dade College (Miami Dade, MDC or Dade) is a public college in Miami, Florida. Founded in 1959, it has a total of eight campuses and twenty-one outreach centers throughout Miami-Dade County. It is the largest college in the Florida College S ...

. However, he only played in five games before he was suspended from the team for violating team rules, and he left the school in December 2013. Oleka had signed a

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term sh ...

(LOI) early on in the season to play for the

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

, choosing them over from schools such as Gonzaga,

Old Dominion Old Dominion most commonly refers to: *The Old Dominion, a nickname for the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia ** Colony of Virginia *Old Dominion University, a public university in Norfolk, Virginia **Old Dominion Monarchs, the athletic teams represe ...

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

Southern Miss The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award bachelor's, ma ...

South Carolina )'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, and

Utah State Utah State University (USU or Utah State) is a public land-grant research university in Logan, Utah. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. With nearly 20,000 students living on or near campus, USU is Utah's ...

, but the offer from Texas was revoked after his suspension. He spent the 2014–15 season off from basketball while taking classes at

Cecil College Cecil College is a public college in Bay View, Maryland in Cecil County. History Cecil College was founded in 1968 to meet the educational needs of Cecil County residents. On June 13, 2007, the Maryland Higher Education Commission voted to acce ...

North East, Maryland North East is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. It is located between Philadelphia and Baltimore. The population was 3,572 at the 2010 census. The Turkey Point Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places ...

Arizona State

In the 2015 offseason, nearly two years after playing his last competitive game, Oleka got a call from newly hired

head coach

Bobby Hurley Robert Matthew Hurley (born June 28, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. He was previously the head coach at the University at Buffalo. As a college ...

, and he was offered a scholarship to play

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic ...

basketball for the Sun Devils. Oleka, who was ranked a top 20 junior college recruit by jucorecruiting.com at the time, was also Hurley's first recruit after taking over the program in April. He made his debut for the team against

Sacramento State California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

on November 13, 2015, 705 days after his last college basketball game. After almost two months on the bench, he permanently replaced third-year forward Savon Goodman in the starting-lineup in their second conference regular-season game against USC on January 7, 2016. In 32 games, he had averages of 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per contest while the Sun Devils lost in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Pac-12 Conference tournament. In 2016–17, Oleka started all but one of the 33 games he played, averaging 12.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Measuring 6’8, he played at the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

position for much of the season in an undersized lineup, often playing with four guards. On February 26, 2017, he grabbed his 10th rebound of the game to seal a one-point upset of USC. It was his 15th

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

of the season, tying

Ike Diogu Ikechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu (born September 11, 1983) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for Piratas de La Guaira of the Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto in Venezuela. Family and early life Diogu's parents, natives of Nig ...

for the most in school history since they joined the then-

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 ...

in 1978. He broke the record two weeks later, when he posted a career-high 27 points and 13 rebounds in an overtime win against Stanford in the first round of the 2017 Pac-12 Conference tournament. However, the Sun Devils lost by a score of 80–57 to

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

, again in the quarterfinals, in what was Oleka's final college game. His 327 rebounds that year were the third-best mark in school history at the time.

Professional career

Oleka played at the

Portsmouth Invitational Tournament The Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, (PIT), is the oldest amateur basketball tournament in the United States and the only postseason camp restricted to college basketball seniors. The Portsmouth Invitational is the first of two NBA pre-Draft ( ...

in April, averaging 9.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. In May, he had pre-draft workout with the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

, but went undrafted in the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

. Oleka signed his first professional contract with Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club basketball league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). It is the highest-tier ...

team

New Basket Brindisi New Basket Brindisi, for sponsorship reasons named Happy Casa Brindisi or shortly Brindisi, is a professional Italian basketball based in Brindisi, Apulia. It plays in the first division LBA in the 2022–23 season. Founded in 2004, the well ...

in July. He played in a limited role off the bench for the club, appearing in 13 games and averaging 2.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per contest. Oleka joined Argentine team Argentino de Junín in October, replacing the outgoing Calvin Crawford. However, after playing only two games in the 2018 Torneo Súper 20 playoffs against Obras, he was cut from the team the following month. He was subsequently replaced by Leron Black. In December 2018, Oleka reached a deal to play with the

St. John's Edge The St. John's Edge are an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and compete in the National Basketball League of Canada. From 2017 to 2020, they played home games at Mile One Centre. The ...

of the

National Basketball League of Canada The National Basketball League of Canada (NBL Canada; french: Ligue nationale de basketball du Canada) is a Canadian professional men's minor league basketball organization. The NBL Canada was founded in 2011, when three existing Premier Basketb ...

for the remainder of the 2018–19 season. He made his NBL Canada debut in a win over the

Island Storm The Island Storm is an inactive Canadian professional basketball team based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada that began play in the 2011–12 season. The Storm plays ...

on December 14, adding 12 points and a team-leading 11 rebounds on the same night Glen "Big Baby" Davis made his Edge debut. Two days later, in a rematch against the Island Storm, Oleka scored 12 points off the bench and again led his team in rebounds with seven to extend their winning streak to three games after a 1–5 start. He grabbed a season-high 24 rebounds in a 109–100 victory at home against the

London Lightning The London Lightning is a Canadian professional basketball team based in London, Ontario, Canada, with home games at the Budweiser Gardens. The team is a charter member of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBLC) that began play for the 201 ...

on January 19 for their sixth consecutive win. In 23 games with the Edge, he averaged 7.6 points and 10.4 rebounds in 24.8 minutes per game. He was the team's leading rebounder when he made the move to

Gigantes de Jalisco In Greek and Roman mythology, the Giants, also called Gigantes (Greek: Γίγαντες, ''Gígantes'', Γίγας, ''Gígas''), were a race of great strength and aggression, though not necessarily of great size. They were known for the Giganto ...

, an expansion team in the Mexican Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA), in March 2019. The Gigantes opened their season with a loss to

Tijuana Zonkeys The Tijuana Zonkeys are a Mexican professional basketball team based in Tijuana, Baja California. The Zonkeys are part of the Circuito de Baloncesto de la Costa del Pacífico (CIBACOPA). They play their home games at the Auditorio Academia Zonkey ...

on March 27, but defeated the Zonkeys 103–87 the following day for their historic first win. Oleka, a starter, recorded 20 points and 11 rebounds. He scored 31 points in Jalisco's home opener against Halcones de Ciudad Obregón on April 5 to lead them to an 83–75 win. He topped that mark by dropping 34 points in a win over Caballeros de Culiacán on April 23, and was selected to play in the 2019 CIBACOPA All-Star Game in Guadalajara in May. That summer, Oleka signed with Hungarian team KTE-Duna Aszfalt of the

Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A The Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A ( en, National Championship I/A, commonly abbreviated NB I/A) is the highest level league of club men's basketball in Hungary. Format The league comprises 14 teams. A NB I/A season is split into a league stage and a pl ...

on a one-year contract. However, he did not appear in any games with the team, and instead joined newly promoted Swedish Basketball League (SBL) club Djurgårdens. He made his league debut in a loss against Köping Stars on October 4, contributing 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Two games later, he notched his first double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds against

Umeå BSKT Svenska Basketligan, or the Swedish Basketball League (SBL), is the premier league for professional basketball in Sweden. The league was originally established in 1992 as Basketligan and was known as that prior to the season of 2006–07, but whe ...

. His season-high for points was 23 at

Wetterbygden Stars Superettan is the second-tier league of men's professional basketball in Sweden. The league was established in 2017 and replaced the Basketettan Basketettan is the third tier league of professional basketball in Sweden. Until 2017, it was the sec ...

on October 25, and his best rebounding game was on November 15 against

Södertälje Kings Södertälje ( , ) is a city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea through the lock in the ...

when he grabbed 18 boards. In 19 games played with Djurgårdens, Oleka averaged 11.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest, finishing third in the league in the latter category. Eurobasket.com named him an All-SBL honorable mention for the season. In February 2021, Oleka signed with

Bashkimi Prizren Klubi i Basketbollit Bashkimi, also known as K.B Bashkimi or simply Bashkimi , is a professional basketball team based in Prizren, Kosovo. Bashkimi is the oldest basketball team in Kosovo and competes in the top professional men's basketball leag ...

of the Kosovo Superleague. In his team debut on February 27, he recorded 14 points and 24 rebounds in a win over

Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

. He posted a nearly identical stat line on March 7 with a 13-point, 24-rebound performance in a losing effort against Trepça. On March 27, Oleka recorded 25 points and 19 rebounds in a loss to Rahoveci. In game 1 of their quarterfinals series against Ylli, he tallied a season-high 30 points (on 15 of 19 shooting) and 15 rebounds in the 94–79 overtime victory. Oleka posted 20 points and 15 rebounds in game 2, then 24 points and 13 rebounds in game 3, but his team was eliminated after losing both games. After averaging 18.4 points and 15.2 rebounds per game across the regular season and playoffs, he was given second-team All-Kosovan League honors by Eurobasket.com.

Career statistics

College

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

, 32 , , 18 , , 24.8 , , .395 , , .314 , , .777 , , 6.1 , , 0.7 , , .7 , , .5 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 32 , , 32.9 , , .430 , , .253 , , .719 , , 9.9 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 12.5 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 65 , , 50 , , 28.9 , , .415 , , .282 , , .719 , , 8.0 , , .9 , , .8 , , .7 , , 11.1

Personal life

Oleka is of

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 ...

n descent, and has a Nigerian passport. His given name Obinna means "father's heart" or "father's throne" in

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...

References

External links

Obinna Oleka
at

RealGM RealGM.com is a sports website created in 2000. The site was originally a basketball site, but has since expanded its scope to provide information about American football, baseball, ice hockey and soccer. According to Alexa, the site ranked in th ...