Michael Olowokandi (born 3 April 1975) is a Nigerian former 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 (appr ...

player. Born in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...

, Nigeria, and raised in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, he played collegiately for the

Pacific Tigers The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, in intercollegiate athletics. The Tigers compete in NCAA Division I, and are currently in their second stint as members of the West Coast Conference (WCC). Con ...

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses. The city is named after R ...

. Nicknamed "The Kandi Man," Olowokandi was selected as the first overall pick of the

1998 NBA draft The 1998 NBA draft took place on June 24, 1998, at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around four struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, the Boston Celtics, and the To ...

by the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

. He played professionally until 2007, when he was forced to retire due to severe

hernia A hernia is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. Various types of hernias can occur, most commonly involving the abdomen, and specifically the groin. Groin her ...

and knee injuries.

Early years

Olowokandi was born in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

, as the oldest of five children. His father, Ezekiel, was a Nigerian diplomat. When Olowokandi was aged 3, his family moved to

where he was raised. Olowokandi has Nigerian citizenship and did not hold a British passport as of 2004. Olowokandi attended the Newlands Manor School in

Seaford, East Sussex Seaford is a town in East Sussex, England, east of Newhaven and west of Eastbourne.OS Explorer map Eastbourne and Beachy Head Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. In the Middle Ages, Sea ...

, where he set British age group records in long jump and triple jump and also played center midfield in football. Olowokandi had a height of at age 16, growing six inches in two years. He first touched a basketball at the age of 17, and began playing basketball when he was 18. Olowokandi then entered

Brunel University Brunel University London is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It was founded in 1966 and named after the Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution, Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In Jun ...

as a mechanical engineering major, where he was an athlete in track and field,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...

, and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

. He had a tryout with the

Thames Valley Tigers Thames Valley Tigers was a British professional basketball team that competed in the British Basketball League (BBL) until 2005, when funding was ceased and the franchise folded. Based in Bracknell, Berkshire, the team's fans set up a new team to ...

of the Budweiser Basketball League but did not receive a contract.

College career

On 3 April 1995, on Olowokandi's 20th birthday, he opened the ''Peterson's Guide to American Colleges and Universities'' to a random page and landed on the University of the Pacific (UOP). Olowokandi called the UOP basketball office in hopes that he would be accepted to play basketball for the

. UOP assistant coach Tony Marcopulos answered the phone call and was stunned when informed of Olowokandi's height of . After being informed that there were no more available basketball scholarships at UOP, Olowokandi offered to pay for his schooling (about $23,000 annually) for two years. He also called

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private research university in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll in 1789 as Georgetown College, the university has grown to comprise eleven undergraduate and graduate ...

and

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jam ...

but was informed they would not offer scholarships without sending a scout to see him. Olowokandi and Marcupulos spent hundreds of phone calls arranging credit transferal and

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

(NCAA) eligibility, which was determined that Olowokandi had three seasons of college remaining. When Olowokandi arrived in the United States in August 1995, he had not played a game of organized basketball or met the UOP coaches; Pacific head coach

Bob Thomason Robert Lesley "Bob" Thomason, Jr. (born March 26, 1949) is a retired American college basketball coach. He coached the University of the Pacific Tigers men's basketball team for 25 seasons from 1988 to 2013. In 25 years at Pacific, Thomason has ...

joked, "I had told him on the phone that if he wasn't 7 foot I was going to put him right back on the plane." Arriving as a sophomore in eligibility, Olowokandi had no understanding of basketball terminology and was in poor physical condition. He frequently committed backcourt and traveling violations in his early games but persisted with his progression and committed to extended practice sessions. Olowokandi became a star for the team during his junior season, averaging a team high 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks. Olowokandi led his team to the 1997 NCAA Tournament and as a senior he led the

Tigers The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...

to the

1998 National Invitation Tournament The 1998 National Invitation Tournament was the 1997 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. Minnesota's tournament victory was vacated as a result of numerous NCAA violations, including academic fraud, that took place under ...

. He averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game his senior year and was the 1997–98

Big West Conference The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacifi ...

Player of the Year. Olowokandi was named as a 1998 Honorable Mention All-American by the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

. He graduated from Pacific with a degree in Economics and had his No. 55 jersey retired by the university in 1998.

Professional career

Los Angeles Clippers (1998–2003)

Olowokandi was considered to be a top two pick in the

due to his wingspan and "unlimited upside". He performed well at the NBA annual pre-draft events with his quickness, speed and strength. Olowokandi set records during his workouts in the Denver and Vancouver pre-draft camps, including a record for medicine ball dunks in Denver and running the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds. Fellow NBA player

Andrew Lang Andrew Lang (31 March 1844 – 20 July 1912) was a Scottish poet, novelist, literary critic, and contributor to the field of anthropology. He is best known as a collector of folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectures at the University o ...

said Olowokandi had some of the quickest feet he had ever seen while the two performed together at the camps. Olowokandi was drafted with the first overall pick by the

. The Clippers had initially planned to draft eventual second pick

Mike Bibby Michael Bibby (born May 13, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He played professionally for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the head coach for Hillcrest Prep Academy in Phoenix, ...

but

Elgin Baylor Elgin Gay Baylor ( ; September 16, 1934 – March 22, 2021) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive. He played 14 seasons as a forward in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lak ...

cited Olowokandi's work habits and off-season improvements as the swaying factors. The start of the

1998–99 NBA season The 1998–99 NBA season was the 53rd season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Due to a lockout, the season did not start until February 5, 1999, after a new six-year Collective Bargaining Agreement was reached between the NBA and the ...

was hampered due to a lockout and the Clippers were not allowed to contact Olowokandi. His agent, Bill Duffy, put Olowokandi in contact with

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Kareem (alternatively spelled Karim or Kerim) ( ar, کریم) is a common given name and surname of Arabic origin that means "generous", "noble", "honorable". It is also one of the Names of God in Islam in the Quran. Given name Karim * Karim A ...

, who trained together extensively during the 1998 offseason. Olokowandi signed with Italian team Kinder Bologna on 5 January 1999 – only two days before the lockout was resolved. In 3 regular season

Italian League The Italic League or Most Holy League was an international agreement concluded in Venice on 30 August 1454, between the Papal States, the Republic of Venice, the Duchy of Milan, the Republic of Florence, and the Kingdom of Naples, following the T ...

games played with Bologna, he averaged 4.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 17.3 minutes per game. He also played for 3 games in the FIBA EuroLeague, where he averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 21.3 minutes per game. Bologna granted Olowokandi an early release to sign with the Clippers as he did not have a considerable impact and was poorly conditioned. Olowokandi claimed that he felt misused by the team and did not have his offensive abilities utilised. Olowokandi signed with the Clippers on 29 January 1999. During his rookie season, he averaged 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds in 45 games played for the Clippers. Olowokandi underwent surgery on his left knee on 11 May 1999, in what would be the first of multiple knee surgeries. In the 2001–02 season, Olowokandi saw the most playing time of his career and averaged 11.1 points and 8.8 rebounds. After Abdul-Jabbar's stint, Olowokandi received tutelage from Clippers assistant coach

Igor Kokoskov Igor may refer to: People * Igor (given name), an East Slavic given name and a list of people with the name * Mighty Igor (1931–2002), former American professional wrestler * Igor Volkoff, a professional wrestler from NWA All-Star Wrestlin ...

who worked together on footwork and shot selection. Olowokandi received additional playing time after center Elton Brand was sidelined by a bruised left hip, and Olowokandi became "the Clippers’ go-to guy". He averaged 17 points a game and 11 rebounds during the last 20 games of the season and was considered one of the biggest

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...

s in the 2002–03 free agency class. On 5 April 2002, Olowokandi was fined $50,000 by the Clippers for "behavior detrimental to the team" after he criticized teammates for a loss against the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

. Olowokandi was coveted by the

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

to replace the retiring

David Robinson David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the San Antonio Spurs in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1989 to 2003, and minority owner of the Spurs. Nicknamed ...

. He was also a top choice for the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

, with Kiki VanDeWeghe of the

considering Olowokandi to be a "legitimate

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

." However, Olowokandi resigned with the Clippers to their qualifying offer on 24 September 2002, following weeks of uncertainty in contract negotiations. Olowokandi injured his left knee during his extensive training during the offseason and missed most of the preseason. The team's apprehension in offering him a longterm contract extension caused conflict between the Clippers and Olowokandi, who by December 2002 had decided he would not again resign with the team. He also considered himself as having a limited role in coach Alvin Gentry's offense despite having a breakthrough season that saw improvements in his aggressiveness and consistency. Olowokandi's left knee injury flared up in January 2003 and he was placed on the injured list. He underwent knee surgery on 3 February 2003, and was ruled out for three to four weeks. Olowokandi was ultimately ruled out for the rest of the season by the Clippers in April. Olowokandi averaged 9.9 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in his 323 games played with the Clippers over five seasons. Abdul-Jabbar, who became an assistant coach for the Clippers during Olowokandi's tenure, considered Olowokandi "talented but uncoachable" and cited his lack of willingness to accept criticism in practice as being detrimental to his career.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2003–2006)

Due to financial issues with the L.A. Clippers, Olowokandi signed with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

on a three-year, $16.2 million dollar contract. Olowokandi had been considered the fourth most valuable free agent that offseason but received little interest from NBA teams and accepted the only solid deal he was offered. Olowokandi was enticed by Timberwolves general manager and former player Kevin McHale, who trained one-on-one together before the season started. Olowokandi again experienced pain and swelling in his left knee so had a second procedure before the start of the regular season that resulted in him missing all of training camp and attending only three team practices. He appeared sporadically in games for the Timberwolves during November and December due to tendinitis in his right knee. Olowokandi underwent surgery on 12 December 2003, and was ruled out indefinitely. On 26 November 2004, Olowokandi was suspended by the Timberwolves for two games after he was arrested for refusing to leave an Indianapolis night club. On 16 January 2005, Olowokandi was suspended by the NBA for four games for a fight with Nenê of the

during a game the previous night.

Boston Celtics (2006–2007)

On 26 January 2006, he was traded by the Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics in a multi-player trade. In 500 regular season NBA games (399 games started), Olowokandi averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.39 blocked shots per game. In 15 playoff games (2 starts), he averaged 2.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and .7 blocks per game. Before his injuries occurred due to overtraining, Olowokandi was noted for his large size and skills with scoring, blocking shots, and rebounding, readily helping the Clippers against top NBA defenders such as

Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (born June 25, 1966) is a Congolese-American former professional basketball player. Mutombo played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Outside basketball, he has becom ...

Charity

In 2001, Olowokandi and his Clippers teammates participated in the BasketBowl Challenge at Keystone Lanes in

Norwalk, California Norwalk is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 105,549 at the 2010 census and an estimated 103,949 in 2019. It is the 58th most densely-populated city in California. Founded in the late 19th century, Nor ...

, to raise funds for the Los Angeles Clippers Foundation and

Children's Hospital Los Angeles Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children's hospital in the East Hollywood district of Los Angeles, on Sunset Boulevard at the corner of Vermont Avenue. The hospital has been academically affi ...

. During

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in the United States, Canada, Grenada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Philippines. It is also observed in the Netherlander town of Leiden ...

of 2006, Olowokandi volunteered his time at the

Boston Children's Hospital Boston Children's Hospital formerly known as Children's Hospital Boston until 2012 is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children's hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent both to its teaching affiliate, Harvard Medical Scho ...

and served meals for over 200 homeless people at the Pine Street Inn in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. He has also donated to various charities and hospitals, including over $100,000 to the

for a new incubator for premature newborn infants. Many of Olowokandi's charitable projects were undisclosed and done privately without his teams' affiliations.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 45 , , 36 , , 28.4 , , .431 , , – , , .483 , , 7.9 , , .6 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , 8.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 80 , , 77 , , 31.2 , , .437 , , – , , .651 , , 8.2 , , .5 , , .4 , , 1.8 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 82 , , 82 , , 25.9 , , .435 , , – , , .545 , , 6.4 , , .6 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 80 , , 79 , , 32.1 , , .433 , , – , , .622 , , 8.9 , , 1.1 , , .7 , , 1.8 , , 11.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , 36 , , 36 , , 38.0 , , .427 , , – , , .657 , , 9.1 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 2.2 , , 12.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

, 43 , , 25 , , 21.5 , , .425 , , – , , .590 , , 5.7 , , .6 , , .4 , , 1.6 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 34 , , 19.6 , , .456 , , – , , .667 , , 5.2 , , .5 , , .2 , , .9 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 32 , , 24 , , 23.5 , , .446 , , – , , .487 , , 5.6 , , .5 , , .6 , , .8 , , 6.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 0 , , 10.4 , , .444 , , – , , .625 , , 2.6 , , .4 , , .2 , , .4 , , 2.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 24 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .413 , , – , , .667 , , 2.0 , , .2 , , .3 , , .5 , , 1.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 500 , , 393 , , 26.3 , , .435 , , – , , .597 , , 6.8 , , .7 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 8.3

Playoffs

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

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight ...

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

, 15 , , 2 , , 14.9 , , .324 , , .000 , , .875 , , 3.5 , , .1 , , .1 , , .7 , , 2.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 15 , , 2 , , 14.9 , , .324 , , .000 , , .875 , , 3.5 , , .1 , , .1 , , .7 , , 2.1

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 1995–96 , style="text-align:left;",

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

, 25 , , – , , 10.3 , , .526 , , – , , .556 , , 3.4 , , .2 , , .1 , , 1.3 , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1996–97 , style="text-align:left;",

, 19 , , – , , 22.8 , , .570 , , – , , .333 , , 6.6 , , .4 , , .4 , , 1.7 , , 10.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1997–98 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , – , , – , , .609 , , – , , .485 , , 11.2 , , .8 , , .3 , , 2.9 , , 22.2 , - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 77 , , – , , 15.7 , , .592 , , – , , .466 , , 7.5 , , .5 , , .2 , , 2.1 , , 13.5

References

External links

Michael Olowokandi bio at NBA.com

Michael Olowokandi Italian League profile at legabasket.it
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olowokandi, Michael 1975 births Living people Alumni of Brunel University London Boston Celtics players Black British sportspeople British expatriate basketball people in Italy British expatriate basketball people in the United States Centers (basketball) English men's basketball players English sportspeople of Nigerian descent English people of Yoruba descent Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Los Angeles Clippers players Minnesota Timberwolves players National Basketball Association players from Nigeria National Basketball Association players from England Nigerian emigrants to the United Kingdom Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Italy Nigerian expatriate basketball people in the United States Pacific Tigers men's basketball players People from Seaford, East Sussex Sportspeople from Lagos Virtus Bologna players Yoruba sportspeople