Chinanu Onuaku facts for kids
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| No. 33 – Wonju DB Promy | ||||||||||||||
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| Power forward / Center | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | November 1, 1996 Lanham, Maryland, U.S. |
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| High school | Riverdale Baptist (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Louisville (2014–2016) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2016 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the Houston Rockets | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2016–present | |||||||||||||
| League | KBL | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | →Rio Grande Valley Vipers | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Greensboro Swarm | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Wonju DB Promy | |||||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Zadar | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Bnei Herzliya | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | Dinamo Sassari | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Hapoel Tel Aviv | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | Joventut Badalona | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Goyang Sono Skygunners | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | Santeros de Aguada | |||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Wonju DB Promy | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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Chinanu Michael Onuaku (born November 1, 1996) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Wonju DB Promy team in the Korean Basketball League (KBL). Chinanu also played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. In the 2021–22 season, he was the top rebounder in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.
Onuaku is well-known for his special way of shooting free throws. He uses an underhand technique, which means he shoots the ball from below his waist. This style is very rare in modern basketball. A famous player named Rick Barry used this method and was very good at it. Many players today don't use it because they think it looks a bit silly. However, Chinanu found great success with it! He improved his free throw shooting from 46.7% in his first year of college to 72.4% in his first professional year.
Contents
High School Basketball Journey
Chinanu Onuaku went to Riverdale Baptist School for high school. In his senior year, he was a star player. He averaged 12.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks per game. His strong play helped Riverdale achieve an impressive 30 wins and 9 losses. They also won the Capital Beltway conference title.
When he finished high school, experts thought highly of him. Rivals.com ranked him as the 74th best player. ESPN put him at 75th, and Scout.com said he was the seventh-best center in the country.
College Career at Louisville
Onuaku played college basketball for two seasons. He joined the University of Louisville from 2014 to 2016. In his second season, he showed great improvement. He averaged 9.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game.
His excellent defense earned him a spot on the All-ACC Defensive Team. He also received an honorable mention for the All-ACC team. He achieved 11 "double-doubles" that season. A double-double means getting ten or more in two different stats, like points and rebounds. In May 2016, Onuaku decided to enter the NBA draft.
Professional Basketball Career
Starting with the Houston Rockets
On June 23, 2016, the Houston Rockets picked Onuaku in the 2016 NBA draft. He was the 37th player chosen overall. He then joined the Rockets for the 2016 NBA Summer League. On July 20, 2016, he officially signed his contract with the team.
Chinanu made his first NBA appearance on December 26, 2016. He scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in a win against the Phoenix Suns. In that game, he even made two free throws using his unique underhand style! During his first year, Onuaku also played many games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. This team was the Rockets' minor league affiliate.
In August 2018, Onuaku was traded from the Rockets to the Dallas Mavericks. However, he was released by the Mavericks a few days later. He later signed with the Portland Trail Blazers but was also released before the season started.
Playing in the G League
On October 20, 2018, Onuaku was chosen second overall in the 2018 NBA G League draft. He joined the Greensboro Swarm team.
Playing Around the World
Chinanu Onuaku has played for many teams in different countries.
- Wonju DB Promy (2019–2020): He first joined this Korean team in 2019. He played very well, averaging 14.4 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
- Zadar (2020–2021): He then played for Zadar in the Croatian League. He helped them win the Croatian League championship in 2021. He also won the Croatian Cup and was named its MVP!
- Bnei Herzliya (2021–2022): Next, he moved to Israel to play for Bnei Herzliya. In February 2022, his team won the Israeli Basketball State Cup. Chinanu was named the MVP of that game, scoring 30 points and getting 17 rebounds! He also led the league in rebounds that season.
- Dinamo Sassari (2022): He played briefly in Italy for Dinamo Sassari.
- Hapoel Tel Aviv (2022–2023): He returned to Israel to play for Hapoel Tel Aviv.
- Joventut Badalona (2023): He played in Spain for Joventut Badalona.
- Goyang Sono Skygunners (2023–2024): He went back to the Korean Basketball League.
- Santeros de Aguada (2024): He played in Puerto Rico for a short time.
- Second time with Wonju DB Promy (2024–present): In June 2024, Chinanu signed again with the Wonju DB Promy in Korea, where he plays now.
Personal Life
Chinanu Onuaku is the son of Nwaneka and Christopher Onuaku. He has three older brothers and sisters: Ify, Arinze, and Chuk. His brother, Arinze, is also a professional basketball player, just like Chinanu!
See also
In Spanish: Chinanu Onuaku para niños
