Josh Akognon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Josh Akognon

Akognon with the Dongguan Leopards in 2011
Personal information
Born	(1986-02-10) February 10, 1986 (age 39) Petaluma, California, U.S.
Nationality	Nigerian / American
High school	Casa Grande (Petaluma, California)
Listed height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Listed weight	185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
College	Washington State (2004–2006) Cal State Fullerton (2007–2009)
NBA Draft	2009 / Undrafted
Pro career	2009–2019
Career history
2009–2010	BC Kalev/Cramo
2010–2012	Dongguan Leopards
2012	Canton Charge
2012–2013	Liaoning Dinosaurs
2013	Dallas Mavericks
2013–2014	Qingdao DoubleStar
2014	Delaware 87ers
2014–2015	Foshan Dralions
2015	Partizan Belgrade
2015–2016	Jilin Northeast Tigers
2016	Dinamo Sassari
2016	Baskonia
2016–2017	Lietuvos rytas
2017	Henan Shedianlaojiu
2018	Iberostar Tenerife
2018–2019	Montakit Fuenlabrada
2019	Goyang Orions
2019	Henan Shedianlaojiu
Career highlights and awards
3x CBA three-point leader (2011, 2013, 2015) Baltic Basketball League leading scorer (2010) Big West Player of the Year (2009)

Joshua Emmanuel Akognon (born February 10, 1986) is a Nigerian-American former professional basketball player. He played as a point guard. Josh played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars and Cal State Fullerton Titans. He is 5 feet 11 inches tall.

Early Life and Starting Basketball

Josh Akognon was born in Petaluma, California. His father is from Nigeria and his mother is American. His dad was a Baptist minister, and his mom was a music minister.

Josh started playing organized basketball in high school. He attended Casa Grande High School in Petaluma. In his final year of high school, he scored an amazing 30 points per game!

College Basketball Journey

Playing for Washington State (2004–2006)

Josh Akognon began his college career with the Washington State Cougars. In his first year, he averaged 3.9 points per game.

During his second year, he started some games but mostly played off the bench. When another player, Derrick Low, got injured, Josh got more playing time. He scored 27 points in a big win against Washington. He even made the game-winning three-pointer! This earned him the "Pac-10 player of the week" award.

Josh continued to play well, scoring 25 points against the UCLA Bruins. He was even called the "Most Underrated Player" in the Pac-10 by Sports Illustrated. He led his team in scoring that year. After this, Josh decided to transfer to Cal State Fullerton.

Time with Cal State Fullerton (2007–2009)

At California State University, Fullerton, Josh really shined. He averaged 20.2 points per game in his first year there. He scored at least 10 points in 28 out of 31 games. He also made many three-pointers, hitting at least four in 18 games. Josh scored 20 points or more in 17 games and even reached 30 points five times! One of these was a 31-point game in the NCAA Tournament.

Even with a hand injury, Josh shot nearly 40% from three-point range. He also made 90% of his free throws. He made 116 three-pointers and 107 free throws that season. This is a rare achievement, matched by only a few players. He also reached 1,000 points in his college career.

His team had a great year, winning the Big West Tournament. They reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years! Josh was named the MVP of the Big West Tournament. He was also named the 2007–2008 Africa Basket Player of the Year.

For his senior year, Josh decided to return to Cal State Fullerton. He was named the Big West Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He averaged 23.9 points per game, which was 8th best in the whole nation. Josh broke the school's single-season scoring record with 764 points. He finished his college career with 1,805 points and 335 three-pointers. He also set a Big West Tournament record with 37 points in one game.

Professional Basketball Career

After college, Josh Akognon began his professional career.

Starting in Estonia and China (2009–2012)

In 2009, Josh signed with the Estonian team BC Kalev/Cramo. The next year, he joined the Dongguan Leopards in China. He quickly became a star in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He averaged over 29 points in his first season. He helped his team almost double their wins from the year before. Josh scored in double figures in every game. He had 18 games with 20+ points and 12 games with 30+ points. He even scored a career-high 54 points in one game!

In 2011, he re-signed with the Leopards. He averaged over 28 points per game, making him the fifth leading scorer in the CBA. He helped his team finish in 5th place.

After the Chinese season, he played briefly for the Canton Charge in the NBA G League.

NBA Debut with Dallas Mavericks (2012–2013)

Josh joined the Sacramento Kings for the 2012 NBA Summer League. Later, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks. He played for a Chinese team, Liaoning, before getting another chance with the Mavericks.

On April 3, 2013, Josh signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks. He finally made his NBA debut on April 10, 2013. He played for about four minutes and scored 2 points. He signed with the Mavericks for the rest of that season. He played in two more games for the Mavericks. His last NBA game was on April 17, 2013.

Playing Overseas (2013–2019)

After his time in the NBA, Josh continued his career overseas. He played for the Qingdao DoubleStar Eagles in China in 2013–14. He then played for the Delaware 87ers in the NBA G League.

He returned to China in 2014, playing for the Foshan Dralions. In 2015, he played for Partizan Belgrade in Serbia. He went back to China in 2015 with the Jilin Northeast Tigers. He also played in Italy for Dinamo Sassari.

In 2016, he played for Baskonia in Spain and Lietuvos rytas in Lithuania. In 2017, he played for Henan Shedianlaojiu in China. In 2018, he joined Iberostar Tenerife in Spain. He also played for Montakit Fuenlabrada and Goyang Orions in South Korea before ending his career in 2019.

Playing for Nigeria

Josh Akognon also played for the Nigeria national basketball team. He was part of the team that competed in the 2006 FIBA World Championship in Japan. He also played in the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was one of the team's top players, averaging 10.6 points per game in the Olympics.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Personal Life

Josh Akognon is married to Ariana Scales. She also played basketball for the Washington State Cougars women's basketball team. They have two children and live in Topeka, Kansas.

See also

In Spanish: Josh Akognon para niños