Sunday A. Adebayo (born 12 September 1973) is a Nigerian 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

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (ori ...

and

Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic C ...

Early life

Adebayo was born in Benin City, Nigeria. As a high school student, he played for the Nigerian soccer team at the Junior World Cup. He was a

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

, and aspired to play professional soccer in Europe until his conversion to playing basketball as he grew taller. Adebayo played for the Nigerian basketball team at the

1991 FIBA Under-19 World Championship The 1991 FIBA Under-19 World Championship (French: Championnat du monde des moins de 19 ans 1991 de la FIBA) was the 4th edition of the FIBA U19 World Championship. It was held in Edmonton, Canada from 26 July to 4 August 1991. The United States ...

. Adebayo moved to the United States to work for an uncle who owned a computer company in

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. He played basketball in a league at his church and in the playgrounds of

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

while he worked for a year.

College career

In 1993, Adebayo travelled to

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

to try earn a scholarship to play for the Central Arkansas Bears but the team had its roster set and did not want to acquire someone who they considered a long-term project. Central Arkansas head coach Don Dyer later lamented the loss and compared Adebayo to former Bears player

Scottie Pippen Scotty Maurice Pippen Sr. (born September 25, 1965), usually spelled Scottie Pippen, is an American former professional basketball player. He played 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the ...

. Adebayo instead began his

career playing for the Raiders of Three Rivers College, where he became a first-team All-American. He averaged 19 points and 10 rebounds during his junior college career. Adebayo still holds the Raiders record for career rebounds with 706. Adebayo earned attention from major

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 ...

teams throughout his junior college career, and Adebayo committed to play for the

on 18 April 1995. He averaged 10.7 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds during the 1995–96 season. On 1 March 1996, Adebayo was deemed ineligible by the Razorbacks to complete the final 11 games of the season due to issues with his junior college transcript. The

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) had commenced questioning about Adebayo's eligibility and the Razorbacks voluntarily declared Adebayo ineligible. His junior college grades had not been properly certified due to an administrative error by the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

, and he had started to practice with the Razorbacks eight days earlier than permitted. Adebayo was allowed to stay at the University of Arkansas but could not play on the basketball team or receive financial aid. The NCAA declared that Adebayo would have immediate eligibility if he transferred to a school outside of the Razorbacks'

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

(SEC) and cited "extenuating circumstances." Adebayo entered his name into the

1996 NBA draft The 1996 NBA draft was the 50th draft in the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held on June 26, 1996 at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting college basketball playe ...

but stated that he would consider transferring to play for the

Oral Roberts Golden Eagles The Oral Roberts Golden Eagles are the sixteen intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oral Roberts University, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Golden Eagles compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I lev ...

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National Col ...

if he did not like his draft prospects. He withdrew from the draft before it took place and transferred to play for Memphis. Adebayo's start with the Tigers during the 1996–97 season was delayed while he completed exams. When the Tigers played an away game against the Razorbacks on February 2, 1997, Adebayo received two standing ovations from Razorbacks fans at the suggestion of Razorbacks coach

Nolan Richardson Nolan Richardson Jr. (born December 27, 1941) is a former American basketball head coach best known for his tenure at the University of Arkansas, where he won the 1994 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament and led the Razorbacks to three F ...

. Adebayo stayed in contact with his former team throughout the season in a display of loyalty that Richardson considered "unique." Adebayo's devotion to the Razorbacks bothered Tigers fans, who considered him a "traitor" and booed him throughout his first game upon his return from Arkansas. He averaged 13.3 points and a team-high 7 rebounds per game during his only season with the Tigers. In April 1997, the NCAA admitted that Adebayo had been wrongly suspended. Adebayo hired a lawyer and appealed to earn a rare fifth season of college eligibility that was granted by an NCAA administrative review panel in October 1997. He returned to the Arkansas Razorbacks for the 1997–98 season but was required to relinquish his scholarship to comply with NCAA sanctions placed on the team for other violations. Adebayo stated: "I knew I didn't do anything wrong. People say I've made history, but I don't get carried away with that. I'm just glad I got the year here back." His entry back into the Razorbacks lineup was hindered due to a sprained ankle. Adebayo averaged 6.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game during the 1997–98 season.

Professional career

Adebayo was selected by the

Grand Rapids Hoops The Grand Rapids Hoops were a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Their first season was in 1989 and their final season was in 2003. Professional basketball later returned to Grand ...

with the 55th overall pick in the 1998 Continental Basketball Association (CBA) draft. Adebayo played four games in the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) during the 2000–01 season. He averaged 15.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Adebayo played for the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...

of the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) during the

2002–03 NBL season The 2002–03 NBL season was the 25th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of 11 teams contested the league. Regular season The 2002–03 regular season took place over 22 rounds between 2 October 2002 and 1 March 2003. ...

. He averaged 5.0 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1995–96 , style="text-align:left;",

, 22 , , 14 , , 26.1 , , .572 , , – , , .609 , , 7.6 , , 1.4 , , 1.4 , , .4 , , 10.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996–97 , style="text-align:left;",

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

, 26 , , 23 , , 31.6 , , .579 , , .000 , , .619 , , 7.0 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , .4 , , 13.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997–98 , style="text-align:left;",

, 22 , , 6 , , 15.2 , , .511 , , – , , .677 , , 3.6 , , 1.3 , , .8 , , .2 , , 6.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 70 , , 43 , , 24.7 , , .564 , , .000 , , .630 , , 6.1 , , 1.4 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 10.2

References

External links

College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adebayo, Sunday 1973 births Living people Arkansas Razorbacks men's basketball players Brose Bamberg players Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Australia Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Germany Nigerian expatriate basketball people in the United States Nigerian men's basketball players Perth Wildcats players Power forwards Sportspeople from Benin City Three Rivers College (Missouri) alumni