Ochai Agbaji
American basketball player (born 2000) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ochai Young Agbaji (born April 20, 2000)[2] is an American professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As a senior at the University of Kansas, Agbaji was named a consensus first-team All-American and voted the Big 12 Player of the Year in 2022. He led the Jayhawks to a national championship and was named the Final Four Most Outstanding Player (MOP).
Agbaji in 2024 | |
| No. 30 – Toronto Raptors | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 20, 2000 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5[1] in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Oak Park (Kansas City, Missouri) |
| College | Kansas (2018–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2022: 1st round, 14th overall pick |
| Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers | |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2024 | Utah Jazz |
| 2022 | →Salt Lake City Stars |
| 2024–present | Toronto Raptors |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Agbaji was drafted as the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, he was traded to the Utah Jazz in September before playing a regular-season game in Cleveland. He was traded to the Toronto Raptors in 2024.
Early life
Agbaji was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but grew up mainly in Kansas City, Missouri.[2] He grew up playing soccer, upon his father's encouragement, playing club soccer as well as Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) basketball from a young age. Agbaji stopped playing soccer as a sophomore at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Missouri to focus on basketball. He grew nine inches (23 cm) between his freshman and junior years.[3] In his basketball career at Oak Park, Agbaji did not receive offers from any Power Five college programs until his senior season. As a senior, he averaged 27.6 points and 8.6 rebounds per game for Oak Park and was named Kansas City Star All-Metro player of the year.[4] Agbaji was considered a three-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals.[5] On February 8, 2018, he committed to play college basketball for Kansas over offers from Texas A&M and Wisconsin.[6]
College career
Summarize
Perspective
Agbaji began his freshman season at the University of Kansas as a redshirt and was a member of the scout team.[7] In early January 2019, his redshirt was lifted because Kansas needed depth after Udoka Azubuike suffered a season-ending injury and Silvio De Sousa faced eligibility issues.[8] On January 29, Agbaji made his first career start, scoring 24 points, bringing in seven rebounds, and stealing the ball twice in a loss to Texas. In his next game, he recorded his first double-double in a win over Texas Tech. Agbaji was named Big 12 Conference Newcomer of the Week for the two performances.[9] Agbaji averaged 8.5 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 22 games, including 16 starts as a freshman.[10]
On November 5, 2019, Agbaji made his sophomore season debut, scoring 15 points in a loss to fourth-ranked Duke at the Champions Classic.[11] During the aforementioned sophomore season, Agbaji was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12.[12] As a sophomore, Agbaji averaged 10 points and 4.2 rebounds per game and finished second on the team with 46 three-pointers.[13] He averaged 14.1 points per game as a junior, shooting 42 percent from the field. On April 8, 2021, he declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility.[14]
Agbaji made his senior season debut on November 9, 2021, recording 29 points in an 87–74 win against Michigan State at the Champions Classic.[15] On January 24, 2022, he scored a career-high 37 points in a 94–91 double-overtime win over Texas Tech.[16] At the close of the season, Agbaji was voted the Big 12 Player of the Year and was named a consensus first-team All-American.[17][18] Kansas won the 2022 NCAA tournament, and he scored 12 points in the championship game and was named the tournament MOP.[17] On April 24, Agbaji declared for the 2022 NBA draft.[19]
Professional career
Utah Jazz (2022–2024)
Agbaji was selected with the 14th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.[20][21] On July 2, 2022, Agbaji signed his rookie scale contract with the Cavaliers.[22]
On September 1, 2022, Agbaji was traded, alongside Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, three first-round picks and two pick swaps, to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Donovan Mitchell.[23] Agbaji had his NBA debut on October 19, playing one minute in a 123–102 win over the Denver Nuggets.[24] On April 8, 2023, Agbaji scored a career-high 28 points in a 118–114 win over the Nuggets.[25]
Toronto Raptors (2024–present)
On February 8, 2024, Agbaji was traded to the Toronto Raptors alongside Kelly Olynyk in exchange for Kira Lewis Jr., Otto Porter Jr. and a 2024 first-round draft pick, which became the 29th selection. On November 27, 2024, Agbaji scored a game-high 24 points on 9-of-10 shooting and made 6-of-7 three-pointers in a 119–93 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.[26]
Career statistics
| 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 |
NBA
College
Personal life
Agbaji's father, Olofu, moved from Nigeria to the U.S. when he was 17.[27] Agbaji's mother, Erica, and his father both played basketball at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. His older sister, Orie, played volleyball for Texas.[28]
References
External links
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