Chinemelu D. Elonu Jr. (born March 11, 1987) is a Nigerian-American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for

Al-Jahra Al Jahra ( ar, الجهراء) is a town and city located west of the centre of Kuwait City in Kuwait. Al Jahra is the capital of the Al Jahra Governorate of Kuwait as well as the surrounding Al Jahra District which is agriculturally based. Enc ...

of the Kuwaiti Division I Basketball League. He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...

High school career

Elonu attended

Alief Elsik High School Alief Elsik High School is a high school in the Alief region of Houston, Texas, United States. Elsik is divided into two campuses: the main campus (12601 High Star in Houston, zip code 77072), and the Alief Elsik Ninth Grade Center (located ...

where he averaged 15.0 points per game as a senior, helping the team to a 33–5 record while posting career highs of 21 points and 20 rebounds. He was ranked as the No. 48 power forward in the country by

Scout.com Scout Media is an integrated sports publishing company that produces Internet content covering hundreds of professional and college teams across America. The company was founded in 2001 and was acquired by Fox Sports in 2005. In 2013, Fox Spor ...

College career

Elonu played at

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

, where he played with the Aggies, from 2006 to 2009. In his junior and final season, he averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game. He graduated from the school in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Leadership and Development.

Professional career

Elonu was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 59th pick in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other el ...

. He later signed a two-year deal with the Spanish team

CAI Zaragoza Basket Zaragoza 2002 S.A.D., more commonly referred to as Basket Zaragoza and as Casademont Zaragoza for sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball club based in Zaragoza, Spain. The team plays in the Liga ACB. Their home arena is t ...

where he averaged 6.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. He had an opt-out clause that would have allowed him to sign with the Lakers after the 2009–10 season. After one year, he left Zaragoza. In August 2010, Elonu signed a contract with

Panionios Panionios G.S.S. Football Club ( Greek: ΠΑΕ Πανιώνιος Γ.Σ.Σ.), the ''Pan-Ionian Gymnastics Club of Smyrna'' (Πανιώνιος Γυμναστικός Σύλλογος Σμύρνης, ''Panionios Gymnastikos Syllogos Smyrnis'' ...

in Greece. He left Panionios before the end of the season after being replaced by Ryvon Covile. On January 25, 2011, Elonu signed a contract with Pau-Orthez in France in order to replace the injured

Travon Bryant Travon Levar Bryant (born February 5, 1983), nicknamed T, is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He played college basketball for the University of Missouri. Amateur career Bryant attended David Starr Jordan High School ...

. He averaged 10.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. In July 2012, Elonu joined the Los Angeles Lakers for the

2012 NBA Summer League The 2012 NBA Summer League was a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2012 NBA Draft. It took place in Orlando, Florida from July 9 to 13 and in Las Vegas, Nevada from July 13 to 22, 2012. Damian Lillard ( Portland Trail Blazers) an ...

. On August 16, 2012, Elonu signed a contract with

Tofaş Tofaş (acronym for ''Türk Otomobil Fabrikası Anonim Şirketi''; ''Turkish Automobile Factory Joint-Stock Company'' pronounced ) is a Turkish automobile manufacturer which was established in 1968 by Vehbi Koç, who was the founder of Koç Hold ...

of the

Turkish Basketball Super League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and ...

. In June 2013, Elonu signed with

Jiangsu Dragons Jiangsu Dragons Kentier (), also known as Jiangsu Dragons or Jiangsu Kentier, are a Chinese professional basketball team in the Southern Division of the Chinese Basketball Association, based in Nanjing, Jiangsu. History In the 2004–05 season ...

from China. For the 2013–14 season, Elonu re-signed with Tofaş. During his second stint with the Turkish club, Elonu averaged 12.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in the

Turkish League Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities ...

and 16.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks in the

EuroChallenge FIBA EuroChallenge (called the FIBA Europe League in 2003–05, and FIBA EuroCup in 2005–08) was the 3rd-tier level transnational men's professional continental club basketball competition in Europe, from 2003 to 2015. It was organized and run ...

. In May 2014, Elonu came back to CAI Zaragoza after four years, and signed a contract until the end of the

2013–14 ACB season The 2013–14 ACB season is the 31st season of the Spanish basketball league Liga ACB, also called Liga Endesa in its sponsored identity. The regular season began on October 12, 2013, and ended on May 25, 2014. The playoffs began on May 29, 2014 a ...

. On July 17, 2014, he returned to Tofaş. During the season, he participated at the Turkish League Slam Dunk contest, among with Kenny Gabriel,

Jan Vesely Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to: Acronyms * Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN * Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code * Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group * Japanese Article Num ...

Furkan Korkmaz Furkan Korkmaz (born 24 July 1997) is a Turkish professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born and raised in Istanbul, and was selected 26th in the 2016 NBA draft. Korkmaz is t ...

JaJuan Johnson JaJuan Johnson (born February 8, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball at Purdue University. During his sophomore season, he was named a first-team All-Big T ...

Patric Young Patric Young (born February 1, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player who is a free agent. He is a 6'10" (2.08 m) tall center. He played college basketball for the University of Florida. College career Young accepted an athl ...

Sinan Güler Sinan Güler (born November 8, 1983) is a former Turkish professional basketball player. College career Güler played college basketball at Salt Lake Community College ( JUCO), from 2002 to 2004, and at Carroll College ( NAIA), from 2004 to 200 ...

and Sean Williams. On June 9, 2015, Elonu signed with

Capitanes de Arecibo The Capitanes de Arecibo are a Puerto Rican professional basketball team based in Arecibo that competes in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) league. In 2010, the team also had the distinction to play in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) u ...

of Puerto Rico. On November 9, 2015, Elonu signed with Turkish club

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...

for the 2015–16 season. With them he averaged 8.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in the Turkish League and 9.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocks in EuroCup. On January 2, 2017, Elonu signed with

AEK Athens A.E.K ( el, AEK , formally Αθλητική Ένωσις Κωνσταντινουπόλεως; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople''), known as A.E.K, is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelf ...

in Greece for the rest of the 2016–17 season, replacing

Randal Falker Randal Alan Falker (born July 22, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for CSU Sibiu of the Romanian League. He is 2.01m (6'7") tall and weighs 115 kg (254 lb.) power forward-center. High school career ''Falker'' played ...

on the team's squad. On June 5, 2017, he re-joined the Capitanes de Arecibo for the rest of the 2017 BSN season. On August 18, 2017, Elonu re-joined AEK Athens for the 2017–18 season. Where they won the Basketball Champions League (BCL). On September 28, 2018, Elonu signed a deal with Italian club

Pallacanestro Reggiana Pallacanestro Reggiana, also known for sponsorship reasons as UnaHotels Reggio Emilia, is an Italian professional basketball team based in Reggio Emilia, Emilia-Romagna. It plays in the LBA as of the 2022-23 season. History 1970s Pallacanestro ...

. On April 18, 2021, Elonu signed with Egyptian side

Zamalek Zamalek ( ar, الزمالك , ''al zamalek'') is an affluent district of western Cairo encompassing the northern portion of Gezira Island in the Nile River. The island is connected with the river banks through three bridges each on the east an ...

to play in the

2021 BAL season The 2021 BAL season, also known as BAL Season 1, was the inaugural season of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). Established as a joint effort between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and FIBA, the BAL is the highest tier continental leag ...

. He won the first-ever BAL championship with the team. In July 2021, he came back to Capitanes de Arecibo.

Statistics

Regular season , - , - , style="text-align:left;", 2010–11 , style="text-align:left;",

, align=center , GBL , 9 , , 21.2 , , .471 , , –, , .571 , , 6.6 , , 0.2 , , 0.7 , , 1.7 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Pau-Orthez , align=center ,

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league ...

, 30 , , 24.2 , , .634 , , –, , .603 , , 8.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;",

, align=center , BSL , 29 , , 21.2 , , .661 , , –, , .515 , , 7.6 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 1.1 , , 9.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, align=center , GBL , 14 , , 14.1 , , .623 , , –, , .743 , , 5.7 , , 0.5 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 6.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, align=center , GBL , 12 , , 13.2 , , .523 , , –, , .556 , , 4.3 , , 0.6 , , 0.1 , , 0.9 , , 5.1 Playoffs , - , - , style="text-align:left;", 2013 , style="text-align:left;",

, align=center , BSL , 2 , , 23.0 , , .474 , , .500 , , .833 , , 8.5 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.5 , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, align=center , GBL , 9 , , 15.0 , , .632 , , –, , .722 , , 5.6 , , 0.4 , , 0.1 , , 0.8 , , 6.8 , -

FIBA Champions League

, - , style="text-align:left;" , 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;" , A.E.K. , 8 , , 14.0 , , .545 , , – , , .481 , , 4.5 , , .3 , , .3 , , 1.3 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;" , 2017–18† , style="text-align:left;" , A.E.K. , 11 , , 12.4 , , .632 , , – , , .700 , , 3.3 , , .4 , , .2 , , .5 , , 5.6

BAL

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 18.2 , , .594 , , .000 , , .571 , , 7.7 , , .8, , .7 , , .8 , , 8.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 6 , , 0 , , 18.2 , , .594 , , .000 , , .571 , , 7.7 , , .8, , .7 , , .8 , , 8.3

Personal life

The son of Dozie and Amaka Elonu, he majored in agricultural leadership. He has also one sister,

Adaora Elonu Adaora Nnenna Elonu (born 28 April 1990) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player and a member of the Nigeria women's national team. Elonu played college basketball for Texas A&M, with whom she won the 2011 NCAA Championship. Te ...

currently playing for Uni Girona CB. Elonu has lived in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

since 2015.

References

External links

EuroCup ProfileEurobasket.com ProfileSpanish League Profile

TBLStat.net ProfileGreek League Profile

Greek League Profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elonu, Chinemelu 1987 births Living people AEK B.C. players American expatriate basketball people in Egypt American expatriate basketball people in Greece American expatriate basketball people in Italy American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from Texas Basket Zaragoza players Beşiktaş men's basketball players Capitanes de Arecibo players Centers (basketball) Élan Béarnais players Jiangsu Dragons players Lega Basket Serie A players Liga ACB players Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Italy Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Spain Nigerian expatriate basketball people in the United States Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Greece Nigerian men's basketball players Pallacanestro Reggiana players Panionios B.C. players Power forwards (basketball) Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball players Tofaş S.K. players Zamalek SC basketball players