Chinanu Michael Onuaku (born November 1, 1996) is an American 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 for

Bnei Herzliya Bnei Herzliya Basket (, lit. ''Sons of Herzliya''), is a professional basketball club that is based in Herzliya, in central Israel. The club plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top division of Israeli basketball. History The club w ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl (, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is a professional basketball league in Israel and the highest level of basketball in the country. The league's name is abbreviated as either BSL ...

. He 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

Louisville Cardinals The Louisville Cardinals (also known as the Cards) are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Louisville. The Cardinals teams play in the Atlantic Coast Conference, beginning in the 2014 season. While playing in the Big East Co ...

. In 2021–22, he led the Israeli Basketball Premier League in rebounds per game. Onuaku is known for his use of underhand

free throw In basketball, free throws or foul shots are unopposed attempts to score points by shooting from behind the free-throw line (informally known as the foul line or the charity stripe), a line situated at the end of the restricted area. Free throws ...

s, an unorthodox shooting technique most famously used by

Rick Barry Richard Francis Dennis Barry III (born March 28, 1944) is an American former professional basketball player who starred at the NCAA, American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA) levels. Barry ranks among the m ...

, one of the most accurate free throw shooters in NBA history. Underhand free throws are very rarely used in the modern NBA as many NBA players view the technique as embarrassing to use; the technique is often pejoratively referred to as "granny style". Onuaku found success by adopting this shooting method, increasing his free throw percentage from 46.7% his freshman year of college to 72.4% his rookie year.

High school career

Onuaku attended

Riverdale Baptist School Riverdale Baptist School (RBS) is a private Christian school located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, serving students from Pre-K to 12. It is located in Prince George's County, Maryland, and is accredited through Middle States Association of College ...

where he averaged 12.4 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks as a senior, leading Riverdale to a 30–9 record and the Capital Beltway conference title. When Onuaku graduated, he was considered the 74th-best prospect by Rivals.com, 75th by ESPN and was rated as the seventh-best center in the nation by Scout.com.

College career

Onuaku played two seasons of college basketball for the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

between 2014 and 2016. In his sophomore season, he averaged 9.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, earning All-ACC Defensive Team and All-ACC honorable mention honors and posting 11 double-doubles. In May 2016, Onuaku announced he would enter the

NBA draft The NBA draft is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) annual event, dating back to 1947 BAA draft, 1947, in which the teams in the league can Draft (sports), draft players who declare for the draft and that are Eligibility for the NBA dr ...

Professional career

Houston Rockets (2016–2018)

On June 23, 2016, Onuaku was selected by the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

with the 37th overall pick in the

2016 NBA draft The 2016 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2016, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. It was televised nationally in the U.S. by ESPN, and was live streamed for the first time in NBA draft history by The Vertical. National Basketball Association (NBA) ...

and later joined them for the

2016 NBA Summer League The 2016 NBA Summer League consisted of three pro basketball leagues organized by the National Basketball Association (NBA): the Orlando Pro Summer League, Utah Jazz Summer League, and Las Vegas Summer League. Ten teams participated in the week ...

. On July 20, 2016, he signed with the Rockets. He made his NBA debut on December 26, 2016, coming on in the fourth quarter and recording six points and three rebounds in a 131–115 win over the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

. He hit a pair of free throws in the game with his underhanded free-throw action. During his rookie season, Onuaku had multiple assignments with the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won f ...

, the Rockets'

D-League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of the 2024–25 season, ...

affiliate. On May 1, 2017, he was suspended two games without pay for pushing a game official. The incident occurred during an altercation in the final seconds of the Vipers' 122–96 loss to

Raptors 905 The Raptors 905 are a Canadian professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Mississauga, and are affiliated with the Toronto Raptors. Raptors 905 began play in the 2015–16 season and play their home games at Paramount Fine Foods ...

in game 3 of the 2017 NBA D-League Finals on April 27. On August 2, 2018, Onuaku was traded from the Rockets to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

for the rights to forward

Maarty Leunen Maarten Arthur "Maarty" Leunen (born September 3, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward formerly at the University of Oregon, he averaged 9.9 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game in his college career. ...

. He was waived four days later. On September 4, 2018, Onuaku signed with the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

. On October 13, 2018, he was waived by the Trail Blazers.

Greensboro Swarm (2018–2019)

On October 20, 2018, Onuaku was selected with the second overall pick in the 2018 NBA G League draft by the

Greensboro Swarm The Greensboro Swarm are an American basketball team of the NBA G League based in Greensboro, North Carolina, and are affiliated with the Charlotte Hornets. The Swarm play their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex. The team became the ...

Wonju DB Promy (2019–2020)

On October 3, 2019, Onuaku signed with

Wonju DB Promy The Wonju DB Promy is a professional basketball club in the Korean Basketball League (KBL), located in the city of Wonju. From its founding in 1996, the team has always been based in its home province of Gangwon. It has the rare distinction of b ...

of the

Korean Basketball League The Korean Basketball League () or simply KBL is a professional men's basketball league in South Korea which was established in 1997. The league consists of ten teams and each team plays a total of 54 games (27 home and 27 away) in the regular s ...

to replace Elijah Thomas. He averaged 14.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.5 blocks per game.

Zadar (2020–2021)

On October 14, 2020, Onuaku signed with

Zadar Zadar ( , ), historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian, ; see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar ...

in the Croatian League.

Bnei Herzliya (2021–2022)

On July 21, 2021, he signed with

of the

. On February 17, 2022, Onuaku won the

Israeli Basketball State Cup The Israeli Basketball State Cup () is the second most important professional basketball competition in Israel, after the Israeli Super League. It is the national federation cup of Israel. The tournament began in the 1955–56 season, and is run ...

after Bnei Herzliya Basket edged out

Hapoel Tel Aviv Hapoel Tel Aviv () is a sports club in Israel, founded in the 1920s, and part of the Hapoel association. It runs several sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv which have competed in a variety of sports over the years, such as football, basketball, w ...

87–82. Onuaku was crowned as the game's MVP with 30 points, 17 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks and a 50 PIR. For the 2021–22 season, he led the league in rebounds, averaging 9.9 per game.

Dinamo Sassari (2022)

On July 20, 2022, he signed with

Dinamo Sassari Polisportiva Dinamo, commonly known as Dinamo Sassari and currently known as Dinamo Banco di Sardegna Sassari for sponsorship reasons, is an Italian professional basketball club that is based in Sassari, Sardinia. They are the 2018–19 European ...

of the Italian

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA).

Hapoel Tel Aviv (2022–2023)

On November 13, 2022, he signed with

of the

Joventut Badalona (2023)

On July 27, 2023, Onuaku signed with

Joventut Badalona Club Joventut Badalona, S.A.D. () is a Spanish professional basketball club based in Badalona, Catalonia, Spain, playing in the Liga ACB and the EuroCup. Known to their fans as ''La Penya'' (in English, ''The Club''), it is one of only two team ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

Goyang Sono Skygunners (2023–2024)

On November 13, 2023, Onuaku joined the

Goyang Sono Skygunners Goyang Sono Skygunners () is a professional basketball club based in Goyang, South Korea which plays in the Korean Basketball League. History Dayone Sports era (2022–2023) Rumours of Orion selling its stake in the club intensified in ear ...

of the

(KBL) to replace

Jarrod Jones Jarrod Michael Jones (born May 27, 1990) is an American-born naturalized Hungarian professional basketball player for Taoyuan Pauian Pilots of the P. League+. College career During the four years he played in NCAA for Ball State University, Jar ...

Santeros de Aguada (2024)

On March 21, 2024, Onuaku signed with the

Santeros de Aguada Santeros de Aguada is a Puerto Rican professional basketball team of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. The team was originally based in Aguada, Puerto Rico, and although the team moved to Fajardo in 2021, even changing their name and re-branding ...

of the

Baloncesto Superior Nacional The Baloncesto Superior Nacional, abbreviated as BSN, is the first-tier-level professional men's basketball list of basketball leagues, league in Puerto Rico. It was founded in 1929 and is organized by the Puerto Rican Basketball Federation. T ...

Second stint with the Wonju DB Promy (2024–2025)

On June 27, 2024, Onuaku signed with the

of the

(KBL).

Bnei Herzliya (2025–present)

On April 14, 2025, he signed with

of the

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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Playoffs

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Personal life

Onuaku is the son of Nwaneka and Christopher Onuaku, and has three older siblings: Ify, Arinze and Chuk. Onuaku's brother, Arinze, is also a professional basketball player.

References

External links

Louisville Cardinals bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onuaku, Chinanu 1996 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players American basketball players of Nigerian descent American expatriate basketball people in Croatia American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Spain Basketball players from Prince George's County, Maryland Bnei Herzliya basketball players Centers (basketball) Dinamo Sassari players Goyang Sono Skygunners players Greensboro Swarm players Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players Houston Rockets draft picks Houston Rockets players Joventut Badalona players KK Zadar players Liga ACB players Louisville Cardinals men's basketball players People from Lanham, Maryland Power forwards Rio Grande Valley Vipers players Santeros de Aguada players United States men's national basketball team players Wonju DB Promy players