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Ademola Okulaja

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Ademola Okulaja
Okulaja with the German national team
Personal information
Born(1975-07-10)10 July 1975
Lagos, Nigeria
Died17 May 2022 (aged 46)
Berlin, Germany
NationalityGerman
Listed height2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Listed weight107 kg (236 lb)
Career information
CollegeNorth Carolina (1995–1999)
NBA draft1999: undrafted
Playing career1999–2009
PositionPower forward
Career history
1999–2000ALBA Berlin
2000–2001Girona
2001–2002FC Barcelona
2002–2003Unicaja Málaga
2003–2004Girona
2004Benetton Treviso
2004–2005Pamesa Valencia
2005–2006RheinEnergie Köln
2006–2007Khimki Moscow
2007Etosa Alicante
2007–2009Brose Baskets
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Representing  Germany
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2002 USA Germany

Ademola Okulaja (10 July 1975 – 17 May[1] 2022) was a German professional basketball player. The last team he played for were the Brose Baskets of the Basketball Bundesliga. After his playing career, he became an agent for NBA player Dennis Schröder.[2][3]

A 2.06 m (6' 9") forward, Okulaja received 172 caps for the German national team,[4] serving as a team captain for many years and winning bronze at the 2002 World Championships. He played college basketball in the United States at North Carolina and flirted briefly with the NBA before moving on to a successful career in Europe.

Early life

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The son of a German mother and a Nigerian father, Okulaja was born in Nigeria but moved to Berlin with his family at the age of three.[5] In 1995, he graduated from John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, before enrolling at the University of North Carolina.

Collegiate career

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Okulaja played college basketball at North Carolina from 1995 to 1999. During the 1997–98 NCAA season, he was a member of new coach Bill Guthridge's successful "six starters" rotation with Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Ed Cota, Shammond Williams and Makhtar N'Diaye. In his senior season, he was named MVP of the Tar Heels basketball team and won a spot on the 1998–99 All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team. Okulaja was the first player in the history of UNC basketball who led the squad in scoring, rebounding, three-pointers made and steals.[6]

Professional career

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Okulaja played professionally for a variety of Euroleague teams, including ALBA Berlin in the 1994–95 season winning the FIBA Korać Cup and again in 1999–00, and later RheinEnergie Köln (2006–07) in Germany; CB Girona (2000–01 and 2003–04), Barcelona (2001–02), Unicaja Malaga (2002–03) and Pamesa Valencia (2004–05) in Spain; and Benetton Treviso in Italy (2004).[7][8] His ALBA Berlin team won the 1999–00 German national (Bundesliga) championship. He won the "Rookie of the Year" award with Girona and was an All-League First Team selection that year.[9] In 2002, he won the award for "Most Spectacular Player" at the Spanish All-Star Game.[10]

Okulaja had three different attempts to join the NBA; his first training camp experience was with the Philadelphia 76ers, then with the San Antonio Spurs and finally the Utah Jazz, but was unable to make an NBA roster.

In 2008, Okulaja was diagnosed with a spinal tumor and had to go into a one-year therapy.[5] After it proved to be successful, he played one more season for the Brose Baskets.

In July 2010, he announced his retirement from professional basketball.[11]

German national team

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Okulaja was also an experienced member of the Germany national team and one of the key figures of the team, alongside Dirk Nowitzki and Patrick Femerling. He played with the team at the European Championships in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001. He competed with the German national team at the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship in the US,[12] winning bronze, and in Japan at the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championship.

Post-playing career

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Okulaja worked as analyst and commentator at Sport1, a German sports channel.[13]

He founded Pro4Pros, a sports consulting company,[14] and then became director of the German office of Octagon, a sports and entertainment company.[15]

Okulaja died on 17 May 2022 in Berlin.[1] He is survived by his life partner Binita Bangura and two children.[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Ademola Okulaja, 46 - Nachruf". Der Spiegel (in German). 20 May 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  2. ^ "Whicker: Dennis Schröder makes Lakers more interesting and volatile". Orange County Register. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  3. ^ GmbH, Perform Media Deutschland (19 May 2015). "Bei Dennis hat es klick gemacht". www.spox.com (in German). Retrieved 10 September 2023.
  4. ^ Mahr, Hans-Joachim. "mahr.sb-vision.de/dbb/html/herren/spieler/spielespieler.aspx?spnr=21". mahr.sb-vision.de. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  5. ^ a b Official Website Bio Archived 1 August 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Carolina Basketball Media Notes". GoHeels.com. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  7. ^ Players Index: Ademola Okulaja Archived 17 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ OKULAJA, ADEMOLA - Welcome to ULEB Cup
  9. ^ "UNCbasketball.com". Archived from the original on 27 June 2001.
  10. ^ http://www.euroleague.net/plantillas/jugador.jsp?id=ASB&temporada=E05 [dead link]
  11. ^ "Ademola Okulaja beendet Karriere - 'Ich werde nicht mehr spielen'". crossover-online.de (in German). 10 July 2010. Archived from the original on 20 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Ademola Okulaja profile, World Championship for Men 2002 | FIBA.COM". FIBA.COM. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  13. ^ Sport1.de. "SPORT1 holt Ademola Okulaja ins Basketball-Team". Sport1.de (in German). Retrieved 12 November 2016.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "pro4pros | Team". pro4pros-sports.de. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  15. ^ themisb. "German Office". www.octagonbe.com. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
  16. ^ "Ex-Alba-Star Ademola Okulaja gestorben - B.Z. – Die Stimme Berlins". bz-berlin.de (in German). 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
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