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 (appro ...

player. Born in

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, Nigeria, and raised in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, he played collegiately for the

Pacific Tigers The Pacific Tigers represent the University of the Pacific (United States), 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 ...

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...

. 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 Tor ...

by the

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

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

hernia A hernia (: hernias or herniae, from Latin, meaning 'rupture') is the abnormal exit of tissue or an organ (anatomy), organ, such as the bowel, through the wall of the cavity in which it normally resides. The term is also used for the normal Devel ...

and knee injuries.

Early life

Olowokandi was born in

, Nigeria, 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, East Sussex, 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. I ...

, 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 of London (BUL) is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It is named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. It became a university ...

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

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

, and

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. 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 ...

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 university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

and

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

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 transferral and

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(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 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 to the 1998 National Invitation Tournament. 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 List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's NCAA Division I, Division I. The conference was origina ...

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 not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

. 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 folkloristics, collector of folklore, folk and fairy tales. The Andrew Lang lectur ...

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

. Later in the lottery future Hall of Famers

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. As of September 2024, he is a contributo ...

Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the great ...

, and

Vince Carter Vincent Lamar Carter Jr. (born January 26, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 22 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He primarily played the shooting guard and small forward positions, b ...

were selected, as well as future All-Star Antawn Jamison. 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 and current head coach at California State University, Sacramento. He played for 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He last served as the ...

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 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 Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

, 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 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 who worked with him 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 or manager 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 a contract at present ...

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 Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

. 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

to replace the retiring David Robinson. 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

, with Kiki VanDeWeghe of the

considering Olowokandi to be a "legitimate center." 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 (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

on a three-year, $16.2 million 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 January 26, 2006, Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, and Wally Szczerbiak were traded by the Timberwolves to the Boston Celtics, alongside a future first-round draft pick, for Justin Reed, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis,

Marcus Banks Arthur Lemarcus Banks III (born November 19, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball, UNLV Runnin' Rebels, where he was Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a ...

and two future second-round draft picks. 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. Olowokandi is often considered to be a draft bust, failing to live up to the potential offered by his frame and athleticism.

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 102,773 at the 2020 census. Founded in the late 19th century, Norwalk was incorporated as a city in 1957. It is located southeast of downtown Los Angeles a ...

, 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 Pediatrics, children's hospital in the East Hollywood, Los Angeles, East Hollywood district of Los Angeles, on Sunset Boulevard at the corner of Vermont Avenue ...

. During

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

of 2006, Olowokandi volunteered his time at the

Boston Children's Hospital Boston Children's Hospital (formerly known as Children's Hospital Boston until 2013) is the main pediatric training and research hospital of Harvard Medical School, Harvard University. It is a nationally ranked, freestanding acute care children ...

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

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. 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 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 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 U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 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 60 ...

, 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 the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

, 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 FIBA EuroLeague profile at FIBAEurope.com

Michael Olowokandi Italian League profile at legabasket.it
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Olowokandi, Michael 1975 births Living people Alumni of Brunel University London Basketball players from Lagos Boston Celtics players Centers (basketball) Los Angeles Clippers draft picks Los Angeles Clippers players Minnesota Timberwolves players First overall NBA draft picks NBA players from Nigeria 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 Virtus Bologna players Yoruba sportspeople