Ademola Okulaja
Personal information | ||||||||||
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Born | Lagos, Nigeria |
July 10, 1975 |||||||||
Nationality | Nigerian/German | |||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | |||||||||
Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) | |||||||||
Career information | ||||||||||
College | North Carolina (1995–1999) | |||||||||
NBA draft | 1999 / Undrafted | |||||||||
Playing career | 1999–2009 | |||||||||
Position | Power forward | |||||||||
Career history | ||||||||||
1999–2000 | ALBA Berlin | |||||||||
2000–2001 | Girona | |||||||||
2001–2002 | FC Barcelona | |||||||||
2002–2003 | Unicaja Málaga | |||||||||
2003–2004 | Girona | |||||||||
2004 | Benetton Treviso | |||||||||
2004–2005 | Pamesa Valencia | |||||||||
2005–2006 | RheinEnergie Köln | |||||||||
2006–2007 | Khimki Moscow | |||||||||
2007 | Etosa Alicante | |||||||||
2007–2009 | Brose Baskets | |||||||||
Medals
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Ademola Okulaja, (born July 10, 1975) is a German former professional basketball player of Nigerian origin. The last team he played for were the Brose Baskets from Germany.
The 6' 9", 235 lb (2.06 m, 107 kg) forward played college basketball in the United States at North Carolina and flirted briefly with the NBA before moving on to a successful international professional basketball career in Europe.
Contents
Early life
Okulaja was born in Nigeria, but moved to Berlin with his family at the age of 3.[1] In 1995, he graduated from John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, before enrolling at the University of North Carolina.
Collegiate career
Okulaja played college basketball at North Carolina from 1995 to 1999. During the 1997-1998 NCAA season, he was a member of new coach Bill Guthridge's successful "six starters" rotation with Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Ed Cota, Shammond Williams and Makhtar N'Diaye. In his senior season, he was named MVP of the Tar Heels basketball team, and won a spot on the 1998-99 All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team.
Professional career
Okulaja has played professionally for a variety of Euroleague teams, including ALBA Berlin (1999–2000) and RheinEnergie Köln (2005–2006) in Germany; CB Girona (2000–2001 and 2003–04), Barcelona (2001–2002), Unicaja Malaga (2002–2003) and Pamesa Valencia (2004–2005) in Spain; and Benetton Treviso in Italy (2004).[2][3] His ALBA Berlin team won the 1999-2000 German National (Bundesliga) championship. He won the "Rookie of the Year" award with Girona, and was an All-League First Team selection that year.[4] In 2002, he won the award for "Most Spectacular Player" at the Spanish All-Star Game.[5]
Okulaja had three different attempts to join the NBA; his first training camp experience was with the Philadelphia 76ers, then with the San Antonio Spurs, and finally the Utah Jazz, but was unable to make an NBA roster.
In 2008, he was diagnosed with a spinal tumor and had to go into a one-year long therapy.[6] After it proved to be successful, Okulaja played one more season for the Brose Baskets.
On July 12, 2010, he announced his retirement from professional basketball.[7]
German national team
Okulaja was also an experienced member of the Germany national basketball team. He played with the team at the European Championships in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001. He competed with the German National Team in Japan at the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championship tournament alongside NBA star Dirk Nowitzki.
Notes
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External links
Template:Germany Squad EuroBasket 2001
- ↑ Official Website Bio
- ↑ Players Index: Ademola Okulaja
- ↑ OKULAJA, ADEMOLA - Welcome to ULEB Cup
- ↑ http://www.uncbasketball.com/stories/061301_blueheaven.shtml
- ↑ http://www.euroleague.net/plantillas/jugador.jsp?id=ASB&temporada=E05
- ↑ Official Website Bio
- ↑ http://www.talkbasket.net/news/okulaja-announces-retirement-3414.html
- Pages with reference errors
- 1975 births
- Living people
- Alba Berlin players
- Basketball players at the 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Final Four
- Basketball players at the 1998 NCAA Men's Division I Final Four
- BC Khimki players
- Brose Baskets players
- CB Girona players
- CB Lucentum Alicante players
- Baloncesto Málaga players
- FC Barcelona Bàsquet players
- German basketball players
- German expatriate basketball people in the United States
- German expatriates in Italy
- German expatriates in Russia
- German expatriates in Spain
- German people of Nigerian descent
- German people of Yoruba descent
- Liga ACB players
- North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players
- Pallacanestro Treviso players
- Power forwards (basketball)
- Sportspeople from Lagos
- Valencia BC players
- Yoruba sportspeople