Suleiman Okhaifoede Braimoh Jr. (born October 19, 1989) 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

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

of the

Israeli Basketball Premier 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 ...

and the Euroleague. 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

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a private research university in Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranked among the top universit ...

before playing professionally in the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

, Qatar, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico, Germany, Russia, France, Israel, and Turkey.

Early life

Braimoh was born in

Benin City Benin City is the capital and largest city of Edo State, Nigeria. It is the fourth-largest city in Nigeria according to the 2006 census, after Lagos, Kano, and Ibadan, with a population estimate of about 3,500,000 as of 2022. It is situated ...

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya 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 G ...

, but moved to the United States with his parents in 2001. Playing primarily soccer as a child, it was not until 2004–05 that he started playing organised basketball.

High school career

Braimoh attended the

United Nations International School The United Nations International School (UNIS) is a private international school in New York City, established in 1947. Many members of the United Nations staff arriving with young families found unexpected difficulties with New York's school sys ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. As a senior in 2005–06, he averaged 27 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocks as he was named athlete of the year and league MVP. In 2006–07, he prepped at

Lawrenceville School The Lawrenceville School is a coeducational preparatory school for boarding and day students located in the Lawrenceville section of Lawrence Township, in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. Lawrenceville is a member of the Eight Scho ...

Lawrenceville, New Jersey Lawrenceville is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located within Lawrence Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States.

where he averaged 14 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks for coach Ron Kane. He was named second-team all-prep by the Trenton Times and the Trentonian and was selected to the All-Middle Atlantic Prep League team as the Big Red posted an 18–11 overall record.

College career

In his freshman season at

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly '' Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and ''Porteresia'', both wild and domestica ...

, Braimoh was the Owls sixth man and was the team's leading shooter from the field, connecting on 46.3 percent of his shots. In 30 games (seven starts), he averaged 4.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. In his sophomore season, his role and production was relatively similar as he was still the team's sixth man. In 32 games (15 starts), he averaged 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. In his junior season, he played 31 games, averaging 4.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 12.3 minute per game. In his senior season, he played 31 games, averaging 4.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in 10.8 minutes per game.

Professional career

2011–12 season

After going undrafted in the

2011 NBA draft The 2011 NBA draft was held on June 23, 2011, at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft started at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (23:00 UTC), and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. Kia Motors was the presenting sponsor ...

, Braimoh tried out for the

Rio Grande Valley Vipers The Rio Grande Valley Vipers are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Edinburg, Texas, and are affiliated with the Houston Rockets. The Vipers play their home games at the Bert Ogden Arena. The Vipers have won fo ...

of the

in November and successfully made the team. In February 2012, he left the Vipers after appearing in just 15 games. The next month, he joined

Al-Gharafa Al-Gharafa Sports Club ( ar, نادي الغرافة الرياضي) is a Qatari multisports club based in the Al Gharrafa district of Ar Rayyan, Al Rayyan. It is best known for its association football, football team, although it also has team ...

of Qatar for the rest of the season.

2012–13 season

On October 6, 2012, Braimoh signed with the

Taranaki Mountainairs The Taranaki Airs are a New Zealand basketball team based in New Plymouth. The Airs compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at TSB Stadium. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Steelformers Airs. T ...

for the

2013 New Zealand NBL season The 2013 NBL season was the 32nd season of the National Basketball League. The 2013 season saw the withdrawal of the Auckland Pirates and Harbour Heat, but saw the return of the Waikato Pistons after a one-year hiatus as well as the Super Cit ...

. He was later acquired by the

Reno Bighorns Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is t ...

on November 1 but did not end up making the final team as he was waived on November 21 prior to the start of the season. In January 2013, he signed with

Al Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled as ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipality in the state of Qatar. Its primary settlement is the city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and largely surrounds Metropolitan Doha and funct ...

of Qatar for the rest of the season, going on to help the club win the 2013 Emir Cup and Heir Apparent Cup. In April 2013, he was released from his contract with the Mountainairs after his application for a visa was turned down.

2013–14 season

In October 2013, Braimoh signed with

Niigata Albirex Niigata Albirex BB, formally Niigata Albirex Basketball, is a Japanese basketball club. It is based in Nagaoka, Niigata. Outline The club was founded in 1954 as the company team of Daiwa Securities, a Tokyo-based securities brokerage. In 1 ...

of Japan for the 2013–14 season. On February 5, 2014, he left Niigata and joined the

Shinshu Brave Warriors The Shinshu Brave Warriors is a professional basketball team that competes in the first division of the Japanese B.League. The team was formed in 2011 and as of the 2016-17 season played in the Central Division (Naka-chiku) of the B2 League. The ...

for the rest of the season, but on February 21, he was released by Shinshu after appearing in just three games. In March 2014, he re-signed with the Taranaki Mountainairs for the

2014 New Zealand NBL season The 2014 NBL season was the 33rd season of the National Basketball League. The Canterbury Rams returned to the league in 2014 after a five-year hiatus. The 2014 pre-season tournament was held at the Te Rauparaha Arena in Porirua on Saturday 22 ...

. On May 1, he was named Player of the Week for Round 4. He went on to earn Player of the Week honors the following three rounds as well, making it four consecutive on the season. He finished the season with averages of 24.9 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 18 games and subsequently earned All-Star Five honors.

2014–15 season

In September 2014, Braimoh signed with Huracanes de Tampico of Mexico for the 2014–15 LNBP season. In 46 games for Huracanes, he averaged 20.1 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. On March 25, 2015, he signed with the

Hawke's Bay Hawks The Hawke's Bay Hawks are a New Zealand basketball team based in Napier. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Pettigrew Green Arena. For sponsorship reasons, they are known as the Taylor Hawks ...

for the

2015 New Zealand NBL season The 2015 NBL season was the 34th season of the National Basketball League. The season draw was supposed to be released in December 2014, but the withdrawal of Otago and Waikato prompted a rethink for the 2015 competition format. In the past, ea ...

. On May 1, he was named Player of the Week for Round 4 after recording 21 points and 14 rebounds against Taranaki on April 26. In 16 games for the Hawks, he averaged 17.8 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game.

2015–16 season

On July 16, 2015, Braimoh signed with the

Gießen 46ers The JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers (formerly GIESSEN 46ers) is a professional basketball club based in Gießen, Germany, that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga. Their home arena is Sporthalle Gießen-Ost, with a capacity of 4,003 people. History Th ...

of Germany for the 2015–16

Basketball Bundesliga The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) (English language: ''Federal Basketball League''), for sponsorship reasons named easyCredit BBL, is the highest level league of professional club basketball in Germany. The league comprises 18 teams. A BBL seaso ...

season. In 32 games for the 46ers, he averaged 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.

2016–17 season

On September 17, 2016, Braimoh signed with

Enisey Krasnoyarsk BC Enisey (russian: БК Енисей) is a Russian professional basketball team from the city of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia. Since the 2011–12 season, Enisey plays its national domestic league games in the VTB United League. The team colors ...

of the

VTB United League VTB United League (russian: Единая Лига ВТБ) is an international professional men's club basketball league that was founded in 2008. It is made up of mostly Russian clubs, along with one each from Belarus and Kazakhstan. Since 2013, i ...

. Braimoh won the

VTB United League Sixth Man of the Year The VTB United League Sixth Man of the Year is an annual VTB United League award given since the 2013–14 VTB United League season to the league's most valuable player for his team coming off the bench as a substitute (or sixth man). Winners ...

Award for the 2016–17 season. He played in 24 games during the regular season (starting 22 on the bench), averaging 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists and a 13.8 efficiency rating. On May 12, 2017, Braimoh signed with French team

Nanterre 92 Nanterre 92 is a professional basketball club from the city of Nanterre (a western suburb of Paris), France. The club plays in the top-tier level basketball league in France, the Pro A, since 2011. Founded in 2011 as JSF Nanterre, the club plays ...

for the rest of the

2016–17 Pro A season The 2016–17 Pro A season was the 95th season of the Pro A, the top basketball league in France organised by the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB). The season started on 24 September 2016 and ended on 24 June 2017. A total of 330 games were playe ...

2017–18 season

On June 21, 2017, Braimoh re-signed with

for the 2017–18 season. In 23 league games, he averaged 10.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He also averaged 9.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 14 BCL games.

2018–19 season

On November 4, 2018, Braimoh signed a one-year deal with the Israeli team Hapoel Eilat as a replacement for

Devin Thomas Devin Thomas (born November 15, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. After playing college football for Michigan State, he was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played for the Redskins ...

. On February 28, 2019, Braimoh recorded a season-high 28 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the field, along with four rebounds and two steals in a 93–75 win over

Ironi Nahariya Ironi Nahariya Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל עירוני נהריה; ) known for sponsorship reasons as Ironi Rain Nahariya () is a professional basketball club based in city of Nahariya in northern Israel. The team plays in th ...

. On April 4, 2019, Braimoh was named Israeli League Player of the Month after averaging 19.0 points and 5.5 rebounds for 27.3

PIR Pir or PIR may refer to: Places * Pir, Kerman, a village in Kerman Province, Iran * Pir, Satu Mare, commune in Satu Mare County, Romania Religion * Pir (Alevism), one of the 12 ranks of Imam in Alevism * Pir (Sufism), a Sufi teacher or spiritu ...

per game in four games played in March. Braimoh helped Eilat reach the 2019 Israeli League Final Four, where they eventually lost to

. In 34 games played for Eilat, he finished as the league fourth-leading player in efficiency rating (19.3 per game), to go with 15.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. On June 7, 2019, Braimoh was named the Israeli League Sixth Man of the Year and earned a spot in the All-Israeli League Second Team.

2019–20 season

On July 11, 2019, Braimoh signed a 1+1 contract with

Hapoel Jerusalem Hapoel Jerusalem is a sport organization in Jerusalem as a local branch of the Hapoel movement. The branch was established in the 1920s and represents the city in more sports than any other sport organization in Jerusalem. Today, the club's leadi ...

. On September 28, 2019, Braimoh won the

Israeli League Cup The Lililan Cup ( he, גביע ליליאן, ''Gvia Lililan''), which was also known as The League Cup ( he, גביע הליגה, ''Gvia HaLiga'') was an Israeli men's football competition open to the top 4 clubs in Liga Leumit between 1981–82 ...

title with Jerusalem after an 84–83 dramatic win over

, where he recorded 16 points and 5 rebounds. He was subsequently named the Tournament MVP. On December 28, 2019, Braimoh recorded a double-double with a season-high 25 points and 10 rebounds, while shooting 9-of-16 from the field, along with three steals in a 91–84 win over

Hapoel Holon Hapoel Holon Basketball Club ( he, מועדון הכדורסל הפועל חולון), known for sponsorship reasons as Hapoel Atsmon Playgrounds Holon (), is a professional basketball club based in Holon, Israel. The team plays in the Israeli ...

. He averaged 12.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

2020–21 season

On August 9, 2020, Braimoh re-signed with Hapoel Jerusalem. He averaged 17.1 points and 5.9 rebounds during the 2020–21 season.

2021–22 season

On July 21, 2021, Braimoh signed with

San Pablo Burgos Club Baloncesto San Pablo Burgos, S.A.D., previously known as Club Baloncesto Miraflores and also known as Hereda San Pablo Burgos by sponsorship reasons, is a professional basketball team based in Burgos, Spain and plays in the Coliseum Burgos. ...

of the Spanish Liga ACB, with whom he played 10 games. In November 2021, he left Burgos and returned to Hapoel Jerusalem in Israel.

2022–23 season

On July 8, 2022, Braimoh signed 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 BSL. In 12 games, he averaged 8.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. On January 19, 2023, Braimoh left Turkey and joined

in Israel for the rest of the season.

Personal

Braimoh is the son of Suleiman Sr., a PhD holder, and Igho, a law school graduate.

References

External links