Daniel Ochefu (born December 15, 1993) is an American-born Nigerian 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 Riyadi Club Beirut of the

Lebanese Basketball League The Lebanese Basketball League is the top-tier professional men's basketball league in Lebanon. It is organized annually as a national championship with playoffs and a national cup by the Lebanese Basketball Federation (FLB). Currently, the leag ...

(LBL). He played college basketball for the

Villanova Wildcats The Villanova Wildcats are the athletic teams of Villanova University. They compete in the Big East (NCAA Division I) for every sport; except football and rowing where they compete in the Colonial Athletic Association (Football Championship Su ...

, and had a short stint in the NBA with 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 league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

High school career

Born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, Ochefu attended the Westtown School, where he averaged 16 points and 12 rebounds per game as a junior. As a senior, he transferred to

Downingtown East High School Downingtown High School is a secondary school located in Downingtown, Pennsylvania and Uwchlan Township, Pennsylvania. Population growth in the burgeoning Downingtown Area School District forced the original Downingtown High School to split into ...

. He was ranked 54th on ESNPU's list of the top 100 players in his high school class."Daniel Ochefu"
. villanova.com. Retrieved April 5, 2016.

College career

Ochefu played college basketball for Villanova. As a freshman, he played behind center Mouphtaou Yarou. In 2013–14, he averaged 5.7 points per game as a reserve player. The following season, he had 9.2 points per game. Ochefu scored a career-high 25 points in a 73–63 win over St. John's on February 13, 2016. At the conclusion of the regular season, he was named Honorable Mention All-Big East. Ochefu played in the NCAA championship game on April 4, 2016 against

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia a ...

, where he helped the Wildcats defeat the Tar Heels 77–74, and claim Villanova's second national championship.

Professional career

Washington Wizards (2016–2017)

After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA draft, Ochefu joined the

for the Las Vegas Summer League, where he averaged 1.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. On September 23, 2016, he signed with the Wizards. He made his debut for the Wizards in their season opener on October 27, recording one rebound in four minutes off the bench in a 114–99 loss to the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

Maine Red Claws (2017)

On October 9, 2017, Ochefu was waived by the Wizards. The

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

signed him on October 13, 2017. He was assigned to G-League affiliate team the Maine Red Claws.

Windy City Bulls (2017–2018)

On November 30, 2017, Ochefu was acquired by the Windy City Bulls.

Reno Bighorns / Stockton Kings (2018–2019)

On February 12, 2018, Ochefu was traded by the Bulls to the Reno Bighorns along with a 2018 third-round draft pick and the returning player rights to Spencer Dinwiddie in exchange for Will Davis, the returning player rights to Lamar Patterson, and a 2018 first-round draft pick. He remained on the team as it became the Stockton Kings. Ochefu averaged 14 points and 8 rebounds per game.

Overseas (2019–present)

On April 2, 2019, Cafés Candelas Breogán of the Liga ACB announced the signing of Ochefu. In July 2019, Ochefu signed with the Ibaraki Robots in Japan. In August 2022, he signed with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA) as the team's import for the 2022–23 PBA Commissioner's Cup. However, he was replaced by Steve Taylor prior to the start of the tournament. In February 2023, Ochefu signed with the TNT Tropang Giga as the team's import for the

2023 EASL Champions Week The 2023 EASL Champions Week was the pre-season tournament of the 2023 East Asia Super League, an international basketball club competition involving teams from domestic leagues in Japan, South Korea, Philippines and Taiwan, as well as a franchis ...

held in Japan.

International career

He was called up for the

Nigeria national basketball team The Nigeria national basketball team represents Nigeria in men's international basketball and it is overseen by the Nigeria Basketball Federation (NBBF). In March 2021, the global governing body FIBA ranked Nigeria as Africa's top men's baske ...

for the

2017 FIBA Africa Championship FIBA AfroBasket 2017 was the 29th edition of the AfroBasket, a men's basketball continental championship of Africa. The tournament was jointly hosted by Tunisia and Senegal. Angola was proposed by FIBA Africa to host the tournament, an offer dec ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Playoffs

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References

External links

ESPN bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ochefu, Daniel 1993 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Mexico American expatriate basketball people in Japan American expatriate basketball people in South Korea American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Nigerian descent Basketball players from Baltimore Basketball players from Pennsylvania CB Breogán players Citizens of Nigeria through descent Ibaraki Robots players Libertadores de Querétaro players Liga ACB players Maine Red Claws players Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Japan Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Mexico Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Spain Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in South Korea Nigerian men's basketball players Power forwards (basketball) Reno Bighorns players Seoul Samsung Thunders players Stockton Kings players Undrafted National Basketball Association players Villanova Wildcats men's basketball players Washington Wizards players Windy City Bulls players Westtown School alumni TNT Tropang Giga players American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines