Emeka Okafor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Emeka Okafor

Okafor with the Washington Wizards in 2012
Center / power forward
Personal information
Born	(1982-09-28) September 28, 1982 (age 42) Houston, Texas, U.S.
High school	Bellaire (Bellaire, Texas)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
College	UConn (2001–2004)
NBA Draft	2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2nd overall
Selected by the Charlotte Bobcats
Pro career	2004–2013; 2017–2020
Career history
2004–2009	Charlotte Bobcats
2009–2012	New Orleans Hornets
2012–2013	Washington Wizards
2017–2018	Delaware 87ers
2018	New Orleans Pelicans
2019–2020	Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus
Career highlights and awards
NBA Rookie of the Year (2005) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2005) NCAA champion (2004) NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player (2004) NABC Co-Player of the Year (2004) Consensus first-team All-American (2004) Third-team All-American – NABC (2003) 2× NABC Defensive Player of the Year (2003, 2004) Chip Hilton Player of the Year (2004) Pete Newell Big Man Award (2004) Big East Player of the Year (2004) 2× First-team All-Big East (2003, 2004) 2× Big East Defensive Player of the Year (2003, 2004) NCAA blocks leader (2003)
Career NBA statistics
Points	7,370 (12.0 ppg)
Rebounds	5,967 (9.7 rpg)
Blocks	1,003 (1.6 bpg)
Medals Men's Basketball Representing the  United States Olympic Games Bronze 2004 Athens United States

Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi Okafor ⁱ// (born September 28, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. He is known as Emeka Okafor. He went to Bellaire High School and the University of Connecticut. In 2004, he helped UConn win a national championship.

In his first season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2004–05, Okafor played for the Charlotte Bobcats. He was named Rookie of the Year. He later played for the New Orleans Hornets and the Washington Wizards. A neck injury caused him to miss several seasons. He was medically cleared to play again in 2017.

Early Life and Family Background

Emeka Okafor was born in Houston, Texas. His parents are from Nigeria. Emeka was the first person in his family to be born in the United States. His father, Pius Okafor, is from the Igbo group.

When Emeka was young, his family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma. His father worked for a company there. In Bartlesville, Okafor's father took him to the YMCA to learn basketball.

High School Basketball Journey

Okafor played basketball at Bellaire High School. He played with John Lucas III, who also became a star player. In his senior year, Okafor averaged 22 points, 16 rebounds, and 7 blocks per game. His team had a great record of 26 wins and 5 losses.

A notable game was against Willowridge High School. Five players from that game later played in the NCAA Final Four. All five also played at least one season in the NBA. Even though he wasn't widely known at first, Okafor received scholarship offers from top colleges. He chose to play for the University of Connecticut.

College Success at UConn

Okafor playing for UConn in 2004

Okafor played for Connecticut from 2001 to 2004. He played with future NBA players like Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon. He studied finance and graduated with honors in just three years. He had a high GPA of 3.8. In 2004, Okafor was named the Academic All-American of the Year. This award recognized his excellent work in school and on the court.

Okafor was known for his strong defense, especially blocking shots. Even with back problems in the 2003–04 season, he led UConn to a national championship. He was named the NCAA basketball tournament Most Outstanding Player. Okafor also led the nation in blocks that season. He was named National Defensive Player of the Year. He also won the Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Year award. Okafor finished his college career as Connecticut's all-time leader in blocked shots with 441. Because of his achievements, he joined the 2004 U.S. National Men's Basketball Team for the Olympics in Athens.

In 2007, Okafor was honored at UConn's Gampel Pavilion. He became a member of the Husky Ring Of Honor.

Professional Basketball Career

Charlotte Bobcats (2004–2009)

Becoming Rookie of the Year

On April 16, 2004, Okafor decided to enter the 2004 NBA draft. He gave up his last year of college eligibility. He was the second player chosen in the draft. He became the first-ever draft pick for the new Charlotte Bobcats team. The next day, he joined the United States team for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The team won the bronze medal in Athens.

The 2004–05 season was very successful for Okafor. He handled the pressure of being a star rookie well. He had 19 straight games where he scored double-digits in points and rebounds. This is called a double-double. He also received many fan votes for the NBA All-Star Game. At the end of the season, Okafor won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He beat his friend and former college teammate, Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon.

Okafor tipping-off against Rasheed Wallace

The Bobcats quickly saw Okafor as a key player for their team. He finished his rookie season averaging 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds (4th in the league), and 1.7 blocks per game. He also shot 44.7% from the field.

Dealing with Injuries (2005–2006)

Before the 2005–06 season, Okafor gained some weight. He felt this made it harder to recover from an ankle injury. He missed most of the 2005–06 season because of ankle problems. However, in the games he did play, he was still effective. He averaged a double-double for the second year in a row. On November 4, 2005, he scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Philadelphia 76ers. For the season, he averaged 13.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game.

Strong Defensive Play (2006–2007)

During the offseason, Okafor worked with basketball legend Hakeem Olajuwon. He also lost the weight he had gained. He felt this made him more energetic and mobile. He led the Bobcats in rebounds, blocks, and field goal percentage. On December 29, 2006, he had an amazing game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He scored 22 points, grabbed 25 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots in a triple overtime win.

On January 12, 2007, he blocked ten shots in a game against the New York Knicks. This was the most blocks in a single game at Madison Square Garden. He almost had a triple-double in that game. He finished the season averaging 14.4 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks in 67 games.

Consistent Performance (2007–2009)

Before the 2007–08 season, Okafor turned down a large contract extension. He still wanted to stay with the Bobcats. He played in all 82 games for the first time in his career. He averaged a double-double for the fourth season in a row.

In the 2008 offseason, Okafor signed a big contract with the Bobcats. It was the largest in the team's history. He was happy to stay with the team, now coached by Larry Brown. Okafor played in all 82 regular season games for the second straight season. He averaged a double-double for a fifth straight season. In his final season with the Bobcats, he averaged 13.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.

New Orleans Hornets (2009–2012)

On July 28, 2009, Okafor was traded to the New Orleans Hornets. He was traded for Tyson Chandler. During the 2009–10 season, Okafor played in all 82 games again. He just missed averaging a double-double, with 10.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

In the 2010–11 season, Okafor helped New Orleans reach the playoffs. This was his first time playing in the NBA playoffs. The Hornets finished the regular season with 46 wins and 36 losses. They faced the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. Okafor scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in one game. The Hornets lost the series 4–2.

In the 2011–12 season, Okafor averaged 9.9 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. The Hornets traded their star player Chris Paul during this season. On December 28, 2011, Okafor scored 13 points and had a season-high 6 blocks against the Boston Celtics.

Okafor with a headset while playing with the Wizards in 2013

Washington Wizards (2012–2013)

On June 20, 2012, Okafor was traded to the Washington Wizards. He was traded with Trevor Ariza for Rashard Lewis and a draft pick. Okafor was named a finalist for the Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. This award recognized his positive impact on and off the court.

On October 25, 2013, Okafor was traded to the Phoenix Suns. This happened just before the 2013–14 season began. However, he missed the entire season due to a neck injury. He remained unsigned for several seasons after that. On May 30, 2017, Okafor was cleared by doctors to play basketball again.

Delaware 87ers (2017–2018)

Okafor during his time with the Delaware 87ers

On September 25, 2017, Okafor signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. He played in five preseason games but was later waived. In October, he joined the Delaware 87ers in the NBA G League.

Return to New Orleans (2018)

On February 3, 2018, Okafor signed a 10-day contract with the New Orleans Pelicans. Two days later, he played in an NBA game for the first time since 2013. He played nine minutes and scored three points. He signed two more contracts with the Pelicans that season. He filled in for the injured DeMarcus Cousins. Okafor averaged 4.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1 block in 26 regular-season games. He was waived by the Pelicans in September 2018.

Okafor signed with the Philadelphia 76ers again on September 21, 2018. However, he was waived on October 13. His final NBA game was on April 19, 2018, in the playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus (2019–2020)

On November 22, 2019, Okafor joined the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis Phoebus team. This team is in South Korea. He made his debut on December 4, 2019. He scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in that game.

NBA Career Statistics

Here are some of Emeka Okafor's statistics from his time in the NBA.

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal Life and Interests

Emeka's first name, Chukwuemeka, means "God has done well" in the Igbo language. He was featured on the cover of the NCAA March Madness 2005 video game. Okafor also appeared as himself in the TV shows One Tree Hill and Power Book II: Ghost.

Emeka Okafor is a distant cousin of another NBA player, Jahlil Okafor. He has two children with his wife, Ilana Nunn. Ilana's father, Ronnie Nunn, was a famous NBA referee.

See also

In Spanish: Emeka Okafor para niños

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career blocks leaders
• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leaders
• List of NBA single-game blocks leaders
• U.S. men's basketball team at the 2004 Olympics