Olumide Oyedeji

Olumide Oyedeji
	Olumide Oyedeji warming up for the London Lions
Personal information
Born	11 May 1981 (age 40); Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria
Nationality	Nigerian / British
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	255 lb (116 kg)
Career information
NBA draft	2000 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42nd overall
	Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career	1996–2016
Position	Center
Number	00
Career history
1996–1997	Ebun Comets
1997–1998	Dynamo Moscow
1998–2000	DJK Würzburg
2000–2002	Seattle SuperSonics
2002–2003	Orlando Magic
2003	Ilysiakos
2003–2004	Union Olimpija
2004	Beijing Ducks
2004	Al-Kuwait SC
2004–2005	Beijing Ducks
2005	Cangrejeros
2005–2006	Seoul Thunders
2006	Cangrejeros
2006–2007	Seoul Thunders
2007	Al-Kuwait SC
2007–2008	Beijing Ducks
2008	Liaoning Hunters
2008	Granada
2008–2009	Shanxi Zhongyu
2009	Vaqueros
2009–2010	Liaoning Hunters
2010	ASU Sports Club
2010	Juvecaserta Basket
2011	Changwon LG Sakers
2011–2012	Qingdao
2013–2013	Link Tochigi Brex
2015–2016	London Lions
Career highlights and awards
	2× BSN All-Star (2008, 2006); CBA All-Star (2010); 3× CBA rebounding leader (2004, 2008, 2009); Korean League All-Star Game MVP (2007); BBL All-Star Game MVP (2000); 2× BBL Slam Dunk Contest champion (1998, 1999); Nigerian League MVP (1997);
	Stats at NBA.com
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Men's Basketball
Representing Nigeria
FIBA Africa Championship

Olumide Oyedeji (born 11 May 1981) is a Nigerian professional basketball center who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for three seasons.

Professional career[]

Oyedeji played at the 1999 and 2000 Nike Hoop Summits. He was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics, in the 2nd round (42nd overall) of the 2000 NBA Draft. He played a total of 93 games during 3 seasons in the NBA, and had career averages of 1.4 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, 0.1 assists per game, and 0.2 steals per game.^[1] He also played in the Spanish League with Granada.

Oyedeji played with Shanxi Zhongyu in the Chinese Basketball Association.^[2] He played with Changwon LG Sakers of the Korean Basketball League in 2011. However, he was released from the team, despite averaging 10.8 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Oyedeji then signed on with the London Lions, who compete in the British Basketball League, in 2015.

National team[]

Oyedeji has been a member of the senior men's Nigerian national basketball team since 1997. He contributed immensely to his national team's participation at the FIBA Africa Nations Cup in 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013 and 2015. He led Nigeria to its first ever AfroBasket trophy in Tunisia in 2015. Oyedeji won silver medals in 1997, 1999 and 2003 respectively during the FIBA Africa Nations Cup. He won the bronze medal at the 2005 FIBA Africa Championship and 2011 FIBA Africa Championship. Oyedeji has represented his home country in the All Africa Games winning bronze in 1999, 2007 and 2015, silver in 2003 and gold in 2011. He also played at the FIBA World Cup in 1999 and at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Oyedeji is the inaugural African player to ever feature in all major basketball tournaments on the global stage, including Olympic Games, World Cup, Commonwealth Games, All Africa Games, NBA, Euro-League, and Asia Championships.^{[citation needed]}

Oyedeji featured in the invitational tournament in South Africa where he captained the team and led them to victory in the finals. Nigeria's basketball team, D'Tigers, emerged overall winners of the 2015 Four Nations' invitational basketball tournament hosted by South Africa on Sunday 22 March 2015. Oyedeji, the long serving captain of the Nigerian Men's national team, emerged the MVP of the tournament. D'Tigers beat Mozambique 72-59 in their final game to win the inaugural tournament held at the Wembley Indoor Arena in Johannesburg. He retired from the Nigerian national basketball team several weeks before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.^[3]

FIBA[]

The International Basketball Federation, FIBA, Central Board appointed Oyedeji, to the FIBA Players commission for the 2014-2019 term. Oyedeji's appointment resulted from his nomination by the Nigerian Basketball Federation in line with the criteria provided by the world governing body of basketball on his achievements on the court, as well as his tireless work ethic in developing the game not only in his home country, but also beyond Africa and across the globe. He is expected to serve in the newly inaugurated FIBA Players commission under the chairmanship of former Serbian International and NBA great, Vlade Divac. Oyedeji is also a member of the board of the Nigeria Basketball Federation.

Off the court[]

Oyedeji is a philanthropist and is committed to empowering youths using the tool of basketball as the medium for change. He is founder and CEO of his initiative, the Olumide Oyedeji Youth Foundation (OOYF), established in 2000 as a nonprofit/charity corporation in the US, United Kingdom, and Nigeria. The focus of the organization is to help underprivileged, troubled, and at-risk teens make better choices and create a brighter future for all. OOYF has produced over 300 scholarships to youths since its inception in 2000. Over 40,000 youths from all over the world have participated in the programs since the foundation was established. It has operated in more than 30 cities in Nigeria, and over 20 different cities worldwide, including in South Africa, Nigeria, China, Spain, Mali, Germany, South Korea, Puerto Rico, and the United Kingdom. In November 2013, Oyedeji hosted a charity basketball clinic for youths, to advocate against gun and knife crimes and for keeping the streets safe, at the Damilola Taylor Centre in Peckham, South London.

Oyedeji has planned and implemented numerous youth basketball camps, and helped troubled and at-risk teens throughout the world, including in the United States, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Germany, China, South Korea, South Africa, Ghana, Benin, and Togo. His basketball camps and various programs have been met with success and over the years he has personally supported the academic and athletic advancement of hundreds of teenagers.

Awards and honours[]

Oyedeji has won various awards for his humanitarian efforts and philanthropy. He is also a Laureus Global Ambassador, the first Nigerian and third African to be awarded this honour. For his efforts in preventing guns and knife crimes among youth and campaigning against gangs, Oyedeji was honoured as an Honorary London Metropolitan Police officer.

Personal life[]

Oyedeji had his secondary education at Loyola College, Ibadan where he started playing as a member of the school's senior basketball team.

Oyedeji is married to Adegoke Fajemisin. They have five children together.^[4]

References[]

^ "Olumide Oyedeji Historical Profile". Nba.com. 11 May 1981.
^ "Bonzi Wells joins CBA with Shanxi Zhongyu". News.xinhuanet.com. 12 December 2008. Archived from the original on 15 December 2008.
^ "It was tough calling it quits with d'tigers — Oyedeji". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
^ "OLUMIDE OYEDEJI- My wife is four in one!". The Nation Nigeria. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2019.

External links[]

[1] "Olumide Oyedeji Historical Profile". Nba.com. 11 May 1981.

[2] "Bonzi Wells joins CBA with Shanxi Zhongyu". News.xinhuanet.com. 12 December 2008. Archived from the original on 15 December 2008.

[3] "It was tough calling it quits with d'tigers — Oyedeji". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 4 April 2019.

[4] "OLUMIDE OYEDEJI- My wife is four in one!". The Nation Nigeria. 21 December 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2019.

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