John Egbunu

Last updated
John Egbunu
John Egbunu 15.jpg
No. 15–Ningbo Rockets
Position Center
League Chinese Basketball Association
Personal information
Born (1994-10-31) October 31, 1994 (age 29)
Bauchi, Nigeria
NationalityAmerican
Listed height2.08 m (6 ft 10 in)
Listed weight114 kg (251 lb)
Career information
High school Ft. Walton Beach
(Fort Walton Beach, Florida)
College
NBA draft 2018: undrafted
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020 Long Island Nets
2020–2021 Busan KT Sonicboom
2021 Pallacanestro Varese
2021–2022 Hapoel Jerusalem
2022–2023 Gaziantep Basketbol
2023–2024 ASVEL
2024–present Ningbo Rockets
Career highlights and awards
  • AAC All-Rookie Team (2014)
Stats   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg at Basketball-Reference.com

John Egbunu (born October 31, 1994) is a Nigerian-born American basketball player for the Ningbo Rockets of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Standing 6'10" (2.08 m), Egbunu plays the center position. In his first professional season, he played for the Long Island Nets in the NBA G League. He played center collegiately for the University of South Florida and the University of Florida.

Contents

Early life and high school career

Egbunu was born in 1994 in Nigeria. He later moved to the United States, settling in Georgia. He attended high school at Georgia Elite in Atlanta, where he played his freshman and sophomore seasons of basketball. Egbunu later moved to Fort Walton Beach for his junior and senior seasons. As a high school athlete, Egbunu was recorded as having a 40-in vertical jump. He was also ranked 72nd by ESPN on its list of top high school recruits. He ranked 7th nationally as an overall high school recruit. [1] At 6'10", Egbunu was recognized for his strong rim defense and ability to run the floor. [1]

College career

Egbunu played his freshman season in 2013–14 at the University of South Florida (USF). He started 31 of 32 games and enjoyed a successful freshman season. He set the record of most rebounds for a freshman with a total of 198. [1] He scored season highs of 11 points and 11 rebounds against Santa Clara and 20 points and 20 rebounds against Memphis. [1] Egbunu averaged 7.4 points and 6.2 rebounds as a freshman, earning American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team honors. Following the season, he transferred to Florida, sitting out the 2014–15 season per NCAA regulations. [2]

Egbunu playing for Florida John Egbunu.jpg
Egbunu playing for Florida

Appearing on the court for his first season of play, Egbunu's 2015–16 sophomore season featured tremendous success. He recorded his first double-double as a Gator (third total) with 17 points and 11 rebounds against Florida Gulf Coast. [1] In the Gators' game against Richmond, both Egbunu and teammate Devin Robinson set record double-doubles (Egbunu with 17 points, 14 rebounds and Robinson with 12 points, 13 rebounds) in the same game, accomplishing a feat not seen since former Gators Vernon Macklin and Alex Tyus did so in a 2010 game against Jacksonville. [1] During his sophomore season, Egbunu suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb prior to the SEC Tournament and appeared in only three games following the injury before undergoing season-ending surgery. He would miss the Gators' final two games. [1] During his sophomore season, Egbunu led the Gators in most blocked shots (48), with a field goal percentage of .591 and ranked 2nd in rebounds with 6.5 on average.

During Egbunu's 2016–17 junior season, he started 19 of 24 total games played and averaged 7.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. His season was cut short by a torn ACL suffered on February 14, 2017. [3] He would not return for his 2017–18 senior season as he continued to rehabilitate his ACL injury. While at UF, Egbunu played a total of 58 games and started 49 of those games. He posted a career total of 578 points and 378 rebounds. [1]

Professional career

Egbunu entered the NBA draft as early as 2017 before withdrawing. [4] He entered the following year and was not selected. [5]

On September 25, 2019, Egbunu signed a contract with the Brooklyn Nets and briefly attended their training camp. [6] On October 14, Egbunu's contract was waived. [5]

Egbunu joined the Long Island Nets and started 5 of 26 games played during the 2019–2020 season. He missed several games with a sprained ankle. [7] On December 27, 2019, Egbunu scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 107-91 loss to the Canton Charge. [8] He averaged 10.3 points 7.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. [9]

On September 22, 2020, Egbunu entered the South Korean Basketball League after joining the Busan KT Sonicboom for the 2020–21 season. [10] His most recent record includes starting 2 of 4 games averaging 40 points with 19 points made from field goal range. [5]

On January 29, 2021, he signed for Pallacanestro Varese of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) until the end of the 2020–21 season. [11] Egbunu averaged 8.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. He re-signed with the team on July 22. [12] Egbunu averaged 11.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. His contract was terminated on December 24. [13]

The following day, Egbunu signed with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League. [14]

On June 29, 2022, he has signed with Gaziantep Basketbol of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). [15] Egbunu averaged 11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game. On July 6, 2023, he signed with ASVEL. [16] Egbunu was waived on January 16, 2024, after averaging 2.9 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. [17]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "John Egbunu - Men's Basketball". University of Florida Athletics.
  2. ↑ "John Egbunu transfers to Florida". ESPN . Associated Press. May 22, 2019. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  3. ↑ DeCourcy, Mike (February 15, 2017). "Florida loses center John Egbunu to knee injury with SEC title, March Madness in sight". Sporting News . Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Recovering from ACL tear, Florida's John Egbunu considers turning pro". ESPN . Associated Press. April 4, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 "John Egbunu, Basketball Player". RealGM.
  6. ↑ Friar, Nick (September 25, 2019). "Nets sign both John Egbunu and C.J. Williams". Nets Wire. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  7. ↑ Milholen, Chris (January 24, 2020). "Long Island's John Egbunu has come a long way ... and he knows his goal". Nets Daily. SB Nation . Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  8. ↑ Milholen, Chris (December 28, 2019). "John Egbunu scores career-high 26 point double-double as fatigued Nets fall to Canton Charge, 107-91". Nets Daily. SB Nation . Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  9. ↑ "John Egbunu: Plays five minutes in loss". CBS Sports . March 13, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  10. ↑ "KT Sonicboom adds Egbunu to their roster". Afrobasket. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. ↑ "JOHN EGBUNU NUOVA FIRMA PER LA OPENJOBMETIS VARESE" (in Italian). pallacanestrovarese.it. 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  12. ↑ "Egbunu re-signs at Varese". Eurobasket. July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  13. ↑ Fantini, Daniele (December 24, 2021). "BASKET, SERIE A: VARESE TORNA SUL MERCATO: ADDIO A JOHN EGBUNU". Eurosport (in Italian). Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Hapoel Jerusalem lands John Egbunu". Sportando. December 25, 2021. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Gaziantep uzununu buldu" (in Turkish). basketfaul. June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  16. ↑ "ASVEL officially adds big man John Egbunu". Eurohoops. July 6, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  17. ↑ "ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne Basket cut Egbunu". Eurobasket. January 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
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