Efemena Tennyson Abogidi (born October 11, 2001) is a Nigerian professional basketball player who last played for the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars of the Pac-12 Conference.
 Abogidi with Washington State in 2021 | |
| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 11, 2001 Nigeria |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Washington State (2020–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2024 | NBA G League Ignite |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and career
editAbogidi grew up in Ughelli, a town in Delta State, Nigeria.[1] He competed in track and field, including sprinting, long jump and high jump. Abogidi watched highlight videos of Tim Duncan, who he tried to emulate in local pick-up basketball games. In 2015 and 2016, he was named most valuable player of a camp run by Olumide Oyedeji in Lagos. Abogidi joined Hoops & Read, a program created by Oyedeji's foundation, and helped his team earn a promotion into the Nigerian Premier League in 2016.[2] In the next year, he moved to Senegal to attend the NBA Academy Africa in its first year.[3] In June 2017, at the NBA Academy Games in Canberra, Australia, he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus while attempting a slam dunk. He underwent surgery and began attending the NBA Global Academy in Canberra.[2] He committed to playing college basketball for Washington State over offers from Creighton and UT Arlington.[2][4]
College career
editIn December 2020, Abogidi recorded three consecutive double-doubles and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.[5] He averaged 8.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a freshman, earning Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors.[6]
Professional career
editNBA G League Ignite (2022–2024)
editOn June 24, 2022, Abogidi signed with the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League,[7] where he played in 22 games and averaged 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 18.6 minutes.[8]
After going going undrafted at the 2023 NBA draft, Abogidi re-signed with the Ignite on October 30, 2023.[9]
Career statistics
edit| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Washington State | 27 | 27 | 24.4 | .491 | .273 | .811 | 7.2 | .4 | .7 | 1.3 | 8.9 |
References
edit- ^ Clark, Colton (January 2, 2021). "For Cougs, the secret's out". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ a b c Martin, Josh (May 12, 2020). "Nigeria's Efe Abogidi Ready for Liftoff from NBA Academy". CloseUp360. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Simon, Benjamin (December 20, 2019). "'He Dunks With His Head': High-Flying Efe Abogidi Is Ready to Level Up". Slam. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Lawson, Theo (October 22, 2019). "High-flier from Australia commits to Kyle Smith, Washington State". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Bolton, Barry (December 28, 2020). "Efe Abogidi logs another WSU first: Pac-12 Freshman of the Week". 247Sports. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
- ^ Lawson, Theo (June 22, 2021). "Current, former Washington State players Efe Abogidi, Ike Iroegbu invited to Nigerian national team camp". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
- ^ "Efe Abogidi Signs With NBA G League Ignite". NBA.com. June 24, 2022. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Efe Abogidi Player Profile". RealGM.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
- ^ "Ignite Announces Roster For The 2023-24 Season". NBA.com. October 30, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.