Ejike Christopher Ugboaja (born 28 May 1985) is a Nigerian professional basketball player who last played for BC Mark Mentors of the Nigerian Premier Basketball League (NPBL). He is also the founder of Ejike Ugboaja Foundation.[1]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 28 May 1985 Lagos, Nigeria | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Nigerian | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2006: 2nd round, 55th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2003–2016 | ||||||||||||||
| Position | Power forward | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Yelwa Hawks | ||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | UB Lagos | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Kager Gdynia | ||||||||||||||
| 2007 | APOEL Nicosia | ||||||||||||||
| 2007–2008 | Albuquerque Thunderbirds | ||||||||||||||
| 2008 | Anaheim Arsenal | ||||||||||||||
| 2008–2009 | Azad University | ||||||||||||||
| 2009 | Azovmash Mariupol | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Petrochimi Bandar Imam | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Ford Burgos | ||||||||||||||
| 2011–2012 | Jahesh Tarabar Qom | ||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Utena Juventus | ||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi | ||||||||||||||
| 2014 | BC Mark Mentors | ||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Kano Pillars Basket | ||||||||||||||
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Professional career
editUgboaja was selected in the 2006 NBA draft by the National Basketball Association's Cleveland Cavaliers, in the second round with the 55th pick overall.[2] He was a member of the Cavaliers during the 2006–07 season, but did not play in any regular season games with the team. He played in the 2nd-tier Eurocup with Azovmash Mariupol[3] and with BC Odesa.[4]
Nigerian national team
editUgboaja competed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the 2007 FIBA Africa Championship, the 2009 FIBA Africa Championship, and the 2011 FIBA Africa Championship with Nigeria. He also played at the 2012 Summer Olympics, with the senior men's Nigerian national basketball team.
Awards and honours
editOn 28 May 2023, President of Nigeria Mohammadu Buhari honoured Ejike Ugboaja with an Order of the Federal Republic membership.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Meet Ejike Ugboaja". ejikefoundation.org. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
- ^ "Cleveland Cavaliers Draft Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson and Ejike Ugboaja in 2006 NBA Draft". NBA.com. 28 June 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- ^ "Ejike Ugboaja inks for Azovmash". Sportando.com. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "BC Odessa signs Sparks and Ugboaja". Sportando.com. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
- ^ "Full list of 2023 National Honours recipients". The Nation. 28 May 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2024.