Jesusemilore Talodabijesu "Semi" Ojeleye ( ; born December 5, 1994) 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

Virtus Bologna Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, known for sponsorship reasons as Virtus Segafredo Bologna, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna. The club was founded in 1929, which makes it the oldest club in Italy and one ...

of the 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 le ...

(LBA) and the EuroLeague. 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 both

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

and

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

Early life and college career

Ojeleye's parents emigrated from Nigeria to Ottawa, Kansas. He starred at Ottawa High School and in 2013 was named the

Parade Magazine ''Parade'' was an American nationwide Sunday newspaper magazine, distributed in more than 700 newspapers in the United States until 2022. The most widely read magazine in the U.S., ''Parade'' had a circulation of 32 million and a readership of 5 ...

National Player of the Year. He chose national power

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

for college, but played sparingly for two seasons. Looking for a larger role, he transferred to SMU, and in 2016–17 he led the team to both

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...

(AAC) regular season and

Tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

Championships. Ojeleye averaged 18.9 points and 6.8

rebounds per game 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

and was named AAC Player of the Year.

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2017–2021)

Following the close of his redshirt junior season, Ojeleye entered his name for 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. ...

but did not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of a return to the Mustangs. Ojeleye was invited to the 2017

NBA Draft Combine The NBA Draft Combine is a multi-day showcase that takes place every May before the annual June NBA draft. At the combine, college basketball players are measured and take medical tests, are interviewed, perform various athletic tests and shootin ...

, one of 67 participants. After some promising performances he announced that he would commit to the draft, ending his college career. Ojeleye was chosen by the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

in the second round with the 37th overall pick. Ojeleye made his professional debut on October 17, 2017, in a 102–99 loss to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

. During the regular season, he averaged 2.7 points per game and shot 34.6 percent from the field, but emerged as a defensive presence. He started in Game 5 of the playoff series versus the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

and held

Giannis Antetokounmpo Giannis Sina Ugo Antetokounmpo (born Adetokunbo; December 6, 1994) is a Greek-Nigerian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo's country of origin, in addition to his s ...

to 16 points.

Milwaukee Bucks (2021–2022)

On August 6, 2021, Ojeleye signed with the

on a one-year, veteran's minimum contract.

Los Angeles Clippers (2022)

On February 10, 2022, Ojeleye was traded to 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 ...

as part of a four-team trade. On March 26, he was waived.

Virtus Bologna (2022–present)

On July 28, 2022, Ojeleye signed a two-year deal with

of the Italian

(LBA) and the EuroLeague. On 29 September 2022, after having ousted

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69 Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy. Ojeleye was nominated MVP of the competition.Frecciarossa Supercoppa 2022 , Mvp , Semi Ojeleye, Virtus Bologna
''Sportando''

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 73 , , 0 , , 15.8 , , .346 , , .320 , , .610 , , 2.2 , , .3 , , .3 , , .1 , , 2.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 3 , , 10.6 , , .424 , , .315 , , .615 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , .2 , , .1 , , 3.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 69 , , 6 , , 14.7 , , .408 , , .378 , , .875 , , 2.1 , , .5 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 56 , , 15 , , 17.0 , , .403 , , .367 , , .750 , , 2.6 , , .7 , , .3 , , .0 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, 20 , , 0 , , 15.4 , , .257 , , .268 , , .769 , , 2.9 , , .3 , , .3 , , .3 , , 2.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 10 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .414 , , .444 , , .813 , , 1.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , .1 , , 4.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 284 , , 24 , , 14.5 , , .384 , , .344 , , .717 , , 2.2 , , .4 , , .3 , , .1 , , 3.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 3 , , 13.5 , , .303 , , .273 , , .857 , , 1.6 , , .1 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 5.7 , , .444 , , .600 , , 1.000 , , .3 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 13 , , 0 , , 9.4 , , .350 , , .217 , , 1.000 , , .9 , , .1 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2 , , 0 , , 6.0 , , .000 , , .000 , , .500 , , .0 , , .0 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 38 , , 3 , , 10.5 , , .284 , , .264 , , .846 , , 1.1 , , .1 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.8

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2013–14 , style="text-align:left;",

, 17 , , 0 , , 4.7 , , .500 , , .571 , , .909 , , .9 , , .1 , , .2 , , .2 , , 1.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 10.5 , , .278 , , .250 , , .571 , , 2.3 , , .2 , , .5 , , .0 , , 3.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;", SMU , 35 , , 35 , , 34.1 , , .487 , , .424 , , .785 , , 6.9 , , 1.5 , , .4 , , .4 , , 19.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 58 , , 35 , , 23.1 , , .479 , , .415 , , .785 , , 4.6 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .3 , , 12.3

References

External links

SMU Mustangs bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ojeleye, Semi 1994 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Basketball players from Kansas Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Duke Blue Devils men's basketball players Los Angeles Clippers players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Sportspeople from Overland Park, Kansas Power forwards (basketball) SMU Mustangs men's basketball players