Oderah "O. D." Anosike (born January 3, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the

Gaziantep Basketbol Gaziantep Basketbol is a professional basketball team based in the city of Gaziantep in Turkey that plays in the Turkish Basketball First League (TBL). Their home arena is the Karataş Şahinbey Sport Hall with a capacity of 6,400 seats. Histo ...

of the

Türkiye Basketbol Ligi The Turkish Basketball First League (; TBL), is Turkish basketball league system, the second-tier level league of professional club basketball in Turkey. The league was previously known as Turkish Basketball Second League (TB2L). Format and pro ...

(TBL). 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

Siena College Siena College is a Private college, private Franciscan college in Loudonville, New York, United States. It was founded by the Order of Friars Minor in 1937 and is named after the Franciscan friar Bernardino of Siena. The college enrolls approxi ...

. In the 2011–12 NCAA Division I season, Anosike led Division I in rebounding, with a 12.5 per game average. He then repeated as the country's top rebounder in

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, with an 11.4 per game average.

College career

Anosike began his

career in 2009–10. Anosike's contributions in his inaugural year were modest; he averaged 2.7 points and 3.4 rebounds, in 12.1 minutes per game. He was, however, only one of four Siena players to appear in all 34 of the team's games. During Anosike's

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of Post-secondary school, post-secondary educatio ...

season, he averaged 8.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Then-teammate

Ryan Rossiter Ryan Francis Rossiter (born September 14, 1989) is a US-born Japanese professional basketball power forward for the Alvark Tokyo of the B.League. Rossiter was named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year and an All-American as a se ...

was a prolific rebounder as well, and Anosike believes he could have grabbed more rebounds that season, had it not been for Rossiter. The following year, his

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

season, he nearly doubled his rebounding average, with Rossiter graduating the previous spring. Anosike averaged 15.0 points, and a nation-leading 12.5 rebounds per game, en route to a First Team All-

Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC, ) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I. Its current 13 full members are located in five Northeastern states: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachuse ...

(MAAC) selection. He was also named to the Lou Henson (Mid-Major) All-American Team. During one stretch in 2011–12, Anosike recorded 17 straight

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the ter ...

s, which is a Siena record, and the second-longest streak in the previous 15 years of Division I basketball. Anosike repeated as the nation's top rebounder in 2012–13, after grabbing 11.4 per game. He was named a

Senior CLASS Award The Senior CLASS Award is awarded to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in 10 NCAA Division I sports. An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete ...

candidate as student-athlete of the year, and in January,

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

analyst

Jay Bilas Jay Scot Bilas (born December 24, 1963) is an American college basketball analyst who currently works for ESPN. Bilas is a former professional basketball player and coach who played for and served as an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke ...

declared him to be the best rebounder in men's college basketball.

Professional career

2013–14 season

After going undrafted in the

2013 NBA draft The 2013 NBA draft was held on June 27, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including internation ...

, Anosike joined 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 ...

summer league team for the

2013 NBA Summer League The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...

. On August 5, 2013, he signed a one-year deal with

Scavolini Pesaro Victoria Libertas (also known as "VL" or in Italian ''Vuelle''), full name Unione Sportiva Victoria Libertas Pallacanestro, is a professional basketball team that is based in Pesaro, Italy. The club competes in the top level Italian professiona ...

of the Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

. In addition to being named a league all-star, Anosike went on to be the Serie A leading rebounder during his rookie campaign. In his first professional season, he averaged 14.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game for Scavolini Pesaro. On May 18, 2014, he signed with

Strasbourg IG Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden Basket, most commonly known as SIG Basket or SIG Strasbourg, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League. The ...

of France for the rest of the 2014–15 LNB Pro A season.

2014–15 season

In July 2014, Anosike joined 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

for the

2014 NBA Summer League The 2014 NBA Summer League consists of two pro basketball leagues organized by the NBA and the Orlando Magic just after the 2014 NBA draft. Ten teams took part in the week-long summer league at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, from July 5 t ...

. On July 15, 2014, he signed a one-year deal with

Sidigas Avellino S.S. Felice Scandone was an Italian professional basketball club based in Avellino, Campania. Founded in 1948, the team has been a regular in the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA), the first tier of basketball in Italy, for 19 years (2000/01 to 2018/19). ...

of Italy.

2015–16 season

On August 24, 2015, he signed a one-year deal with Laboral Kutxa Baskonia 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 ...

and the

Euroleague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

. On October 4, he parted ways with Baskonia before appearing in a game for them. Three days later, he signed with the Greek club

AEK Athens A.E.K. (; Athlitikí Énosis Konstantinoupόleos, ''Athletic Union of Constantinople'') is a major Greek multi-sport club based in Nea Filadelfeia, Attica. The club is more commonly known in European competitions as A.E.K. Athens. Establishe ...

. On November 27, he parted ways with AEK after appearing in four

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football * ''League of Legends'', a 2009 multiplayer online battle a ...

games and five Eurocup games. On January 7, 2016, Anosike signed with

Enel Brindisi New Basket Brindisi, for sponsorship reasons named Valtur Brindisi or shortly Brindisi, is a professional Italian basketball based in Brindisi, Apulia. They compete in Serie A2, second level of Italian basketball system. Founded in 2004, the we ...

of Italy for the rest of the

2015–16 Lega Basket Serie A The 2015–16 Lega Basket Serie A, known for sponsorship reasons as the Serie A BEKO, was the 94th season of the Lega Basket Serie A, the highest professional basketball league in Italy. The regular season started on 4 October 2015 and finished o ...

season.

2016–17 season

On July 16, 2016, Anosike signed with the Italian team

Pallacanestro Varese Pallacanestro Varese, also called by its current sponsor's name, the Openjobmetis Varese, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Varese, Lombardy. Founded in 1945, the team plays in the Italian basketball league system, Italian first ...

2020–21 season

On September 17, 2020, Anosike signed with

Fuerza Regia de Monterrey The Fuerza Regia de Monterrey (''Monterrey Royal Force'' in English) is a Mexican professional basketball team based in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico playing in the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). They currently play their home ga ...

of the Mexican

Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional The National Professional Basketball League ( or LNBP), officially known as the Liga Grupo Caliente, Caliente LNBP for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball sports league, league in Mexico. The league was founded in 2000 with 1 ...

. On January 9, 2021, Anosike moved to

Lavrio Lavrio, Lavrion or Laurium (; (later ); from Middle Ages until 1908: Εργαστήρια ''Ergastiria'') is a town in southeastern part of Attica, Greece. It is part of Athens metropolitan area and the seat of the municipality of Lavreotiki ...

of the

Greek Basket League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the Greek basketball league system, first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the ...

, where he clinched the league finals for the first time.

2021–22 season

On July 27, 2021, Anosike returned to Fuerza Regia. He averaged 10.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game. On December 20, 2021, Anosike signed with

Cholet Basket Cholet Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Cholet, France. The club plays in the LNB Pro A. Their home arena is La Meilleraie. Established in 1975, Cholet won its first French championship in the 2009–10 season. In 1998 and ...

of the

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

2022–23 season

On August 28, 2022, he has signed with Manisa BB of the Turkish

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

. After his season in Turkey, in 2023, Anosike played in Libya for

Al-Ahly Benghazi Al Ahly Sports Cultural and Social Club (), known as Al Ahly SCSC, is a Libyan sports club based in Benghazi. Al Ahly has its roots in a political party, the Omar al Mukhtar society. History Al-Ahly SC Libya was made a professional football c ...

and won the

Libyan Division I Basketball League The Libyan Division I Basketball League (LBL) is the highest tier professional basketball league in Libya. It is organized by the Libyan Arab Basketball Federation. Teams * Abu Salim SC * Al Ahly Benghazi *Al Ahly Tripoli Al Ahli Sports ...

championship.

2023–24 season

On November 4, 2023, he has signed with

Mahram Tehran BC Mahram Tehran Basketball Club is an Iranian professional basketball club based in Tehran, Iran. They compete in the Iranian Basketball Super League. Mahram is considered one of the giants of Iranian Basketball and were Champions of Asia in 2009 ...

On January 18, 2024, he has signed with

MKE Ankaragücü MKE Ankaragücü or fully Makina ve Kimya Endüstrisi Ankaragücü (), is a Turkish professional sports club located in the city of Ankara. The football team wears a yellow and navy kit and plays its home matches at Eryaman Stadium following the ...

2024–25 season

On December 12, 2024, Anosike signed with the

of the

(TBL).

The Basketball Tournament

OD Anosike played for Saints Alive in the 2018 edition of

The Basketball Tournament The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an open-invitation, single-elimination tournament, single-elimination tournament played each summer in the United States, with the stakes being a cash prize (the most recent tournament in The Basketball Tournam ...

. He scored 8 points and had 7 rebounds in the team's first-round loss to Team Fancy.

Personal

Anosike is the son of Ben and Ngozi Anosike, both

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

n immigrants. He has seven siblings:

Nicky Nicky is a diminutive form of the name Nicholas, Nicola and Nicole, occasionally used as a given name in its own right. Sometimes it is spelled as Nikki, Niki. It can also be used as a diminutive of Dominic. People Sports * Nicky Adams (born ...

, Nneoma, Rotanna, Ikenna, Ifesinachi, Anulika, and Ejimofor. One of his sisters, Nicky, played college basketball for the

Tennessee Lady Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Colleg ...

, won two national championships, and as a senior, was named the NCAA Woman of the Year. She currently plays in the WNBA. Although his given name is Oderah, his nickname "O. D." was given to him when he was a young child. Explaining where it came from, he said, "In kindergarten the kids had trouble pronouncing Oderah, so my mom said, 'Just call him O. D., the first two letters of his name,' and it kind of stuck with me ever since." In

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

, his name translates to, "whatever God has written, can never be taken away."

College career

Professional career

2013–14 season

2014–15 season

2015–16 season

2016–17 season

2020–21 season

2021–22 season

2022–23 season

2023–24 season

2024–25 season

The Basketball Tournament

Personal

See also

References

External links