kids encyclopedia robot

Serge Ibaka facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka - 51849059080 (cropped).jpg
Ibaka with the Los Angeles Clippers in 2022
No. 18 – Real Madrid
Center / power forward
Personal information
Born (1989-09-18) 18 September 1989 (age 35)
Brazzaville, PR Congo
Nationality Congolese / Spanish
Listed height 2.10 m (6 ft 10.68 in)
Listed weight 107 kg (236 lb)
Career information
NBA Draft 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Pro career 2006–present
League Liga ACB
EuroLeague
Career history
2006 Inter Club
2007–2008 L'Hospitalet
2008–2009 Manresa
2009–2016 Oklahoma City Thunder
2011 Real Madrid
2016–2017 Orlando Magic
2017–2020 Toronto Raptors
2020–2022 Los Angeles Clippers
2021 →Agua Caliente Clippers
2022–2023 Milwaukee Bucks
2023–2024 Bayern Munich
2024–present Real Madrid
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA champion (2019)
  • 3× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2012–2014)
  • 2× NBA blocks leader (2012, 2013)
  • Bundesliga champion (2024)
  • German Cup winner (2024)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Spain
Olympic Games
Silver 2012 London Team
FIBA European Championship
Gold 2011 Lithuania Team

Serge Jonás Ibaka Ngobila (born 18 September 1989) is a professional basketball player. He plays for Real Madrid in Spain. Serge was picked 24th in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics.

Ibaka is known for his strong defense. He has been chosen for the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times. He also led the league in blocks twice. Blocks are when a player stops an opponent's shot. Even though he was born in the Republic of the Congo, he is also a Spanish citizen. He has played for the Spanish national team. In 2019, Ibaka helped the Toronto Raptors win an NBA championship.

Early Life and Basketball Beginnings

Serge Ibaka was born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. He was one of two children. Both his parents played basketball for their national teams. Serge started playing basketball when he was very young. He used the sport as a way to cope with difficult family times. His first club was Avenir du Rail.

Professional Basketball Career

Starting in Africa and Spain (2006–2009)

After playing for Avenir du Rail, Ibaka joined the junior team of Inter Club. He liked this club because it offered better support, like sneakers and meals. With Inter Club's senior team, he played in Africa's top competition in 2006. He was the best in rebounds and made the All-Star team.

In 2007, at age 17, Ibaka moved to France. He then moved to Spain and learned Spanish. He started playing for CB L'Hospitalet, a second-division team. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. In 2008, NBA scouts noticed him at international events. One scout said he was "athletically off the charts."

The Seattle SuperSonics picked Ibaka 24th in the 2008 NBA draft. He was the first player from the Republic of Congo to be drafted. The team, which became the Oklahoma City Thunder, let him stay in Europe. He signed with Bàsquet Manresa in Spain. He averaged 7.1 points and 4.5 rebounds there.

Time with Oklahoma City Thunder (2009–2016)

Serge Ibaka1
Ibaka in 2011

In 2009, Ibaka joined the Oklahoma City Thunder. He quickly became a starter. He was known for his energy, especially in defense and rebounding. In his first NBA season, he averaged 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. He led all rookies in blocks. In the playoffs, he set a record for the youngest player to have 7 blocks in a playoff game.

In 2011, Ibaka took part in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He performed impressive dunks, but lost to Blake Griffin.

During an NBA player lockout in 2011, Ibaka played for Real Madrid in Spain. He averaged 5.5 points and 2 blocks in Euroleague games.

After the lockout, Ibaka returned to the Thunder. On 19 February 2012, he achieved his first career triple-double. This means he had double-digit numbers in three stats: 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocks. He led the league in blocks that season with 3.7 per game. He finished second for Defensive Player of the Year. The Thunder reached the 2012 NBA Finals but lost to the Miami Heat.

Serge Ibaka Feb 2014
Ibaka in 2014

In August 2012, Ibaka signed a new contract with the Thunder. In the 2012–13 NBA season, his scoring improved to 13.2 points per game. He also led the league in blocks again. He was third in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

In the 2013–14 NBA season, Ibaka had career highs with 15.1 points and 8.8 rebounds per game. He led the league in total blocks for the fourth year in a row. He was also named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the third time.

On 19 February 2015, Ibaka had 21 points and a career-high 22 rebounds against the Dallas Mavericks.

Orlando Magic (2016–2017)

On 23 June 2016, Ibaka was traded to the Orlando Magic. He made his debut on 26 October. On 13 November 2016, he scored a career-high 31 points against his old team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also made the game-winning shot.

Toronto Raptors and NBA Championship (2017–2020)

Serge Ibaka, Markieff Morris (26715101498) (cropped)
Ibaka with the Toronto Raptors in 2018

On 14 February 2017, Ibaka was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He quickly made an impact. In July 2017, he re-signed with the Raptors.

On 4 November 2018, Ibaka scored a new career-high of 34 points against the Los Angeles Lakers. He made his first 14 shots in that game.

In June 2019, Ibaka helped the Raptors win their first ever NBA championship. They defeated the Golden State Warriors in six games. This was Ibaka's first NBA title.

On 5 February 2020, Ibaka made a game-winning three-pointer against the Indiana Pacers. This helped the Raptors set a new team record with 12 wins in a row.

Later NBA Teams (2020–2023)

On 25 November 2020, Ibaka signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. He joined his former Raptors teammate Kawhi Leonard there. In his first game, he scored 15 points.

On 10 February 2022, Ibaka was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He re-signed with the Bucks in July 2022. In February 2023, he was traded to the Indiana Pacers but was waived two days later.

Return to Europe (2023–Present)

On 16 September 2023, Ibaka signed with Bayern Munich in Germany. He left the German club in July 2024.

On 26 July 2024, Ibaka signed a one-year deal to return to Real Madrid in Spain.

Playing for His Country

Serge Ibaka by Augustas Didzgalvis
Ibaka in action for the Spain national basketball team

As a young player, Ibaka played for the Republic of the Congo's youth team. He led in scoring and rebounds at the 2006 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship.

Later, Ibaka wanted to play for the Spain national basketball team. He became a Spanish citizen in 2011. With Spain, he won a gold medal at the Eurobasket 2011 championship. He also won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

More About Serge Ibaka

Ibaka can speak four languages: Lingala, French, English, and Spanish.

Because he experienced tough times growing up, he helps others. His Serge Ibaka Foundation provides meal programs in Toronto.

Ibaka is also known for his great sense of style. In 2019, he was named to Vanity Fair's Best Dressed List. He calls his fashion choices "Art."

Serge Ibaka has a daughter. He did not know about her until she was three years old. They met when she was five. His father kept it a secret so Serge would focus on his basketball career.

His younger brother, Igor, also played college basketball.

In 2017, Ibaka joined the board of directors for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Foundation. This group helps basketball players support their communities worldwide.

Career Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA

† Denotes season in which Ibaka’s team won the NBA title
* Led the league

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2009–10 Oklahoma City 73 0 18.1 .543 .500 .630 5.4 .1 .3 1.3 6.3
2010–11 Oklahoma City 82 44 27.0 .543 .000 .750 7.6 .3 .4 2.4 9.9
2011–12 Oklahoma City 66* 66* 27.2 .535 .333 .661 7.5 .4 .5 3.7* 9.1
2012–13 Oklahoma City 80 80 31.1 .573 .351 .749 7.7 .5 .4 3.0* 13.2
2013–14 Oklahoma City 81 81 32.9 .536 .389 .784 8.8 1.0 .5 2.7 15.1
2014–15 Oklahoma City 64 64 33.1 .476 .376 .836 7.8 .9 .5 2.4 14.3
2015–16 Oklahoma City 78 78 32.1 .479 .326 .752 6.8 .8 .5 1.9 12.6
2016–17 Orlando 56 56 30.5 .488 .388 .846 6.8 1.1 .6 1.6 14.8
Toronto 23 23 31.0 .459 .398 .882 6.8 .7 .3 1.4 15.1
2017–18 Toronto 76 76 27.5 .483 .360 .797 6.3 .8 .4 1.3 12.6
2018–19† Toronto 74 51 27.2 .529 .290 .763 8.1 1.3 .4 1.4 15.0
2019–20 Toronto 55 27 27.0 .512 .385 .718 8.2 1.4 .5 .8 15.4
2020–21 L.A. Clippers 41 39 23.3 .510 .339 .811 6.7 1.8 .2 1.0 11.1
2021–22 L.A. Clippers 35 10 15.4 .490 .387 .690 4.3 1.0 .2 .7 6.6
Milwaukee 19 2 17.8 .519 .351 .800 5.3 .7 .2 .4 7.0
2022–23 Milwaukee 16 2 11.6 .481 .333 .615 2.8 .3 .1 .4 4.1
Career 919 697 27.3 .513 .359 .757 7.1 .8 .4 1.9 12.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010 Oklahoma City 6 0 25.5 .571 - .700 6.5 .3 .3 2.0 7.8
2011 Oklahoma City 17 17 28.8 .462 .000 .825 7.3 .2 .2 3.1 9.8
2012 Oklahoma City 20 20 28.4 .528 .250 .722 5.8 .6 .6 3.0 9.8
2013 Oklahoma City 11 11 33.3 .437 .444 .792 8.4 .7 .0 3.0 12.8
2014 Oklahoma City 15 15 33.7 .622 .333 .750 7.3 .5 .7 2.4 12.1
2016 Oklahoma City 18 18 33.4 .521 .449 .750 6.3 .6 .8 1.3 12.0
2017 Toronto 10 10 30.7 .462 .316 .846 6.5 1.4 .4 1.7 14.3
2018 Toronto 10 9 26.0 .417 .375 .818 5.9 1.1 .1 1.3 8.7
2019† Toronto 24 0 20.8 .477 .237 .762 6.0 .9 .5 1.0 9.4
2020 Toronto 11 0 22.8 .573 .511 1.000 7.7 1.2 .2 1.3 14.8
2021 L.A. Clippers 2 0 9.0 .500 .000 1.000 2.0 1.0 .5 1.5 5.0
2022 Milwaukee 6 0 3.7 .250 .000 .500 1.7 .0 .0 .0 1.5
Career 152 102 27.1 .499 .382 .789 6.3 .7 .4 1.9 10.6

EuroLeague

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2011–12 Real Madrid 6 0 14.9 .571 .000 .818 4.7 .0 .5 2.0 5.5 9.2
2023–24 Bayern Munich 28 26 24.7 .598 .480 .667 6.8 1.2 .5 1.2 12.6 15.8
Career 34 26 23.0 .596 .480 .695 6.4 1.0 .5 1.4 11.4 14.6

Domestic leagues

Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2007–08 Spain L'Hospitalet LEB Oro 28 26.4 .528 .250 .641 8.4 .3 .6 3.1 11.9
2008–09 Spain Manresa ACB 31 16.1 .550 .250 .721 4.5 .2 .3 .3 7.1
2011–12 Spain Real Madrid ACB 6 14.6 .581 .000 1.000 4.0 — .7 2.0 6.7
2021–22 United States A. C. Clippers G League 4 27.5 .431 .316 .700 9.3 2.5 .3 1.3 15.5
2023–24 Germany Bayern Munich BBL 31 21.2 .567 .283 .671 5.7 1.7 .3 1.2 10.5

See also

  • List of National Basketball Association career blocks leaders
  • List of National Basketball Association career playoff blocks leaders
  • List of National Basketball Association players with 10 or more blocks in a game
  • List of European basketball players in the United States
kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Serge Ibaka Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.