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  • 21 Aug, 2019

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Onyeka Okongwu
Onyeka Okongwu (/oʊnˈjɛkə oʊˈkɒŋɡwu/ ohn-YEH-kə oh-KONG-gwoo; born December 11, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans.

Okongwu was a four-year starter at Chino Hills High School in California, playing alongside the Ball brothers, Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo Ball for his first 2 years. As a freshman, he helped his team win the state championship and achieve national success, while being named MaxPreps co-National Freshman of the Year. In his junior and senior seasons, Okongwu led Chino Hills to two more state titles, earning back-to-back California Mr. Basketball honors. He was considered a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. In his only college season, Okongwu played for USC and was named to the first team All-Pac-12.

Early life

Highly influenced by his older brother, Nnamdi, Onyeka grew a passion for the sport he is known for today. Onyeka initially started playing basketball around the age of 8 for a club program called Edge Basketball. Onyeka also trained with trainers and coaches to help further develop the skillset he needed to thrive. By age 11, Onyeka playing with another program, RC Rebels, until he attended high school.

Eventually, when he got to high school, he would find himself playing alongside Jaylen Hands on the Compton Magic.

High school career

Okongwu attended Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California and started on the varsity basketball team since his freshman season. In his first year, he was teammates with brothers Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo Ball, who helped elevate the team into the national spotlight. His team ranked number one in the country with a 35–0 record and captured the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division state title. Okongwu shared MaxPreps National Freshman of the Year honors with his teammate, LaMelo Ball, after averaging 7.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game.

As a sophomore, Okongwu helped Chino Hills reach the CIF Southern Section Open Division semifinals and the CIF State Southern Regional semifinals. In his junior season, he led his team to CIF Southern Section Division I and CIF Division I championships. He averaged 28 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks per game, earning California Mr. Basketball and USA Today All-USA California first team honors. As a senior, Okongwu led Chino Hills to a runner-up finish at the CIF Southern Section Division I tournament and its second consecutive CIF Division I state title. After averaging 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, and four assists per game, he repeated as California Mr. Basketball, becoming the fifth player to ever do so, and received USA Today All-USA California first team distinction.

Recruiting

Okongwu finished his freshman season with offers to play college basketball for UCLA and USC. On May 14, 2018, he committed to USC over UCLA and Arizona State. He was drawn to the program because of its proximity and coaching staff. Okongwu left high school as a five-star recruit on ESPN and Rivals and as a four-star recruit on 247Sports.

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Onyeka Okongwu
PF 		Chino Hills, CA Chino Hills (CA) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) May 14, 2018 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 93
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 30  247Sports: 27  ESPN: 20
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "USC 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  • "2019 USC Trojans Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.

College career

Okongwu immediately established himself as USC's best player. In his collegiate debut on November 5, 2019, he recorded 20 points, 13 rebounds and a school-record eight blocks to lead the Trojans to a 77–48 victory over Florida A&M. He became the first USC player to post a double-double in his debut since Taj Gibson in 2006. On November 19, he scored a career-high 33 points, including 17 free throws, in a 91–84 win over Pepperdine. The performance helped him claim Pac-12 Conference player and freshman of the week honors on November 25. On December 1, Okongwu recorded 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting, 14 rebounds and three blocks in a 77–62 victory over Harvard at the Orlando Invitational. He scored 28 points, 24 of which came in the second half, and grabbed 12 rebounds in a December 15 win over Long Beach State. One day later, Okongwu was named Pac-12 freshman of the week for his second time.

Okongwu continued his consistency into the Pac-12 season. On January 2, 2020, he had another strong performance, with 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting and 12 rebounds in a 65–56 win over Washington State. On January 24, he tallied 23 points, 14 rebounds and six blocks in a 79–70 double-overtime loss to Oregon. At the conclusion of the regular season, Okongwu was named to the first team All-Pac-12 and the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. He led USC with 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game. The Pac-12 tournament and the NCAA tournament were canceled due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 25, 2020, Okongwu announced that he would enter the 2020 NBA draft and forgo his final three years of college basketball eligibility. Analysts regarded him as one of the best prospects in the draft.

Professional career

Atlanta Hawks (2020–present)

Okongwu was selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. On November 24, 2020, the Hawks announced that they had signed Okongwu.

On July 21, 2021, the Atlanta Hawks announced that Okongwu had undergone surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and Okongwu would be expected to be sidelined for about six months.

On January 13, 2023, Okongwu put up a career-high 20 rebounds alongside 18 points in a 113–111 win over the Indiana Pacers.

On October 23, 2023, Okongwu signed a four-year, $62 million extension with the Hawks.

On February 3, 2024, Okongwu put up a career-high 22 points in a 141-134 OT win over the Golden State Warriors.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Atlanta 50 4 12.0 .644 .000 .632 3.3 .4 .5 .7 4.6
2021–22 Atlanta 48 6 20.7 .690 — .727 5.9 1.1 .6 1.3 8.2
2022–23 Atlanta 80 18 23.1 .638 .308 .781 7.2 1.0 .7 1.3 9.9
2023–24 Atlanta 55 8 25.5 .611 .333 .793 6.8 1.3 .5 1.1 10.2
Career 233 36 20.8 .640 .318 .754 6.0 1.0 .6 1.1 8.5

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Atlanta 2 0 22.8 .667 – .500 6.5 .5 .5 .0 2.5
2023 Atlanta 1 0 19.6 .833 – 1.000 4.0 3.0 .0 4.0 12.0
Career 3 0 21.7 .778 – .750 5.7 1.3 .3 1.3 5.7

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021 Atlanta 18 0 9.2 .548 .000 .667 2.7 .1 .3 .7 2.7
2022 Atlanta 5 1 21.6 .563 — .800 5.4 .4 .8 .8 5.2
2023 Atlanta 6 0 21.9 .600 1.000 .500 6.3 1.2 .3 1.3 6.0
Career 29 1 14.0 .569 .500 .659 3.9 .4 .4 .9 3.8

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20 USC 28 28 30.6 .616 .250 .720 8.6 1.1 1.2 2.7 16.2

Personal life

Onyeka Okongwu was born to Nigerian immigrants in Los Angeles. Onyeka and his siblings were raised in Chino Hills by two hardworking parents. His mother works as a registered nurse. Highly influenced by his older brother, Nnamdi, Onyeka's passion for basketball began to grow. Okongwu's older brother, Nnamdi, also played basketball for Chino Hills High School. In 2014, Nnamdi sustained a brain injury in a skateboarding accident and later died after spending three days on life support. Okongwu wore the number 21 in honor of his brother, who had worn the same number while playing basketball. In January 2020, Chino Hills High School retired the number in honor of his late brother. Upon his arrival in Atlanta, he switched numbers due to the team retiring the number 21 in honor of Dominique Wilkins. Again honoring his late brother, Okongwu began wearing the number 17 - the age Nnamdi was when he passed. He also has a younger brother and a younger sister.

Okongwu's father died in 2021.

References

  1. ^ Atlanta Hawks (41-41) (2-3) vs. Boston Celtics (57-25) (3-2) Thursday, April 27th, 2023, State Farm Arena, 8:30 pm EDT, Postseason Game #6, Home Game #3 (official Hawks game notes) Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  2. ^ "NBA rookie Onyeka Okongwu trained in Alex Cabagnot's youth league". Spin.ph. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Gardner, Michelle (March 3, 2016). "After brother's death, Chino Hills basketball standout Onyeka Okongwu looks to build on legacy". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  4. ^ "No. 1 Chino Hills caps unbeaten regular season with 92-72 win over Etiwanda". MaxPreps.com. February 12, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  5. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (April 26, 2015). "It's Ball in the family at Chino Hills basketball". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  6. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (November 20, 2016). "Onyeka Okongwu is Chino Hills' middle man". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  7. ^ "No. 1 Chino Hills caps perfect season and puts exclamation point on being nation's best". USATodayHSS.com. March 27, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  8. ^ Hickman, Jason (April 21, 2016). "2015–16 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Freshman All-American Team". MaxPreps.com. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  9. ^ "No. 13 Mater Dei (Calif.) takes down Ball brothers, No. 10 Chino Hills in CIF-SS semis". USA Today High School Sports. February 25, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  10. ^ Robledo, Fred (March 3, 2018). "Pasadena has no answer for Chino Hills and Onyeka Okongwu in boys basketball title game". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  11. ^ Smith, Cam (March 24, 2018). "Chino Hills wins Calif. boys basketball title without LaMelo Ball". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  12. ^ Hilbert, Evan (April 16, 2018). "2017–18 ALL-USA California Boys Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  13. ^ Flores, Ronnie (April 12, 2018). "Mr. Basketball 2018: It's The Big O". CalHiSports. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  14. ^ Jocks, Matt (February 23, 2019). "Santa Margarita rallies to beat Chino Hills in OT in Division 1 basketball title game". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  15. ^ Robledo, Fred (March 8, 2019). "Chino Hills wins back-to-back state championships despite Onyeka Okongwu's foul trouble". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  16. ^ "Incoming Freshman Onyeka Okongwu Named California's Mr. Basketball Again". University of Southern California Athletics. April 4, 2019. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  17. ^ Thompson, Josh (April 20, 2019). "CHHS' Okongwu earns All-USA Today national, state honors". Chino Champion. Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  18. ^ Sondheimer, Eric (February 1, 2016). "Chino Hills freshman Onyeka Okongwu offered by UCLA, USC". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  19. ^ Borzello, Jeff (May 14, 2018). "Five-star recruit Onyeka Okongwu chooses USC over UCLA, ASU". ESPN. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  20. ^ Givony, Jonathan and Wojnarowski, Adrian (March 25, 2020). "USC freshman Onyeka Okongwu opts to enter NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  21. ^ "Okongwu's double-double leads USC over Florida A&M 77–48". ESPN. Associated Press. November 6, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  22. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (November 19, 2019). "Onyeka Okongwu dominates as USC stays unbeaten in victory over Pepperdine". Los Angeles Times.
  23. ^ "USC's Okongwu first to sweep Pac-12 Men's Basketball weekly awards". Pac-12 Conference. November 25, 2019. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  24. ^ "Onyeka Okongwu's 27 Points Lead USC Men's Basketball's 77-62 Rout Over Harvard". USC Athletics. Associated Press. December 1, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  25. ^ "Okongwu scores 28 in leading USC over Long Beach State 87-76". USA Today. Associated Press. December 15, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  26. ^ "Oregon's Pritchard, USC's Okongwu earn Pac-12 Men's Basketball weekly honors". Pac-12 Conference. December 16, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  27. ^ "Okongwu scores 27, USC handles WSU Cougars 65–56". Yahoo Sports. Associated Press. January 3, 2020. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  28. ^ Spratling, Shotgun (January 24, 2020). "Rapid Recap: USC falls to Ducks in 2OT, misses out on Quad 1 win". 247Sports.com. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  29. ^ "Pac-12 announces 2019–20 Men's Basketball annual major awards". pac-12.com. March 9, 2020. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  30. ^ Kartje, Ryan (March 10, 2020). "USC freshman Onyeka Okongwu snubbed from Pac-12 freshman of the year award". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  31. ^ Cobb, David (March 13, 2020). "2020 Pac-12 Tournament canceled Thursday amid coronavirus pandemic concerns". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  32. ^ "NCAA cancels men's and women's basketball championships due to coronavirus concerns". National Collegiate Athletic Association. March 17, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  33. ^ Quinn, Sam (November 18, 2020). "2020 NBA Draft: Hawks select Onyeka Okongwu with No. 6 overall pick". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  34. ^ Finberg, Annie (November 24, 2020). "Hawks Sign Onyeka Okongwu, Skylar Mays and Nathan Knight". NBA.com. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  35. ^ Finberg, Annie (July 21, 2021). "Hawks Injury Update: Onyeka Okognwu". NBA.com. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  36. ^ "Collins beats buzzer with tip-in, Hawks edge Pacers 113-111". ESPN.com. January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  37. ^ Caudell, Jackson (October 24, 2023). "NBA Analyst on Onyeka Okongwu's Extension With the Hawks: "That is a lock to age really, really well"". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  38. ^ "Onyeka Okongwu | Player Game Stats Finder". Stathead.com. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  39. ^ "Onyeka Okongwu College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  40. ^ Nguyen, Thuc Nhi (December 31, 2019). "USC's Onyeka Okongwu stays grounded even as he rises on court". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  41. ^ Gardner, Michelle (July 18, 2014). "Chino Hills basketball player Nnamdi Okongwu, taken off life support, dies after skateboard accident". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  42. ^ Klemack, John Cádiz; Khan, Samia (July 17, 2014). "Freak Accident Leaves High School Basketball Star Brain Dead". KNBC. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  43. ^ Rodriguez, Monica (July 20, 2014). "Chino family grieves at loss of eldest son killed in skateboard accident". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  44. ^ Thompson, Josh (January 29, 2020). "Chino Hills Huskies boys' basketball to retire No. 21 for Nnamdi and Onyeka Okongwu". Champion Newspapers. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  45. ^ Thompson, Jaylon (November 21, 2020). "Onyeka Okongwu will wear No. 17 to honor late brother". 247Sports. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  46. ^ Wall, Stephen (July 20, 2014). "Family recalls son as gentle giant". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  47. ^ Spencer, Sarah K. "Nate McMillan gives update on Onyeka Okongwu". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ISSN 1539-7459. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
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