Ebuka Okorie was selected 17th overall in Tuesday night’s NBA Draft and becomes the 27th player of Nigerian origin to be drafted into the league. Born in Nashua, New Hampshire to parents who immigrated from Abia State, Nigeria, Okorie said he hopes his rise can encourage others with similar backgrounds.
“This moment means a lot,” Okorie said in his first post-Draft media availability. “When you talk about my journey, the only reason I’m able to get here is by the grace of God, and my faith is just really big to me. My parents have instilled those values into me and my whole family. Being able to inspire other people that may be of Nigerian background, that just have similar upbringing as me. Hopefully I can inspire them, show them that hard work pays off, and to just chase your dreams. It doesn’t matter where you are from, dream big and you can make it.”
Okorie was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder, who sent him to the Memphis Grizzlies before he was dealt to the Detroit Pistons in exchange for Detroit’s No. 21 pick, completing a predetermined draft-night trade. Detroit had been seeking ball handling and shot creation to complement star point guard Cade Cunningham, a need identified by Pistons president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon in his end-of-season news conference.
Okorie took an unconventional path to the NBA, developing at Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire and earning New Hampshire’s Gatorade Player of the Year honors before flipping his college commitment from Harvard to Stanford. As a Stanford freshman he led the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring at 23.3 points per game while averaging 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 steals, shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three.
He recorded eight 30-point games, set Stanford’s freshman single-game scoring record with a 40-point performance against Georgia Tech and finished the season with 719 points, the third-most in a single season in school history. Okorie earned All-ACC first-team honors, ACC All-Rookie recognition and Associated Press All-America honorable mention status.
Described as an elusive guard who can change pace, create his own shot and reach preferred spots on the floor, Okorie entered first-round consideration despite questions about his size and long-term playmaking ceiling. Projected by many draft boards to go in the 20s, he became the highest-drafted player in New Hampshire history, surpassing Matt Bonner, who was taken 45th overall in 2003.
Reflecting on his ascent, Okorie said being overlooked has fueled his work ethic: “The story of my life has just been me being overlooked. Me continuing to work hard and then the hard work paying off, me outperforming expectations. So I’m not expecting anything different to happen here. I’m going to put the work in, and once I get on the court I’m going to let the work show.”
