Chimezie Metu facts for kids
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Metu with USC in 2016
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| No. 10 – FC Barcelona | |
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| Power forward / center | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 22, 1997 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | Nigerian / American |
| High school | Lawndale (Lawndale, California) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | USC (2015–2018) |
| NBA Draft | 2018 / Round: 2 / Pick: 49th overall |
| Selected by the San Antonio Spurs | |
| Pro career | 2018–present |
| League | Liga ACB EuroLeague |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2020 | San Antonio Spurs |
| 2018–2020 | →Austin Spurs |
| 2020–2023 | Sacramento Kings |
| 2023–2024 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2024 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2024–present | FC Barcelona |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Chimezie Chukwudum Metu (born March 22, 1997) is a professional basketball player. He plays for FC Barcelona in Spain. He also plays in the EuroLeague, which is a top European basketball league. Chimezie is from both Nigeria and America. Before playing professionally, he played college basketball for the USC Trojans.
Contents
Early Life and High School
Chimezie Metu went to Lawndale High School in Lawndale, California. He was a highly-rated player in high school. On May 12, 2014, he decided to play college basketball for the University of Southern California (USC).
College Basketball Career
Freshman Year (2015-2016)
As a freshman, Chimezie played in 34 games for USC. He started in 2 of those games. He scored about 6.4 points and grabbed 3.6 rebounds per game. He also blocked 54 shots, which was the second-highest for a USC freshman. He played in the 2016 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
Sophomore Year (2016-2017)
In his second year, Metu started all 36 games. He improved a lot, averaging 14.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. He helped his team reach the second round of the 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. He was named the Pac-12 Most Improved Player. This award goes to the player who shows the most improvement in their skills. He also made the Second Team All-Pac-12.
Junior Year (2017-2018)
As a junior, Metu played in 34 games and started 33. He averaged 15.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. On March 5, 2018, he was named to the First Team All-Pac-12. His teammate Jordan McLaughlin also received this honor. After three years, Chimezie decided to enter the 2018 NBA draft. He chose not to play in the 2018 National Invitation Tournament to avoid any injuries.
Professional Basketball Career
San Antonio Spurs (2018–2020)
On June 21, 2018, the San Antonio Spurs picked Chimezie Metu in the NBA draft. He was the 49th player chosen overall. He joined the Spurs for the 2018 NBA Summer League. On September 4, 2018, Metu officially signed with the Spurs. He played his first NBA game on October 20, 2018. He scored two points and had two rebounds in a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Spurs later decided to let Metu go on November 20, 2020.
Sacramento Kings (2020–2023)
On November 28, 2020, Metu signed with the Sacramento Kings. He was later signed to a special "two-way contract." This kind of contract allows a player to play for both an NBA team and its minor league team. On April 28, 2021, the Kings signed him to a longer contract.
In August 2021, during a Summer League game, Metu was suspended for the championship game. This happened after a disagreement during the game. On December 29, 2021, Metu made a game-winning three-point shot. He scored at the last second to give Sacramento a 95–94 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Phoenix Suns (2023–2024)
On July 4, 2023, Metu signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns. On Christmas Day, he had a great game. He scored 23 points and grabbed 19 rebounds. These were his career-high numbers for points and rebounds in an NBA game. On February 8, 2024, Metu was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. The next day, the Grizzlies let him go.
Detroit Pistons (2024)
On March 20, 2024, Metu signed a short 10-day contract with the Detroit Pistons. On March 30, he signed with the Pistons for the rest of the season.
FC Barcelona (2024-present)
On July 30, 2024, Chimezie Metu signed a one-year contract with FC Barcelona. He now plays basketball in Spain.
National Team Career
On August 27, 2019, Chimezie Metu was chosen to play for the Nigerian national team. He played in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | San Antonio | 29 | 0 | 5.0 | .328 | .000 | .765 | 1.2 | .4 | .2 | .1 | 1.8 |
| 2019–20 | San Antonio | 18 | 0 | 5.8 | .571 | .000 | .769 | 1.8 | .6 | .2 | .3 | 3.2 |
| 2020–21 | Sacramento | 36 | 6 | 13.6 | .508 | .351 | .721 | 3.1 | .8 | .4 | .5 | 6.3 |
| 2021–22 | Sacramento | 60 | 20 | 21.3 | .452 | .306 | .780 | 5.6 | 1.0 | .9 | .5 | 8.9 |
| 2022–23 | Sacramento | 66 | 0 | 10.4 | .589 | .237 | .740 | 3.0 | .6 | .3 | .3 | 4.9 |
| 2023–24 | Phoenix | 37 | 5 | 12.1 | .508 | .294 | .884 | 3.0 | .5 | .5 | .2 | 5.0 |
| 2023–24 | Detroit | 14 | 7 | 29.4 | .500 | .302 | .952 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | .5 | 10.5 |
| Career | 260 | 38 | 13.7 | .495 | .298 | .787 | 3.5 | .8 | .5 | .4 | 5.9 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Sacramento | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | — | .667 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .7 |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | — | .667 | .3 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .7 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | USC | 34 | 2 | 18.5 | .518 | .000 | .513 | 3.6 | .5 | .6 | 1.6 | 6.4 |
| 2016–17 | USC | 36 | 36 | 31.3 | .552 | .500 | .741 | 7.8 | 1.4 | .8 | 1.5 | 14.8 |
| 2017–18 | USC | 34 | 33 | 31.0 | .523 | .300 | .730 | 7.4 | 1.6 | .8 | 1.7 | 15.7 |
| Career | 104 | 71 | 27.0 | .533 | .302 | .692 | 6.3 | 1.2 | .7 | 1.6 | 12.3 | |
Personal Life
Chimezie Metu was born in Los Angeles. He lived in California for his first few years. When he was six, he moved to Nigeria with his father. He lived in Nigeria for six years. While living there, he enjoyed playing soccer.
