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Serge Ibaka
Serge Ibaka 18 Real Madrid Baloncesto Euroleague 20250206 (3).jpg
Ibaka with Real Madrid in 2025
Free agent
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
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
2024–2025 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)
  • Liga ACB champion (2025)
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Spain
Olympic Games
Silver 2012 London Team
FIBA European Championship
Gold 2011 Lithuania Team
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Ibaka and the second or maternal family name is Ngobila.

Serge Ibaka is a professional basketball player from the Republic of the Congo and Spain. He played for Real Madrid Baloncesto in Spain. Serge was chosen by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2008 NBA draft. He is known for his strong defense, being named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team three times. He also led the league in blocks twice. In 2019, Serge won an NBA championship with the Toronto Raptors. He also plays for the Spain national basketball team.

Early Life and Basketball Beginnings

Serge Ibaka was born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, on September 18, 1989. He is one of 18 children in his family. Both his father and mother were basketball players for their national teams. Serge started playing basketball at a very young age. The sport helped him cope with difficult times, including the loss of his mother.

Serge Ibaka's Professional Basketball Journey

Starting in Africa and Spain (2006–2009)

Serge first played for a team called Avenir du Rail. Later, he joined the junior team of Inter Club. He liked Inter Club because they provided good support, like sneakers and meals. In 2006, he played in a big African competition, leading in rebounds.

In 2007, at age 17, Serge moved to France. Soon after, he moved to Spain and learned Spanish. He played for a Spanish team called CB L'Hospitalet. He averaged good points and rebounds there. In 2008, NBA scouts noticed his amazing athletic skills.

The Seattle SuperSonics picked Serge as the 24th player 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, decided he should play in Spain first. He signed with Bàsquet Manresa in Spain.

NBA Career with Oklahoma City Thunder (2009–2016)

Serge Ibaka1
Serge Ibaka playing in 2011

In 2009, Serge joined the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even though he was new to the NBA, he quickly became a starter. He was known for his energy, especially in defense and rebounding. In his first 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 by blocking seven shots in one game. He was the youngest player to do so.

In 2011, Serge took part in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He performed impressive dunks, including one where he grabbed a stuffed animal from the rim with his mouth.

During a break in the NBA season in 2011, Serge played for Real Madrid Baloncesto in Spain. He returned to the Thunder after the break. In 2012, he achieved his first "triple-double" with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 blocks. He led the league in blocks that season. The Thunder reached the 2012 NBA Finals but lost to the Miami Heat.

Ibaka Asik 2013 playoffs
Serge Ibaka and Ömer Aşık at a playoff game in 2013

Serge continued to improve his game. In the 2012–13 season, his scoring increased, and he led the league in blocks again. He was recognized as one of the best defensive players. In the 2013–14 season, he reached career highs in points and rebounds. He also led the league in total blocks for the fourth year in a row. He was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team for the third time.

Playing for Orlando and Toronto (2016–2020)

In 2016, Serge was traded to the Orlando Magic. He had a great debut for the team. On November 13, he scored a career-high 31 points against his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Serge Ibaka, Markieff Morris (26715101498) (cropped)
Serge Ibaka in 2018

In 2017, Serge was traded to the Toronto Raptors. He quickly became an important player for them. In 2018, he had an amazing game where he made his first 14 shots, scoring a career-high 34 points. He was the first player since Shaquille O'Neal to start a game with 14 successful shots in a row.

In June 2019, Serge helped the Raptors win their first-ever NBA championship by defeating the Golden State Warriors. This was Serge's first NBA title. In 2020, he made a game-winning three-pointer that helped the Raptors win 12 games in a row, a team record.

Later NBA Teams and Return to Europe (2020–2025)

Serge Ibaka - 51849059080 (cropped)
Serge Ibaka in 2022

In 2020, Serge signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he reunited with his former Raptors teammate, Kawhi Leonard. He played well for the Clippers, showing his scoring and rebounding skills.

In 2022, Serge was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He played for them until early 2023.

In September 2023, Serge signed with Bayern Munich in Germany. He played there for one season. In July 2024, Serge returned to Real Madrid Baloncesto in Spain, where he played for another year.

Playing for His Country

Serge Ibaka by Augustas Didzgalvis
Serge Ibaka playing for the Spain national basketball team

When he was younger, Serge played for the Republic of the Congo's youth team. He was a top scorer and rebounder at the 2006 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship.

Later, Serge wanted to play for the Spain national basketball team. After living in Spain for four years, he became a Spanish citizen in 2011. He helped Spain win a gold medal at the Eurobasket 2011 championship. He also won a silver medal with Spain at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Serge Ibaka's Life Off the Court

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

He is also known as "Mafuzzy Chef" and has a YouTube series called Serge Ibaka's How Hungry Are You? On his show, he serves interesting and sometimes unusual foods to his teammates. Because he experienced hunger as a child, Serge has helped create meal programs in Toronto through his Serge Ibaka Foundation.

Serge is also known for his great sense of style. In 2019, Vanity Fair magazine included him on their Best Dressed List. He sees his fashion choices as a form of "Art."

Serge has a daughter. He did not know about her until she was three years old. They met for the first time when she was five. His younger brother, Igor, also played college basketball.

In 2017, Serge was chosen to join the board of directors for the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) Foundation. This group helps fund community projects by basketball players around the world.

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

More About Serge Ibaka

  • List of NBA career blocks leaders
  • List of NBA career playoff blocks leaders
  • List of NBA annual blocks leaders
  • List of NBA single-game blocks leaders
  • List of European basketball players in the United States

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Serge Ibaka para niños

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