Michael Olowokandi
Michael Olowokandi was born in Lagos, Nigeria on April 3rd, 1975 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 49, Michael Olowokandi biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 49 years old, Michael Olowokandi has this physical status:
Michael Olowokandi (born 3 April 1975) is a former professional basketball player in Nigeria.
Born in Lagos and raised in London, he attended college on a basketball scholarship at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and was the top pick in the 1998 NBA draft, where he was drafted as a center by the Los Angeles Clippers.
He played professionally until 2007. Olowokandi is regarded as one of NBA's best draft busts.
Early years
Olowokandi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, as the oldest of five children. Ezekiel's father, who died as a Nigerian diplomat, was a Nigerian diplomat. When he was four years old, his family moved to London. Olowokandi holds Nigerian citizenship and does not have a British passport as of 2004.
Olowokandi attended Newlands Manor School in Seaford, East Sussex, where he set British age group records in long jump and triple jump as well as playing center midfield in football. At age 16, Olowokandi had a height of 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) and had grown six inches in two years. He first played basketball at the age of 17, and began playing basketball when he was 18.
Olowokandi then enrolled in Brunel University as a mechanical engineering major, where he competed in track and field, cricket, and rugby union. He had a tryout with the Thames Valley Tigers of the Budweiser Basketball League but did not receive a contract.
College career
On Olowokandi's 20th birthday, he opened The Peterson's Guide to American Colleges and Universities on a random webpage and landed on the University of the Pacific. In the hopes that he would be able to play basketball for the Pacific Tigers, Olowokandi called the UOP basketball office in the hopes of winning the Golden Bears. When told of Olowokandi's height of 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m), UOP assistant coach Tony Marcopulos was stunned. After being told that there were no more available basketball scholarships at UOP, Olowokandi decided to pay for his education (roughly $23,000 a year) for two years. He also called Georgetown University and Duke University, but was told that without sending a scout to see him, they would not be able to offer scholarships.
The Olowokandi and Marcupulos spent hundreds of phone calls arranging credit transfer and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) membership, which was discovered that Olowokandi had three seasons of college remaining. "I had told him on the phone that if he wasn't 7 foot I would put him right back on the plane." And was in poor physical shape when Olowokandi had no idea of basketball terms and was in danger of falling in a deteriorating physical condition. In his early games, he consistently committed backcourt and traveling offenses, but he continued his development and committed to extended practice sessions. He made a name for himself in the team's sophomore season, leading to a team record of 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks.
Olowokandi led his team to the 1997 NCAA Tournament in his junior year, and as a senior, he led the Tigers to the 1998 National Invitation Tournament. He played 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game during his senior year and was named Big West Conference Player of the Year in 1997-98. He graduated from Pacific with a degree in Economics and had his No. 1 on the charts. By the time the university in 1998, 55 jerseys had been retired.
Professional career
Due to his 7 ft 6 in (2.29 m) wingspan and "unlimited upside," Olowokandi was deemed to be a top-two pick in the 1998 NBA draft. He was drafted with the Los Angeles Clippers' first overall pick. Mike Bibby, the Clippers' eventual second pick, had been intended to draft Mike Bibby, but Elgin Baylor cited Olowokandi's work habits and off-season developments as the deciding factors. Due to a lockout, the Clippers were unable to contact Olowokandi, and the 1998–99 NBA season was stifled. Bill Duffy, Olowokandi's handler, put him in touch with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who worked together extensively during the 1998 offseason. Olokowandi signed with Kinder Bologna, the Italian team's youth, on January 5th, 1999, just two days before the lockout was decided. He averaged 4.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 17.3 minutes per game in three regular season Italian League games with Bologna. He appeared in 3 games in the FIBA EuroLeague, where he averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 0.3 assists in 21.3 minutes per game. Bologna gave Olowokandi an early release to sign with the Clippers because he didn't have a lot of fame and was poorly prepared. Olowokandi said he was wrongfully employed by the team and did not have his offensive skills utilized.
On January 29, 1999, Olowokandi signed with the Clippers. In 45 games for the Clippers, he averaged 8.9 points and 7.9 rebounds during his rookie season. In what would be the first of many knee surgeries, Olowokandi underwent surgery on his left knee.
Olowokandi had his best playing time of his career, averaging of 11.1 points and 8.8 rebounds in 2001–2002. During the last 20 games of the season, he averaged 17 points per game and 11 rebounds, earning him the honor of one of the best free agents in the 2002-03 free agency class. After Olowokandi criticized colleagues for a loss to the Utah Jazz on April 5, the Clippers fined him $50,000 for "behavior detrimental to the team."
The San Antonio Spurs had coveted Olowokandi to replace the injured David Robinson, the San Antonio Spurs' successor. He was also a top pick for the Denver Nuggets, with Denver Nuggets Kiki VanDeWeghe recommending Olowokandi to be a "legitimate center." Olowokandi resigned with the Clippers on September 24, 2002, however, after weeks of tumultuous labor talks, he resigned with the Clippers to their qualifying offer on September 24, 2002. During his intense training during the offseason and missed the majority of the preseason, Olowokandi sustained his left knee. The team's apprehension in giving him a long-term contract extension sparked conflict between the Clippers and Olowokandi, who had agreed not to resign with the team in December 2002. Despite having a breakout season in which he saw changes in his aggressiveness and consistency, he still sees himself as having a small part in coach Alvin Gentry's offense. In January 2003, Olowokandi's left knee injury flared up, and he was put on the injured list. He underwent knee surgery in February 2003 and was out for three to four weeks. The Clippers had already ruled out Olowokandi for the remainder of the season in April.
In his 323 games with the Clippers over five seasons, Olowokandi averaged 9.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks. Olowokandi was described as "talented but uncoachable" by Abdul-Jabbar, who served as an assistant coach for the Clippers during Olowokandi's tenure, and he cited his inability to accept criticism in practice as a handicap to his future.
Olowokandi joined the Minnesota Timberwolves on a three-year, $16.2 million dollar contract due to financial difficulties with the Los Angeles Clippers. Olowokandi had been regarded as the fourth most valuable free agent in the NBA, but NBA teams were unimpressed and turned down the only positive contract he was given. Kevin McHale, the Timberwolves' general manager and former player, who trained one-on-one together before the season began, was enticed Olowokandi. Olowokandi suffered with pain and swelling in his left knee before the regular season, which resulted in him missing all of training camp and attending only three squad practices. Due to tendinitis in his right knee, he appeared in sporadically in Timberwolves games during November and December. Olowokandi underwent surgery on December 12, 2003, and was declared out indefinitely.
After being arrested for refusing to leave an Indianapolis night club, Olowokandi was suspended by the Timberwolves for two games on November 26. Olowokandi was suspended by the NBA for four games for a contest with Nenê of the Denver Nuggets on the previous night.
In a multi-player trade, the Timberwolves traded him to the Boston Celtics on January 26, 2006.
Olowokandi averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.39 blocked shots per game in 500 regular season NBA games (399 games have started) in 500 games. He averaged 2.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks per game in 15 playoff games (2 starts). Olowokandi was known for his size and expertise with shooting, blocking shots, and rebounding, quickly assisting the Clippers against top NBA players such as Dikembe Mutombo before his injuries were due to overtraining.