Aniekan Okon “Koko” Archibong (born May 10, 1981) is a former 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. At a height of tall, he played at the

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

position.

Early life and education

Koko Archibong was born as Aniekan Okon Archibong in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, the first-born son in his family. His parents were academic scholars who emigrated to the United States for their studies. He is called Koko because it means "junior" in

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 ...

. He attended the

Polytechnic School Polytechnic School, often referred to simply as Poly, is a college preparatory private day school located in Pasadena, California with approximately 850 students enrolled in grades Kindergarten through 12. The school is a former member of th ...

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

, California, and then the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

where he earned a Pre-Med bachelor's degree (BSc Pre-Med) in 2003. He subsequently earned a

Master of Public Health The Master of Public Health or Master of Philosophy in Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH), Master of Medical Science in Public Health (MMSPH) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.), International Masters for Healt ...

(MPH) degree from the

University of Liverpool , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

in 2013. He is the older brother of artist and designer

Ini Archibong Inimfon “Ini” Joshua Archibong (born 23 June 1983) is an industrial designer, creative director, artist and musician who is active in product design, furniture design, environmental design, architecture, watch design, and fashion. He has said ...

Work and career

In 2013, Archibong founded a basketball skills training business and also became assistant athletic director of the Polytechnic School, his alma matter. He became a client relationship associate with the

Capital Group Capital Group is an American financial services company. It ranks among the world's oldest and largest investment management organizations, with over $2.6 trillion in assets under management. Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1931, it is pri ...

in 2015, and now serves as a Vice President and Private Wealth Advisor.

College basketball career

Archibong 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 ...

at the

, with the

Penn Quakers The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 33 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing. School colors There are se ...

from 2000 to 2003. In his junior season, he averaged 14.2 points and 5.7 rebounds, while shooting .510 shooting from the field. In the same season, he set a school record (along with teammates Tim Begley, Ugonna Onyekwe and Jeff Schiffner) by starting all 32 games the Quakers played that season. Archibong captained the 2002–03 team with Andy Toole, leading Penn to a 22–6 record (including a 14–0

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate athletic conference comprising eight private research universities in the Northeastern United States. The term ''Ivy League'' is typically used beyond the sports context to refer to the eight schools ...

mark) and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. He ended his Penn career with 1,131 points, 504 rebounds, 110 assists, 76 steals and 59 blocked shots while making 99 starts. He was a two-time All-Ivy and Academic All-Ivy League selection.

Professional basketball career

After a few pre-

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a vessel ...

workouts 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 went undrafted in the

2003 NBA draft The 2003 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2003, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The NBA announced that 41 college and high school players and a record 31 international players had filed as early-entry candidates ...

. He went on to become part of the Suns' Summer League team in the 2003 Reebok Rocky Mountain Revue in Salt Lake City. He later made to the training camp of the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

in 2003. Archibong played professional basketball in France, Germany, and Poland. In 2005, he won the German League championship with GHP Bamberg. He played in the EuroLeague with the clubs Pau-Orthez,

Brose Baskets Brose Bamberg is a German professional basketball team from Bamberg, Franconia / North Bavaria. The club has won the German Championship title nine times and the German Cup five times. The club currently plays in the German top tier Basketba ...

, and

Prokom Sopot Arka Gdynia is a Polish professional basketball team, based in Gdynia. The team plays in the Polish Polish Basketball League, PLK. The club's sponsorship name comes from the company Asseco. Historically the team is one of the most successful in Po ...

Nigerian national team

Archibong played with the senior men's

Nigerian 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 competed at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

References

External links

NBA.com ProfileEuroleague.net ProfileEurobasket.com ProfileDraftexpress.com ProfilePro One Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Archibong, Koko 1981 births Living people Alba Berlin players American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Poland American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Asseco Gdynia players Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics Basketball players from New York City Brose Bamberg players Élan Béarnais players Gießen 46ers players Medi Bayreuth players Nigerian expatriate basketball people in France Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Germany Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Poland Nigerian men's basketball players Olympic basketball players of Nigeria Penn Quakers men's basketball players Skyliners Frankfurt players Small forwards