Melvin Ejim facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Melvin Ejim

Ejim playing for Canada in 2023
Força Lleida
Small forward / power forward
Personal information
Born	(1991-03-04) March 4, 1991 (age 34) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nationality	Canadian / Nigerian
High school	St. Mary's Ryken (Leonardtown, Maryland) Brewster Academy (Wolfeboro, New Hampshire)
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College	Iowa State (2010–2014)
NBA Draft	2014 / Undrafted
Pro career	2014–present
League	Liga ACB
Career history
2014–2015	Virtus Roma
2015–2016	Erie BayHawks
2016–2017	Reyer Venezia
2017–2019	UNICS
2019–2020	Unicaja
2020–2021	Budućnost
2021–2022	Cedevita Olimpija
2022–2025	Unicaja
2025–present	Força Lleida
Career highlights and awards
FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion (2024) 2× FIBA Champions League champion (2024, 2025) All-FIBA Champions League First Team (2017) Italian League champion (2017) Italian League Finals MVP (2017) 2× Copa del Rey winner (2023, 2025) Spanish Supercup winner (2024) Slovenian League champion (2022) Slovenian Cup winner (2022) Montenegrin League champion (2021) Montenegrin Cup winner (2021) Second-team All-American – AP, USBWA (2014) Big 12 Player of the Year (2014) First-team All-Big 12 (2014) Third-team All-Big 12 (2013) First-team Academic All-American (2014)
Medals Men's basketball Representing  Canada FIBA World Cup Bronze 2023 Philippines–Japan–Indonesia FIBA AmeriCup Bronze 2015 Mexico City Pan American Games Silver 2015 Toronto Team

Melvin Obinna Ejim (born March 4, 1991) is a professional basketball player. He is from both Nigeria and Canada. Melvin plays for Força Lleida in Spain's top basketball league, the Liga ACB. Before becoming a pro, he played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones. He has also played in Italy, Russia, and the NBA G League.

Melvin Ejim's Early Life

Melvin Ejim was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His parents are from Nigeria. He started playing basketball when he was in seventh grade. After his first year of high school in Canada, Melvin played for a team in the Amateur Athletic Union. This helped him get noticed by high school coaches in the United States.

High School Basketball Journey

Melvin Ejim went to St. Mary's Ryken High School in Leonardtown, Maryland. In 2007, he made the Provincial team there. Later, he moved to Brewster Academy in New Hampshire.

Success at Brewster Academy

During the 2008–09 season, Melvin averaged 12.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game for Brewster. In his final year (2009–10), he averaged 13.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.5 assists. He helped Brewster win the National Prep School championship with a great record of 34 wins and 4 losses.

College Career at Iowa State

Melvin Ejim played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones. He was a very important player for his team.

Melvin Ejim (with the ball) playing in January 2011

Freshman Year Highlights

In his first year (freshman campaign), Melvin started 30 out of 32 games. He averaged 10.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He was one of only 13 Iowa State freshmen to score double figures. His 214 rebounds were the third-best for a rookie in school history.

Continued Growth and Awards

Melvin continued to improve in his second year (2011–12). He averaged 9.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. He was recognized with the Big 12 Honorable Mention award. He also earned a spot on the first team Academic All-Big 12.

In his third year (2012–13), Melvin became one of the best forwards in the Big 12 conference. He was named to the All-Big 12 third team. He also won the first-ever Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. Melvin was the first Iowa State player since 2004 to lead the Big 12 in rebounding, with 9.3 rebounds per game.

Senior Year and Record-Breaking Performance

Melvin's senior year (2013–14) was one of the best in Iowa State history. He was named Big 12 Player of the Year. He also received All-America honors from five different groups. He became only the fourth player in the league to get over 1,500 points and 1,000 rebounds in his college career.

Melvin finished his college career with the most wins (88) of any Iowa State men's basketball player. He also set a school record for most games played (135) and games started (126).

On February 8, 2014, Melvin scored an amazing 48 points against the TCU Horned Frogs. This was a new Big 12 record!

Professional Basketball Career

After college, Melvin Ejim was not chosen in the 2014 NBA draft. However, he still started his professional career.

Early Professional Years

Melvin played for the San Antonio Spurs in the 2014 Las Vegas Summer League. Then, he moved to Italy for the 2014–15 season, joining Virtus Roma. He averaged 7.7 points and 6.3 rebounds in league games.

In 2015, he played for the Orlando Magic in the NBA Summer League. After that, he joined the Erie BayHawks in the NBA G League. He averaged 14.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 39 games. Later, he signed with another Italian team, Reyer Venezia Mestre.

Success in Italy and Russia

Melvin re-signed with Reyer Venezia Mestre for the 2016–17 season. In June 2017, he helped his team win the Italian League championship. He was even named the Finals Most Valuable Player! He averaged 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds in league games.

On July 12, 2017, Melvin signed with the Russian club UNICS. He played there for two seasons, averaging good numbers in both the VTB United League and the EuroCup.

Playing in Spain and Montenegro

In July 2019, Melvin signed with the Spanish club Unicaja. He played 17 league games during the 2019–20 season.

On June 27, 2020, he joined the Montenegrin club KK Budućnost. Then, on July 11, 2021, he signed with the Slovenian club KK Cedevita Olimpija.

Return to Spain and Recent Career

On July 23, 2022, Melvin Ejim returned to Unicaja in Spain's Liga ACB. He signed an extension to his contract in April 2023. With Unicaja in the 2024–25 season, he averaged 5.1 points in 32 games.

As of July 11, 2025, Melvin signed a two-year deal with Força Lleida, another Spanish team.

Playing for National Teams

Melvin Ejim has played for both the Nigerian and Canadian national basketball teams.

Representing Canada

In July 2013, he played for the Canadian national team at the World University Games. He also played in the Pan American Games in 2015, where Canada won a silver medal. He also competed in the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship.

Melvin made a three-year commitment to play with the Canadian senior men's national team on May 24, 2022. He was part of Canada's team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Melvin's Family Life

Melvin Ejim is the son of Elizabeth Omoghan. Basketball runs in his family! His brothers Ryan, Kenny, and Deon, along with his sister Yvonne, have all played basketball professionally. Melvin was also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi academic honors society, showing he is great at both sports and school.

See also

In Spanish: Melvin Ejim para niños