Onyeka Okongwu facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Onyeka Okongwu

Okongwu with USC in 2020
No. 17 – Atlanta Hawks
Center / power forward
Personal information
Born	(2000-12-11) December 11, 2000 (age 24) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
High school	Chino Hills (Chino Hills, California)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
College	USC (2019–2020)
NBA Draft	2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6th overall
Selected by the Atlanta Hawks
Pro career	2020–present
League	NBA
Career history
2020–present	Atlanta Hawks
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Pac-12 (2020) 2× California Mr. Basketball (2018, 2019)

Onyeka Okongwu (born December 11, 2000) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Atlanta Hawks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the USC Trojans.

Okongwu was a star player at Chino Hills High School in California. He played there for four years. During his first two years, he played alongside the famous Ball brothers: Lonzo, LiAngelo, and LaMelo Ball. As a freshman, he helped his team win a state championship. They also became a top team in the country. He was even named a top freshman player nationally. In his junior and senior years, Okongwu led Chino Hills to two more state titles. He was named California Mr. Basketball twice in a row. Experts like ESPN and Rivals considered him a top player for college. After high school, he played one season for USC. There, he was chosen for the first team All-Pac-12.

Early Life and Basketball Start

Onyeka's older brother, Nnamdi, greatly inspired him to play basketball. Onyeka started playing for a club team called Edge Basketball when he was about 8 years old. At age 11, he joined another team, RC Rebels. He played with them until he went to high school.

While in high school, Okongwu also played for the Compton Magic team. He played alongside Jaylen Hands there.

High School Basketball Career

Okongwu attended Chino Hills High School in Chino Hills, California. He joined the varsity basketball team as a freshman. In his first year, he played with the Ball brothers. This made the team very famous across the country. His team had an amazing 35–0 record. They won the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Open Division state title. Okongwu was named a top freshman player nationally. He shared this award with his teammate, LaMelo Ball. He averaged 7.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks per game.

As a sophomore, Okongwu helped Chino Hills reach the semifinals in two big tournaments. In his junior year, he led his team to win two CIF championships. He averaged 28 points, 14 rebounds, and four blocks per game. For this, he earned the California Mr. Basketball award. He was also named to the USA Today All-USA California first team. As a senior, Okongwu led Chino Hills to another CIF Division I state title. This was their second one in a row. He averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, 4.3 blocks, and four assists per game. He won California Mr. Basketball again. This made him only the fifth player ever to win it twice. He also received USA Today All-USA California first team honors again.

Choosing a College

After his freshman year, Okongwu received offers to play college basketball. UCLA and USC both wanted him. On May 14, 2018, he decided to commit to USC. He chose USC over UCLA and Arizona State. He liked that the school was close to home. He also liked the coaching staff. Okongwu was considered a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. This means he was one of the best high school players in the country.

College Basketball Career

Okongwu quickly became a key player for USC. In his first college game on November 5, 2019, he scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. He also set a school record with eight blocks. USC won the game against Florida A&M 77–48. He was the first USC player since 2006 to get a double-double in his first game. A double-double means getting double-digit numbers in two stats, like points and rebounds.

On November 19, he scored a career-high 33 points against Pepperdine. He made 17 free throws in that game. This performance helped him win the Pac-12 Conference player and freshman of the week awards. On December 1, Okongwu had 27 points, 14 rebounds, and three blocks against Harvard. He scored 28 points and got 12 rebounds in a win over Long Beach State. He was named Pac-12 freshman of the week for a second time.

Okongwu continued to play well in the Pac-12 season. On January 2, 2020, he scored 27 points and had 12 rebounds against Washington State. On January 24, he had 23 points, 14 rebounds, and six blocks in a close loss to Oregon. At the end of the regular season, Okongwu was named to the first team All-Pac-12. He was also on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. He led USC with 16.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game. The Pac-12 tournament and the NCAA tournament were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 25, 2020, Okongwu announced he would enter the 2020 NBA draft. This meant he would not play his last three years of college basketball. Experts thought he was one of the best players in the draft.

Professional Basketball Career

Atlanta Hawks (2020–present)

The Atlanta Hawks picked Okongwu as the sixth overall player in the 2020 NBA draft. On November 24, 2020, the Hawks officially signed him to their team.

On July 21, 2021, the Atlanta Hawks announced that Okongwu had surgery on his right shoulder. He was expected to be out of play for about six months.

On January 13, 2023, Okongwu had a career-high game. He grabbed 20 rebounds and scored 18 points. This helped the Hawks win 113–111 against the Indiana Pacers.

On October 23, 2023, Okongwu signed a new contract with the Hawks. It was a four-year deal worth $62 million.

On January 14, 2025, Okongwu scored 22 points and got 21 rebounds. This helped the Hawks win 122–117 against the Phoenix Suns. He became the first player in Hawks history to get at least 20 points and 20 rebounds while coming off the bench. On January 21, he was moved into the starting lineup. He took the place of Clint Capela.

Career Statistics

Here are Onyeka Okongwu's basketball statistics:

NBA Regular Season

NBA Playoffs

College Statistics

Personal Life

Onyeka Okongwu was born in Los Angeles to parents who came from Nigeria. He and his siblings grew up in Chino Hills. His mother works as a registered nurse. Onyeka's older brother, Nnamdi, was a big reason Onyeka loved basketball. Nnamdi also played basketball for Chino Hills High School.

In 2014, Nnamdi was in a tragic accident and later passed away. Onyeka wears the number 21 in honor of his brother, who wore the same number when he played. In January 2020, Chino Hills High School retired the number 21 to honor Nnamdi. When Onyeka joined the Atlanta Hawks, he changed his number to 17. This was because the Hawks had already retired the number 21 for another great player, Dominique Wilkins. Onyeka chose 17 to honor his brother again, as Nnamdi was 17 years old when he passed away. Onyeka also has a younger brother and a younger sister.

Onyeka's father passed away in 2021.

See also

In Spanish: Onyeka Okongwu para niños