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Chuma Okeke

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Chuma Okeke
Okeke with Auburn in 2019
No. 7 – Westchester Knicks
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA G League
Personal information
Born (1998-08-18) August 18, 1998 (age 26)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight229 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolWestlake (Atlanta, Georgia)
CollegeAuburn (2017–2019)
NBA draft2019: 1st round, 16th overall pick
Selected by the Orlando Magic
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2024Orlando Magic
2023→Lakeland Magic
2024–presentWestchester Knicks
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Chukwuma Julian "Chuma" Okeke (/ˈtʃuːmə oʊˈkeɪkeɪ/ CHOO-mə oh-KAY-kay;[1] born August 18, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Westchester Knicks of the NBA G League. Okeke played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers before being drafted 16th overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic.

High school career

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Okeke attended Westlake High School in Atlanta. As a junior, he won the Georgia Class 6A state championship, scoring 13 points in a 68–58 win over Pebblebrook High School.[2] Okeke was named Mr. Georgia Basketball after his senior season, after he averaged 24.4 points, 15 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game.[3] He was a consensus four-star recruit and was ranked among the top 50 players in his class by some scouting services.[4]

College career

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Okeke played with the Tigers of Auburn University.[5]

In his freshman season, Okeke averaged 7.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He grabbed 197 rebounds in the season, the most by an Auburn freshman since Jeff Moore in 1984–85.[4]

As a sophomore, Okeke averaged 12 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while starting in all 38 games.[6] On March 29, 2019, in a Sweet 16 win over top-seeded North Carolina at the 2019 NCAA tournament, he tore his ACL and was injured for the rest of the tournament. Despite his absence, Auburn advanced to its first Final Four appearance in program history.[7]

Professional career

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Orlando Magic (2020–2024)

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On June 20, 2019, Okeke was selected with the 16th overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2019 NBA draft. Okeke was considered to be a lottery pick in the draft, but after suffering an ACL injury in the 2019 NCAA tournament, he fell to the 16th selection by the Magic, and was referred to by ESPN analyst Mike Schmitz as the "steal of the draft."[8]

During his rehab, Okeke signed a one-year G League contract with the Magic's affiliate in Lakeland with the intent of starting his rookie-scale contract in 2020. At the time, the Magic faced a salary cap crunch that prevented them from adding Okeke's rookie salary to their books.[9] He reported to Lakeland's training camp as a draft rights player on October 28, 2019.[10] However, Okeke never played a game with Lakeland.

On November 16, 2020, the Orlando Magic signed Okeke.[11] In a preseason game against the Atlanta Hawks, Okeke recorded 9 points with 2 three-pointers. On March 26, 2021, he scored a career-high 22 points on 60 percent shooting from the field in a 105–112 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. Okeke averaged over 12 points after the trade deadline before suffering a season-ending minor ankle injury against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On February 25, 2022, he scored a career-high 26 points in a 119–111 win over the Houston Rockets, surpassing his previous career-high mark set during the 2020–21 season.

Westchester Knicks (2024–present)

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On August 1, 2024, Okeke signed with the New York Knicks,[12] but was waived on September 28.[13] On October 2, he re-signed with the Knicks,[14] but was waived again on October 19.[15] On October 28, he joined the Westchester Knicks.[16]

Career statistics

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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  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Regular season

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Orlando 45 19 25.2 .417 .348 .750 4.0 2.2 1.1 .5 7.8
2021–22 Orlando 70 20 25.0 .376 .318 .846 5.0 1.7 1.4 .6 8.6
2022–23 Orlando 27 8 19.2 .352 .302 .762 3.6 1.4 .7 .4 4.7
2023–24 Orlando 47 8 9.2 .357 .280 .571 1.7 .4 .2 .1 2.3
Career 189 55 20.3 .383 .318 .789 3.7 1.5 .9 .4 6.3

Playoffs

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2024 Orlando 2 0 4.9 .667 .500 1.000 .0 .5 .0 .0 3.0
Career 2 0 4.9 .667 .500 1.000 .0 .5 .0 .0 3.0

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Auburn 34 0 21.6 .458 .391 .673 5.8 1.1 .7 .7 7.5
2018–19 Auburn 38 38 29.1 .496 .387 .722 6.8 1.9 1.8 1.2 12.0
Career 72 38 25.5 .481 .389 .703 6.3 1.5 1.3 1.0 9.9

Personal life

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Okeke's father, Chuka Okeke, is from Nigeria.[17]

References

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  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Purdum, David (March 5, 2016). "Class AAAAAA boys: Westlake 68, Pebblebrook 58". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  3. ^ Sinor, Wesley (March 24, 2017). "Auburn signee Chuma Okeke is Georgia's Mr. Basketball". AL.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Chuma Okeke". Auburn University Athletics. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  5. ^ Ostendorf, Greg (February 7, 2018). "Getting to know Chuma Okeke". Auburn University Athletics. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  6. ^ "Chuma Okeke Player Profile". RealGM.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  7. ^ Teicher, Adam (March 31, 2019). "How Auburn survived without (and because of) Chuma Okeke". ESPN. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  8. ^ Rossman-Reich, Philip (June 22, 2019). "While Orlando Magic fans complained, experts loved Chuma Okeke". Orlando Magic Daily. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  9. ^ Charania, Shams and Robbins, Josh (September 24, 2019). "Magic first-round pick Chuma Okeke will sign his NBA rookie scale contract during the 2020 offseason". TheAthletic.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  10. ^ "2019 NBA G League Training Camp Rosters". NBA.com. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  11. ^ Savage, Dan (November 16, 2020). "Orlando Magic Sign Rookie Chuma Okeke". NBA.com. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  12. ^ "New York Knicks Sign Chuma Okeke to an Exhibit 10 Contract". NBA.com. August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2024.
  13. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (September 28, 2024). "Knicks waive Marcus Morris Sr. and Chuma Okeke" (Tweet). Retrieved September 28, 2024 – via Twitter.
  14. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (October 2, 2024). ".@nyknicks Sign Chuma Okeke to Exhibit 10 Contract" (Tweet). Retrieved October 3, 2024 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ NY_KnicksPR [@NY_KnicksPR] (October 19, 2024). "Knicks waive Chuma Okeke, Landry Shamet and T.J. Warren" (Tweet). Retrieved October 22, 2024 – via Twitter.
  16. ^ "Westchester Knicks Announce 2024-25 NBA G League Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 28, 2024. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
  17. ^ "Chuma Okeke". USAB.com. USA Basketball. Archived from the original on May 16, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
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