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Chima Moneke

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Chima Moneke
No. 19 – Sacramento Kings
PositionPower forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1995-12-24) 24 December 1995 (age 28)
Abuja, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian / Australian
Listed height196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Listed weight101 kg (223 lb)
Career information
High schoolUC Senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra
(Australian Capital Territory, Australia)
College
NBA draft2018: undrafted
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018Rouen
2018–2019Denain
2019–2020Béliers de Kemper
2020–2021Orléans
2021–2022Manresa
2022–presentSacramento Kings
2022→Stockton Kings
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Nwachukwu Iheukwumere Chima Moneke (born 24 December 1995) is a Nigerian-Australian basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). At 1.98 meters tall, he plays in the power forward position. He plays internationally for the Nigeria men's national basketball team.

Early life

He was born in Abuja, Nigeria, before moving to Canberra, Australia to begin schooling. His parents, Sydney and Eucharia Moneke, were diplomats of the Nigerian Embassy. He attended Farrer Primary School before traveling again throughout the world.

College career

In 2013, he enrolled at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, where he stayed for two seasons (2013-15). In his sophomore season he averaged 17 ppg and 12.1 rpg which led the team to a 25-7 record.

He then transferred to the University of California at Davis. After his redshirt season, he led the Aggies to an NCAA tournament berth for the first time in school history in the 2016-17 season. He was named Big West Conference tournament MVP. In the tournament they defeated NC Central in the play-in game where Moneke had 18 points and 12 rebounds. They would go on to lose to the #1 overall seed Kansas, where Chima finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds. He averaged 14.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game with 14 double-doubles

In the 2017-18 season, with the UC Davis Aggies he averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per performance in 21 games.

Professional career

France (2018–2021)

After not being selected in the 2018 NBA Draft, he signed his first professional contract with the Rouen Métropole Basket of the French LNB Pro B. After the season, Moneke signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian NBL before it was blown off due to problems with his passport.[1]

In November 2018, he would leave Rouen Métropole Basket to sign for Denain Voltaire Basket, also from the French LNB Pro B. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 27 games.

In the 2019–20 season, he signed for the Béliers de Kemper of the French LNB Pro B, in which he averaged 15.8 points, 6.75 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The season was cancelled early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.

In the 2020–21 season, he signed for the Orléans Loiret Basket of the LNB Pro A, with averages of 12.5 points, 6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and almost a block per performance in the 21 games played.[2]

Manresa (2021–2022)

On July 13, 2021, Moneke signed a one-year-deal with the Bàsquet Manresa of the Spanish Liga Endesa and the Basketball Champions League (BCL).[3] He helped Manresa to a surprising season in the BCL as they reached the final where they lost to Tenerife in the final. Moneke was named the MVP of the 2021–22 season after averaging 13.1 points per game.[4] In the Spanish ACB, Moneke was named to the ALL-ACB 1st team after leading Manresa to the playoffs. He averaged 14.8 points per game on 53% percent shooting. He was second in the entire league in rebounding with 8.4 per game. He led the entire league in total steals (56), steals per game (1.6) and defensive rebounds.

Sacramento Kings (2022–present)

On July 18, 2022, Moneke signed with the Sacramento Kings, uniting with Nigeria's national team coach Mike Brown.[5]

National team career

He debuted with the Nigeria men's national basketball team in 2020, playing three qualifying matches for the Afrobasket. In 2021, he was summoned for the pre-selection to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Personal

Moneke attended Canberra High School and Lake Ginninderra College in Canberra, Australia where he played high school basketball with Dante Exum.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b "De la Pro B à la NBA, Chima Moneke retrace son incroyable ascension : "Le voyage a été compliqué mais la destination finale est encore plus savoureuse"". BeBasket (in French). 2022-07-18. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  2. ^ "Chima Moneke, l'ailier de l'OLB, est entré dans l'histoire du basket cette nuit". larep.fr (in French). July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  3. ^ "Chima Moneke reportedly in advanced talks to join BAXI Manresa". sportando.basketball. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  4. ^ "Moneke named MVP of the Season". FIBA.basketball. 2022-05-07. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  5. ^ "Kings Sign Chima Moneke, Won't Bring Over Sasha Vezenkov". Hoops Rumors. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
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