Oluwasimisola "Simisola" Shittu (born 7 November 1999) is a British-born Canadian 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 the

Lakeland Magic The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Lakeland, Florida, and are affiliated with the Orlando Magic. The Magic began play in the 2017–18 season and play their home games at the RP Fun ...

of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development League (NBDL) from 2001 to 2005, and the NBA De ...

. 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 the

Vanderbilt Commodores The Vanderbilt Commodores are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Vanderbilt University, located in Nashville, Tennessee. Vanderbilt fields 16 varsity teams (6 men's teams and 10 women's teams), 14 of which compete at the National ...

. He was one of the top-ranked players in the high school class of 2018.

Early life

Shittu was born in

Harrow, London Harrow () is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about north-west of Charing Cross and south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a popul ...

, to a family of Nigerian and Caribbean heritage. He moved to Canada when he was five years old. Shittu then moved to the United States before his freshman year to play higher competition.

High school career

Recruiting

College career

Shittu had an underwhelming freshman year. After Darius Garland tore his

meniscus Meniscus may refer to: * Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity * Meniscus (liquid), a curve in the upper surface of liquid contained in an object *Meniscus (optics) A lens is a ...

during a game against

Kent State Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in Ash ...

, the team went 5–23 including a 0–18 in conference play. His draft value dropped dramatically over the season. Shittu averaged 10.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game during his freshman season. Following the season, he declared for the

2019 NBA draft The 2019 NBA draft was held on June 20, 2019. It took place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, i ...

Professional career

Windy City Bulls (2019–2020)

After going undrafted in the

, Shittu joined the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

for the 2019 NBA Summer League. On 4 October 2019, Shittu signed with the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

. He was waived in training camp, but assigned to the Bulls’

affiliate, the

Windy City Bulls The Windy City Bulls are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, and are affiliated with the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls play their home games at Now Arena, from Chicago. It became the thirt ...

. In the final home game of the season, Shittu had 32 points and 21 rebounds in a loss to the

Canton Charge The Cleveland Charge are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Cleveland, Ohio, and are affiliated with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team plays its home games at the Wolstein Center in downtown Cleveland. The f ...

. On 6 December 2020, the Chicago Bulls re-signed Shittu on a non-guaranteed deal. On 18 December 2020, Shittu had a career high 13 points and 6 rebounds in a win against the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. He was waived at the end of training camp.

Westchester Knicks (2021)

On 21 January 2021, Shittu was included in the roster of the

Westchester Knicks The Westchester Knicks are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in White Plains, New York, and are affiliated with the New York Knicks. The Knicks typically play their home games at Westchester County Center in White ...

. He averaged 14.4 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Ironi Ness Ziona (2021–2022)

On 24 November 2021, he signed with Ironi Ness Ziona of the

Israeli Basketball Super League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball co ...

Lakeland Magic (2022–present)

On 9 August 2022, Shittu was signed by the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...

. He was waived prior to the start of the 2022–23 season. On November 3, 2022, Shittu was named to the opening night roster for the

Career statistics

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;", Vanderbilt , 32 , , 31 , , 26.7 , , .468 , , .056 , , .576 , , 6.7 , , 1.8 , , .7 , , .5 , , 10.9

References

External links

Vanderbilt Commodores bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shittu, Simisola 1999 births Living people Basketball people from Ontario Basketball players from Greater London Black Canadian basketball players Canadian expatriate basketball people in the United States Canadian men's basketball players English emigrants to Canada Lakeland Magic players McDonald's High School All-Americans People from Harrow, London Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Burlington, Ontario Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball players Vermont Academy alumni Westchester Knicks players Windy City Bulls players