Precious Ezinna Achiuwa (born September 19, 1999) is a Nigerian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player who last played for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). He attended high school in the United States, where he was a consensus five-star recruit and named a

McDonald's All-American McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American multinational fast food chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese chain Mixue Ice Cream & Tea. Brothers ...

. Achiuwa played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

Memphis Tigers The Memphis Tigers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Memphis, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The teams compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the American Athletic C ...

, earning conference player of the year honors as a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or colloquially frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational in ...

in the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...

(AAC) in 2020. He was selected by the

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

in the first round of the

2020 NBA draft The 2020 NBA draft was held on November 18, 2020. The draft was originally scheduled to be held at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was instead conducted at ESPN's facilities in Bristol, Connecticut, wi ...

with the 20th overall pick. After his rookie year ended in Miami, he was traded to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

during the 2021 offseason before being traded to the Knicks in 2023.

Early life

Achiuwa was born in

Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

, Nigeria, to Nigerian parents of Igbo descent and grew up mainly playing

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

. He started focusing on

while in eighth grade, when he moved to the United States. Achiuwa and his family settled in

Queens, New York Queens is the largest by area of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located near the western end of Long Island, it is bordered by the ...

. As a high school freshman, Achiuwa played basketball for Our Saviour Lutheran School in

The Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County to its north; to its south and west, the New York City bo ...

. For his next two years, he attended

St. Benedict's Preparatory School St. Benedict's Preparatory School is a Catholic college preparatory school in Newark, New Jersey run by the Benedictine monks of Newark Abbey. The school serves boys and girls in kindergarten through twelfth grade on a urban campus. The scho ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

. The school had a nationally ranked basketball program and he was teammates with several

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

recruits. In his junior season, Achiuwa averaged 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.9 blocks, and 2.2 steals per game, leading his team to a 28–2 record. He was named to the

MaxPreps MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. The site is currently owned by PlayOn. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports, including boys, girls, and co-ed sports. ...

Junior All-American second team. Entering his senior year, Achiuwa transferred to

Montverde Academy Montverde Academy is a private college preparatory school in Montverde, Florida, United States, located in the Greater Orlando area. The school is widely known for its athletic programs, particularly soccer and basketball. History The school ...

, a prep school in

Montverde, Florida Montverde is a town in Lake County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,655 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Montverde was the location of a Native Ame ...

with a successful basketball program that held the No. 1 national ranking in the previous season. He led Montverde with 14 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and helped his team reach the semifinals at GEICO High School Nationals. Achiuwa earned MaxPreps All-American fifth team, ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' All-USA third team, and ''USA Today'' All-USA Florida first team honors. On March 27, 2019, he played for the East team in the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

, leading all scorers with 22 points. On April 12, Achiuwa joined the World team at the

Nike Hoop Summit The Nike Hoop Summit is an international basketball all-star game sponsored by Nike, Inc., Nike, held once a year, which features the USA Basketball Men's Junior Select Team against a World Select Team of international players. The players demons ...

. On May 17, 2019, Achiuwa committed to play

for Memphis under head coach

Penny Hardaway Anfernee Deon "Penny" Hardaway (born July 18, 1971) is an American college basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach of the Memphis Tigers men's team in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). Hardaway played colle ...

. He joined his former

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) teammate, Lester Quinones, and the number one player in the 2019 class, James Wiseman.

College career

In his debut for Memphis, Achiuwa had 14 points and eight rebounds as the Tigers defeated South Carolina State 97–64. Achiuwa scored a season-high 25 points in an 87–86 win over

Ole Miss OLE, Ole or Olé may refer to: * Olé, a cheering expression used in Spain * Ole (name), a male given name, includes a list of people named Ole * Overhead lines equipment, used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains Co ...

on November 23. As a result, he was named

player of the week on November 25. He earned conference freshman of the week honors on December 23 after recording 20 points and nine rebounds in a 77–49 victory over Jackson State. At the conclusion of the regular season, Achiuwa was named AAC Player and Freshman of the Year. He averaged 15.8 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game as a freshman. He declared for the

after his freshman season.

Professional career

Miami Heat (2020–2021)

Achiuwa was selected with the 20th pick in the

by the

. On November 25, 2020, Achiuwa signed his rookie scale contract with the Heat.

Toronto Raptors (2021–2023)

On August 6, 2021, the

acquired Achiuwa and

Goran Dragić Goran Dragić (born 6 May 1986) is a Slovenian former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "the Dragon", he played professional basketball in Slovenia and Spain before entering the NBA in 2008. Dragić also played for the Phoenix Suns, Miam ...

from the Heat via a

sign-and-trade deal In the National Basketball Association (NBA), a sign-and-trade deal is a type of transaction allowed by the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) where one franchise/team signs an unrestricted free agent or restricted free agent player to a new c ...

in exchange for

Kyle Lowry Kyle Terrell Lowry (born March 25, 1986) is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A six-time All-Star, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team in 2016 and won an NBA c ...

. On October 20, on his season debut with the Raptors, Achiuwa had eight points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal in 39 minutes of play in a 96–83 loss to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

. On November 24, Achiuwa made a career-high three 3-pointers while having 17 points, four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a 126–113 win against the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

New York Knicks (2023–2025)

On December 30, 2023, Achiuwa was traded alongside OG Anunoby and Malachi Flynn to the

in exchange for

RJ Barrett Rowan Alexander "RJ" Barrett Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks af ...

, Immanuel Quickley, and a second-round draft pick On July 30, 2024, Achiuwa re-signed with the Knicks on a one-year, $6 million deal. On October 20, the Knicks announced that Achiuwa suffered a strained left hamstring, missing the beginning of the season for 2 to 4 weeks.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

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Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 73 , , 28 , , 23.6 , , .439 , , .359 , , .595 , , 6.5 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .6 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 12 , , 20.7 , , .485 , , .269 , , .702 , , 6.0 , , .9 , , .6 , , .5 , , 9.2 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 25 , , 0 , , 17.5 , , .459 , , .277 , , .571 , , 5.4 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .5 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 49 , , 18 , , 24.2 , , .525 , , .260 , , .643 , , 7.2 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 10 , , 20.5 , , .502 , , .278 , , .594 , , 5.6 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , .7 , , 6.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 320 , , 72 , , 20.0 , , .484 , , .304 , , .606 , , 5.7 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , .7 , , 7.6

Playoffs

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2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

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, 3 , , 0 , , 4.1 , , .750 , , , , .250 , , 2.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .7 , , 2.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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, 6 , , 1 , , 27.8 , , .481 , , .313 , , .600 , , 4.8 , , 1.0 , , .2 , , .8 , , 10.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

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, 9 , , 2 , , 20.5 , , .488 , , .000 , , .385 , , 4.2 , , .6 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 5.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 0 , , 4.3 , , .429 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.1 , , .0 , , .1 , , .0 , , 1.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 26 , , 3 , , 15.3 , , .487 , , .250 , , .452 , , 3.2 , , .4 , , .2 , , .7 , , 5.0

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2019–20 , style="text-align:left;", Memphis , 31 , , 31 , , 30.4 , , .493 , , .325 , , .599 , , 10.8 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 1.9 , , 15.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 31 , , 31 , , 30.4 , , .493 , , .325 , , .599 , , 10.8 , , 1.0 , , 1.1 , , 1.9 , , 15.8

Personal life

Precious Achiuwa's older brother, God'sgift Achiuwa, played college basketball for St. John's from 2011 to 2014. His mother, Eunice, and father, Donatus, are both

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

ministers. In addition to God'sgift, he has two other brothers, God'swill and Promise, and two sisters, Grace and Peace.

References

External links

Memphis Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Achiuwa, Precious 1999 births Living people Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics McDonald's High School All-Americans Memphis Tigers men's basketball players Miami Heat draft picks Miami Heat players Montverde Academy alumni NBA players from Nigeria New York Knicks players Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Canada Nigerian expatriate basketball people in the United States Nigerian men's basketball players Olympic basketball players for Nigeria Power forwards Sportspeople from Port Harcourt St. Benedict's Preparatory School alumni Toronto Raptors players 21st-century Nigerian sportsmen