Arinze Onuaku facts for kids
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Onuaku with Maccabi
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| Center | |
| Personal information | |
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| Born | July 13, 1987 Lanham, Maryland, U.S. |
| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 275 lb (125 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Syracuse (2005–2010) |
| NBA Draft | 2010 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 2011–2019 |
| Career history | |
| 2011 | Rio Grande Valley Vipers |
| 2011 | Neptūnas Klaipėda |
| 2012–2013 | Canton Charge |
| 2013 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| 2013–2014 | Canton Charge |
| 2014 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2014 | →Canton Charge |
| 2014 | Canton Charge |
| 2014 | Chongqing Flying Dragons |
| 2014–2015 | Canton Charge |
| 2015 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2015–2016 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| 2016 | Meralco Bolts |
| 2016–2017 | Orlando Magic |
| 2017 | Hunan Yongsheng |
| 2018 | Zhejiang Golden Bulls |
| 2018 | Meralco Bolts |
| 2019 | Al-Riffa SC |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Arinze Christopher Onuaku (born July 13, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player. He was known for his strong play as a center on the court. Arinze played college basketball for Syracuse University before joining different teams around the world.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Arinze Onuaku started his high school basketball career at DuVal High School in Maryland. In 2003, he moved to Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. During his final year in 2005, he was named the MVP (Most Valuable Player) for his team. He helped his team achieve a good record of 12 wins and 11 losses.
College Career at Syracuse
Arinze Onuaku played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange. He was a very dedicated student-athlete.
Freshman Year Success
In his first year, Arinze did well both on the court and in the classroom. He was part of the Big East Conference All-Academic Team. This means he had great grades while playing basketball. He averaged 2.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 29 games.
Overcoming Injuries
In October 2006, Arinze had surgery on his left knee. Because of this, he took a break from playing for the 2006–07 season. Even though he couldn't play, he still focused on his studies. He was again named to the Big East Conference All-Academic Team.
Strong Comeback Season
When he returned to play, Arinze showed how good he was. He had one of the best shooting percentages in the Big East Conference. He made 62.8% of his shots, which was very impressive. He continued to excel in academics, earning another All-Academic Team spot. In 35 games, he averaged 12.7 points and 8.1 rebounds. He also added 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game.
Junior and Senior Years
In his junior year, Arinze kept playing well. He averaged 10.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 38 games. He also blocked 1.4 shots per game.
During his senior year, Arinze reached a big milestone. He scored his 1,000th point for Syracuse. This made him one of only 52 players in Syracuse history to do so. Sadly, he got a leg injury in March 2010 during a tournament game. This injury ended his college career early. He finished his senior season averaging 10.5 points and 5.1 rebounds.
Syracuse Records
Arinze ended his college career as a top player for Syracuse. He holds the record for the highest field goal percentage in Syracuse history. He made 64.8% of his shots during his time there. He also ranks 11th all-time with 148 blocked shots.
Professional Basketball Journey
After college, Arinze Onuaku began his professional basketball career. He played for many teams in different leagues and countries.
Early Career and D-League
Arinze was not chosen in the 2010 NBA draft. He started his professional journey in the NBA Development League (now called the G-League). In 2011, he joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. Later that year, he played for Klaipėdos Neptūnas in Lithuania but left due to a knee injury.
In 2012, he was drafted by the Reno Bighorns in the D-League. He was then traded to the Canton Charge. He became a D-League All-Star in 2013, showing his talent.
NBA Opportunities
Arinze got chances to play in the NBA. In 2013, he joined the New Orleans Pelicans for a short time. He then returned to the Canton Charge. In 2014, he signed a short contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He also played for the Charge during this time.
In 2015, Arinze signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was a special signing because the team had many injured players. He played 6 games for the Timberwolves, showing his skills.
Playing Around the World
Arinze played for teams in many countries. In 2014, he played for the Chongqing Flying Dragons in China. He averaged impressive numbers there, with 28.6 points and 14.8 rebounds per game.
In 2015, he signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv, a famous team in Israel. He then moved to the Meralco Bolts in the Philippines in 2016. He was so good that he won the PBA Best Import of the Conference Award. This award is given to the best foreign player in the league.
He also played for the Orlando Magic in the NBA in 2016, appearing in eight games. After that, he returned to China to play for Hunan Yongsheng in 2017 and Zhejiang Golden Bulls in 2018. He also had another stint with the Meralco Bolts in the Philippines in 2018. His last known team was Al-Riffa SC in Bahrain in 2019.
The Basketball Tournament
Arinze Onuaku also played in The Basketball Tournament in 2018. This is a special tournament where teams compete for a big prize. He played for a team called Boeheim's Army, which is made up of former Syracuse players. In 4 games, he averaged 9.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. His team made it to the regional championship before losing.
Personal Life
Arinze Onuaku is the son of Christopher and Anastasia Onuaku. He has three siblings: Ify, Chinanu, and Michael. His brother Chinanu is also a professional basketball player, following in Arinze's footsteps.
See also
In Spanish: Arinze Onuaku para niños
