Emeka Okafor
Encyclopedia
Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi Okafor, abbreviated as Emeka Okafor (born September 28, 1982), is an American
basketball
power forward
and center
for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association
. Prior to the NBA, Okafor attended Houston's Bellaire High School
, and the University of Connecticut
.
. Both of his parents are natives of Nigeria
, and Emeka was the first member of his family born in the United States. His father, Pius Okafor, is a member of the Igbo
ethnic group.
Okafor's family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma
when he was young because his father worked for Phillips Petroleum Company, headquartered in Bartlesville. While in Bartlesville, Emeka's father Pius took his son to the Bartlesville YMCA to learn the game of basketball.
As a child growing up in the Houston area Okafor idolized Houston Rockets
shooting guard Clyde Drexler
and has said he models his game after fellow Nigerian pivot Hakeem Olajuwon
, though he grew up admiring Clyde Drexler.
state playoffs, to Willowridge High School
and future Texas
standout T. J. Ford
. This game is particularly notable, however, because it featured five players who would go on to play in an NCAA Final Four (Bellaire had Lucas and Okafor, while Willowridge featured Ford, Oklahoma State's Ivan McFarlin
and Duke's Daniel Ewing
). All five of these players would eventually go on to play at least a season in the NBA.
Okafor flew under the recruiting radar for much of his high school career, but by the end of his senior year Okafor was receiving late interest from top programs and chose to accept a scholarship at the University of Connecticut
, choosing the Huskies over Arkansas
and Vanderbilt
.
team from 2001–04 where he was teammates with Charlie Villanueva
, Marcus Williams, Ben Gordon, and Josh Boone
who all went on to play in the NBA. Okafor, the son of Nigeria
n immigrants, is known for not only being a good basketball player but also for being an elite student. His major at UConn was finance
, and he graduated with honors after three years in May 2004 with a 3.8 GPA. Okafor was named the Academic All-American of the Year in 2004 for his work on and off the court.
The 6'10" (2.08 m) Okafor is noted for his impressive defensive ability, especially his shot-blocking. Although he was plagued by back problems for most of the 2003–04 season, Okafor led UConn to the program's second national title
in six seasons. He was crowned as the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player
.
In addition, Okafor led the nation in blocks that season and was also named National Defensive Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
. He also received the Big East Player of the Year
award. Okafor graduated as Connecticut's leader in blocked shots with 441. In light of his collegiate achievements, Okafor was made a member of the 2004 U.S. National Men's Basketball Team which represented the U.S. at the Olympics in Athens.
On February 5, 2007 he was inducted to the Husky Ring Of Honor at Gampel Pavilion
on the University of Connecticut
campus in Storrs
during halftime of the men's basketball game against the Syracuse Orange as part of a ceremony which recognized personal accomplishments of 13 former players and 3 coaches.
, giving up his one remaining year of college athletic eligibility. He did however receive his undergraduate degree in Accounting/Finance in three academic years.
On June 24, Okafor was selected second overall in the draft, becoming the first ever draft pick by the expansion Charlotte Bobcats
. The following day, he accepted an invitation to join the United States team for the 2004 Summer Olympics
, which finished with the bronze medal
in Athens
.
forwards in NBA All-Star Game
fan balloting with 408,082 votes, by far the highest number garnered by any rookie
in 2005. At the end of the season, Okafor beat out his friend and former college teammate and roommate, Chicago Bulls
guard Ben Gordon, to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award
.
On June 24, 2005, the Bobcats picked up the option for the fourth year on Okafor's contract, as he has quickly established himself as the face of the franchise, and a solid player for years to come. Okafor finished his rookie season with 44.7% field goal
percentage and per-game averages of 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds (ranked 4th in the league), and 1.7 blocks.
, which he took up after his rookie season, and lost the 20 pounds which he had gained for his second season. Okafor feels this weight loss gives him more energy and mobility. He led the Bobcats in rebounds per game, blocks per game, and field goal percentage. On December 29, 2006, in a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Emeka would record 22 pts, 25 reb, and 4 blks in over 51 minutes of play, in an epic 133–124 triple overtime victory. He also had eight blocks in games against the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. On January 12, 2007, he would record an NBA season high ten blocks in a game against the New York Knicks. His ten blocks were the most ever recorded in a single game at Madison Square Garden. In that game, he was one rebound away from recording the first ever triple-double in franchise history, finishing with 20 pts, 10 blks, 9 reb, and 3 stls. Later in the season he suffered an ankle injury which caused him to miss fifteen games. He finished the season averaging 14.4 pts 11.3 reb and 2.6 blks in 67 games.
60 million over five years. Despite turning down the contract, Okafor maintained that he indeed wanted to remain with the Bobcats. Despite feuding with head coach Sam Vincent throughout the season, Okafor still managed to average a double-double for the fourth consecutive season of his career. He also played in all 82 games of the regular season for the first time in his career. At the end of the season head coach Sam Vincent was fired by part-owner Michael Jordan saying in a statement: "The decision to remove Sam as head coach after just one season was difficult, but it was a decision that had to be made because my first obligation is to do what is in the best interest of our team."
.
| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 73 || 73 || 35.6 || .447 || .000 || .609 || 10.9 || .9 || .9 || 1.7 || 15.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 26 || 25 || 33.6 || .415 || .000 || .656 || 10.0 || 1.2 || .9 || 1.9 || 13.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 67 || 65 || 34.8 || .532 || .000 || .593 || 11.3 || 1.2 || .9 || 2.6 || 14.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 82 || 33.1 || .535 || .000 || .570 || 10.7 || .9 || .8 || 1.7 || 13.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 81 || 32.8 || .561 || .000 || .593 || 10.1 || .6 || .6 || 1.7 || 13.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 82 || 82 || 28.9 || .530 || .000 || .562 || 9.0 || .7 || .7 || 1.6 || 10.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 72 || 72 || 31.8 || .573 || .000 || .562 || 9.5 || .6 || .6 || 1.8 || 10.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 484 || 480 || 32.8 || .516 || .000 || .587 || 10.2 || .8 || .7 || 1.8 || 12.9
| align="left" | 2010–11
| align="left" | New Orleans
| 6 || 6 || 31.3 || .645 || .000 || .364 || 5.5 || .0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 7.3
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 6 || 6 || 31.3 || .645 || .000 || .364 || 5.5 || .0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 7.3
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
power forward
Power forward (basketball)
Power forward is a position in the sport of basketball. The position is referred to in playbook terms as the four position and is commonly abbreviated "PF". It has also been referred to as the "post" position. Power forwards play a role similar to that of center in what is called the "post" or "low...
and center
Center (basketball)
The center, colloquially known as the five or the post, is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. The center is normally the tallest player on the team, and often has a great deal of strength and body mass as well...
for the New Orleans Hornets of the National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
. Prior to the NBA, Okafor attended Houston's Bellaire High School
Bellaire High School (Bellaire, Texas)
Bellaire High School is a secondary school of the Houston Independent School District, and its campus is located in Bellaire, Texas ....
, and the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
.
Early life
Okafor was born in Houston, TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. Both of his parents are natives of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, and Emeka was the first member of his family born in the United States. His father, Pius Okafor, is a member of the Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
ethnic group.
Okafor's family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Bartlesville, Oklahoma
Bartlesville is a city in Osage and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 43,070 at the 2010 census. Bartlesville is located forty-seven miles north of Tulsa and very close to Oklahoma's northern border with Kansas. It is the county seat of Washington County, in...
when he was young because his father worked for Phillips Petroleum Company, headquartered in Bartlesville. While in Bartlesville, Emeka's father Pius took his son to the Bartlesville YMCA to learn the game of basketball.
As a child growing up in the Houston area Okafor idolized Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
shooting guard Clyde Drexler
Clyde Drexler
Clyde Austin "Clyde The Glide" Drexler is a former National Basketball Association shooting guard and small forward. A ten-time All-Star and member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, the NBA named him one of basketball's fifty greatest players as of 1996. Drexler won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and...
and has said he models his game after fellow Nigerian pivot Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
, though he grew up admiring Clyde Drexler.
High school career
Okafor played at Bellaire High School with future Oklahoma State star John Lucas III. Okafor averaged 22 points, 16 rebounds and 7 blocks in his senior season. Bellaire was 26–5 in that season, losing 56–42 in the third round of the 2001 UILUniversity Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....
state playoffs, to Willowridge High School
Willowridge High School (Houston)
Willowridge High School is a secondary school in Houston, Texas, United States and part of the Fort Bend Independent School District. Willowridge serves grades 9 through 12....
and future Texas
Texas Longhorns men's basketball
The Texas Longhorns men's basketball team represents The University of Texas at Austin in NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The Longhorns currently compete in the Big 12 Conference....
standout T. J. Ford
T. J. Ford
Terrance Jerod "T. J." Ford is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for KK Zagreb. Having been awarded numerous top basketball accolades in high school and college, Ford entered the 2003 NBA Draft and was selected eighth overall by the Milwaukee Bucks...
. This game is particularly notable, however, because it featured five players who would go on to play in an NCAA Final Four (Bellaire had Lucas and Okafor, while Willowridge featured Ford, Oklahoma State's Ivan McFarlin
Ivan McFarlin
Ivan McFarlin is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for a Japanese team called Link Tochigi Brex.-Basketball career:...
and Duke's Daniel Ewing
Daniel Ewing
George Daniel Ewing, Jr , is an American professional basketball player, currently playing with Ukraine's Azovmash Mariupol, mainly as a shooting guard.-College career:...
). All five of these players would eventually go on to play at least a season in the NBA.
Okafor flew under the recruiting radar for much of his high school career, but by the end of his senior year Okafor was receiving late interest from top programs and chose to accept a scholarship at the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
, choosing the Huskies over Arkansas
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas is a public, co-educational, land-grant, space-grant, research university. It is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a research university with very high research activity. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and is located in...
and Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
.
College career
He is notable for being a forward/center on the University of Connecticut men's basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team from 2001–04 where he was teammates with Charlie Villanueva
Charlie Villanueva
Charlie Alexander Villanueva is an American basketball player who currently plays for the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association....
, Marcus Williams, Ben Gordon, and Josh Boone
Josh Boone
Oscar Joshua "Josh" Boone is an American professional basketball player. He was a forward–center for the Connecticut Huskies, where he played for three years. He declared for the 2006 NBA Draft after his junior season, forgoing his final year of college...
who all went on to play in the NBA. Okafor, the son of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n immigrants, is known for not only being a good basketball player but also for being an elite student. His major at UConn was finance
Finance
"Finance" is often defined simply as the management of money or “funds” management Modern finance, however, is a family of business activity that includes the origination, marketing, and management of cash and money surrogates through a variety of capital accounts, instruments, and markets created...
, and he graduated with honors after three years in May 2004 with a 3.8 GPA. Okafor was named the Academic All-American of the Year in 2004 for his work on and off the court.
The 6'10" (2.08 m) Okafor is noted for his impressive defensive ability, especially his shot-blocking. Although he was plagued by back problems for most of the 2003–04 season, Okafor led UConn to the program's second national title
2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
The 2004 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 65 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 16, 2004, and ended with the championship game on April 5 at the Alamodome in San Antonio,...
in six seasons. He was crowned as the NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player
NCAA Basketball Tournament Most Outstanding Player
At the conclusion of the NCAA men's and women's Division I basketball championships , the Associated Press selects a Most Outstanding Player. The MOP need not be, but almost always is a member of the Championship team, especially since the third place game was eliminated after 1981...
.
In addition, Okafor led the nation in blocks that season and was also named National Defensive Player of the Year by the National Association of Basketball Coaches
National Association of Basketball Coaches
The National Association of Basketball Coaches , headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of college men's basketball coaches...
. He also received the Big East Player of the Year
Big East Men's Basketball Player of the Year
The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award is given to the men's basketball player in the Big East Conference voted as the top performer by the conference coaches. The 16 head coaches of the league's teams submit their votes following the end of the regular season and before...
award. Okafor graduated as Connecticut's leader in blocked shots with 441. In light of his collegiate achievements, Okafor was made a member of the 2004 U.S. National Men's Basketball Team which represented the U.S. at the Olympics in Athens.
On February 5, 2007 he was inducted to the Husky Ring Of Honor at Gampel Pavilion
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
Harry A. Gampel Pavilion is a 10,167-seat multi-purpose arena in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. The arena opened on January 21, 1990, and is the largest on campus arena in New England. It was named after Harry A. Gampel, who donated one million dollars for the construction of the arena...
on the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
campus in Storrs
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
during halftime of the men's basketball game against the Syracuse Orange as part of a ceremony which recognized personal accomplishments of 13 former players and 3 coaches.
Draft
On April 16, 2004, Okafor declared his eligibility for the 2004 NBA Draft2004 NBA Draft
The 2004 NBA Draft was held on June 24, 2004 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm . In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible...
, giving up his one remaining year of college athletic eligibility. He did however receive his undergraduate degree in Accounting/Finance in three academic years.
On June 24, Okafor was selected second overall in the draft, becoming the first ever draft pick by the expansion Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
. The following day, he accepted an invitation to join the United States team for the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, which finished with the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
2004–05: Rookie season
The 2004–05 NBA season was a successful campaign as Okafor coped well with the pressures of being the star rookie on an expansion franchise. Highlights of the season included recording 19 straight double-doubles from November 21 through January 1, and finishing seventh among Eastern ConferenceEastern Conference (NBA)
The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, organized in three divisions of five teams each.The three division winners and the non-division winner with the best record are seeded 1 through 4 for the playoffs in order of their records, with all...
forwards in NBA All-Star Game
National Basketball Association All-Star Game
The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. From that year on, the game has matched the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best players in the Western Conference....
fan balloting with 408,082 votes, by far the highest number garnered by any rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
in 2005. At the end of the season, Okafor beat out his friend and former college teammate and roommate, Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
guard Ben Gordon, to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award
NBA Rookie of the Year Award
The National Basketball Association's Rookie of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association award given since the 1952–53 NBA season, to the top rookie of the regular season. The winner receives the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, which is named in honor of the Philadelphia Warriors head...
.
On June 24, 2005, the Bobcats picked up the option for the fourth year on Okafor's contract, as he has quickly established himself as the face of the franchise, and a solid player for years to come. Okafor finished his rookie season with 44.7% field goal
Field goal (basketball)
In basketball, the term field goal refers to a basket scored on any shot or tap other than a free throw, worth two or three points depending on the distance of the attempt from the basket. "Field Goal" is the official terminology used by the National Basketball Association in their rule book,...
percentage and per-game averages of 15.1 points, 10.9 rebounds (ranked 4th in the league), and 1.7 blocks.
2005–06
In the offseason between his rookie and second years, Okafor's weight increased from 260 to 280 lbs. It was this weight gain which he felt caused him to have trouble rehabbing his early season ankle injury and forced him to sit out most of the 2005–06 season with injuries to his ankle. Nonetheless in the few games he played he was effective as he averaged a double-double for the second consecutive season. For the season he finished with averages of 13.2 ppg on 41.5% shooting, 10.0 rpg., and 1.9 bpg.2006–07
During the offseason he continued his tutorials with Hakeem OlajuwonHakeem Olajuwon
Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played the center position in the National Basketball Association for the Houston Rockets and Toronto Raptors. He led the Rockets to back-to-back NBA championships in 1994 and 1995. In 2008,...
, which he took up after his rookie season, and lost the 20 pounds which he had gained for his second season. Okafor feels this weight loss gives him more energy and mobility. He led the Bobcats in rebounds per game, blocks per game, and field goal percentage. On December 29, 2006, in a home game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Emeka would record 22 pts, 25 reb, and 4 blks in over 51 minutes of play, in an epic 133–124 triple overtime victory. He also had eight blocks in games against the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics. On January 12, 2007, he would record an NBA season high ten blocks in a game against the New York Knicks. His ten blocks were the most ever recorded in a single game at Madison Square Garden. In that game, he was one rebound away from recording the first ever triple-double in franchise history, finishing with 20 pts, 10 blks, 9 reb, and 3 stls. Later in the season he suffered an ankle injury which caused him to miss fifteen games. He finished the season averaging 14.4 pts 11.3 reb and 2.6 blks in 67 games.
2007–08 season
Prior to the start of the 2007–2008 season, Okafor turned down a contract extension with the Charlotte Bobcats worth an estimated $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
60 million over five years. Despite turning down the contract, Okafor maintained that he indeed wanted to remain with the Bobcats. Despite feuding with head coach Sam Vincent throughout the season, Okafor still managed to average a double-double for the fourth consecutive season of his career. He also played in all 82 games of the regular season for the first time in his career. At the end of the season head coach Sam Vincent was fired by part-owner Michael Jordan saying in a statement: "The decision to remove Sam as head coach after just one season was difficult, but it was a decision that had to be made because my first obligation is to do what is in the best interest of our team."
Off-season
During the off-season, the Bobcats' top priority was to re-sign Okafor. Through tough negotiations the Bobcats and Okafor eventually reached an agreement on a six-year, $72 million deal, the largest in franchise history. In a statement, Okafor voiced his pleasure with remaining in the organization: "The Bobcats and the entire Charlotte community embraced me from day one, and it's exciting to enter this season with a Hall of Fame coach and teammates who are committed to winning."2008–09 season
Okafor entered the 2008–09 season with active franchise-record streaks of 93 consecutive games played and 92 consecutive games started.2009–10 season
On July 27, 2009, Okafor was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for Tyson ChandlerTyson Chandler
Tyson Cleotis Chandler is an American professional basketball center who most recently played for the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA. He was also a member of the United States men's national basketball team.-High school:...
.
Career highlights
- NBA Rookie of the Year: 2005
- NBA All-Rookie First TeamNBA All-Rookie TeamThe NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches; who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team. The All-Rookie Team is generally...
: 2005 - Bronze medal with Team USA, 2004 Summer Olympics2004 Summer OlympicsThe 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
Regular season
|-| style="text-align:left;"| 2004–05
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
Charlotte Bobcats
The Charlotte Bobcats is a professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They play in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association. The Bobcats were established in 2004 as an expansion team, two seasons after Charlotte's previous NBA...
| 73 || 73 || 35.6 || .447 || .000 || .609 || 10.9 || .9 || .9 || 1.7 || 15.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2005–06
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 26 || 25 || 33.6 || .415 || .000 || .656 || 10.0 || 1.2 || .9 || 1.9 || 13.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2006–07
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 67 || 65 || 34.8 || .532 || .000 || .593 || 11.3 || 1.2 || .9 || 2.6 || 14.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2007–08
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 82 || 33.1 || .535 || .000 || .570 || 10.7 || .9 || .8 || 1.7 || 13.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2008–09
2008–09 NBA season
The 2008–09 NBA season was the 63rd season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, and ended on Wednesday, April 15, 2009...
| style="text-align:left;"| Charlotte
| 82 || 81 || 32.8 || .561 || .000 || .593 || 10.1 || .6 || .6 || 1.7 || 13.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2009–10
2009–10 NBA season
The 2009–10 NBA season was the 64th season of the National Basketball Association . The 1,230-game regular season began on Tuesday, October 27, 2009, and ended on Wednesday, April 14, 2010....
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 82 || 82 || 28.9 || .530 || .000 || .562 || 9.0 || .7 || .7 || 1.6 || 10.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11
2010–11 NBA season
The 2010–11 NBA season was the 65th season of the National Basketball Association . The 2011 NBA All-Star Game was played on February 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Miami Heat in six games, 4 games to 2, to win their first NBA title, and...
| style="text-align:left;"| New Orleans
| 72 || 72 || 31.8 || .573 || .000 || .562 || 9.5 || .6 || .6 || 1.8 || 10.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| Career
| style="text-align:left;"|
| 484 || 480 || 32.8 || .516 || .000 || .587 || 10.2 || .8 || .7 || 1.8 || 12.9
Playoffs
|-| align="left" | 2010–11
2011 NBA Playoffs
The 2011 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2010–11 season. Eight teams from each of the league's two conferences qualified for the playoffs, all seeded 1 to 8 in a tournament bracket, with all rounds in a best-of-seven format. The 2011 NBA Playoffs began on...
| align="left" | New Orleans
| 6 || 6 || 31.3 || .645 || .000 || .364 || 5.5 || .0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 7.3
|-
| align="left" | Career
| align="left" |
| 6 || 6 || 31.3 || .645 || .000 || .364 || 5.5 || .0 || 1.0 || 1.0 || 7.3
Off the court
In 2006, Okafor launched the African Initiative to Save Lives. The goal being to save one million lives in the next five years in sub-Sahara Africa.Trivia
- His first name, Chukwuemeka, means "God has done well" in the Igbo language.
- Cites Toronto and New York as his favorite NBANational Basketball AssociationThe National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
cities on the road. - Okafor was on the cover of NCAA March Madness 2005 and was the best overall rated player in NCAA March Madness 2004 with a 90 rating.
See also
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball career blocks leaders
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season blocks leaders
- List of National Basketball Association players with 10 or more blocks in a game
- U.S. men's basketball team at the 2004 Olympics