Joshua Aloiye Okogie (/əˈkoʊɡi/ ə-KOH-ghee;[1] born 1 September 1998) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball at Georgia Tech, and was selected 20th overall in the 2018 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He also represents the Nigeria national team.
 Okogie with the Phoenix Suns in 2022 | |
| No. 2 – Phoenix Suns | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 1 September 1998 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Listed height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Listed weight | 213 lb (97 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Shiloh (Snellville, Georgia) |
| College | Georgia Tech (2016–2018) |
| NBA draft | 2018: 1st round, 20th overall pick |
| Selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves | |
| Playing career | 2018–present |
| Career history | |
| 2018–2022 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2022–present | Phoenix Suns |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
editOkogie immigrated with his family to the United States when he was three years old. The family settled in Snellville, Georgia, where Okogie started playing basketball for Shiloh High School.[2]
College career
edit
As a 6'4" shooting guard, he was not ranked by ESPN in the recruiting class of 2016.[3] He signed with Georgia Tech and as a freshman, Okogie averaged 16.1 points 5.4 rebounds per game and was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.[4] He was a third team 2017–18 All-ACC selection as a sophomore.[5] As a sophomore, Okogie led Georgia Tech in scoring with 18.2 points per game. After the season he declared for the 2018 NBA draft but did not hire an agent, thus leaving open the possibility of returning to school.[6] However, he confirmed his intentions on entering the NBA Draft on May 21.[7]
Professional career
editMinnesota Timberwolves (2018–2022)
edit
On June 21, 2018, the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Okogie with the 20th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft.[8] On July 2, 2018, he signed with the Timberwolves.[9] He participated in the 2018 NBA Summer League. After Jimmy Butler was traded from Minnesota in early November, Okogie entered the starting lineup, averaging nearly 22 minutes a game on the season. After the season, he participated in the 2019 NBA Summer League. On January 29, 2019, he was named a member of the World Team for the 2019 Rising Stars Challenge.[10]
Phoenix Suns (2022–present)
editOn July 2, 2022, Okogie signed with the Phoenix Suns.[11] On December 7, Okogie scored a career-high 28 points in a 125–98 loss to the Boston Celtics.[12]
On July 13, 2024, Okogie re-signed with the Suns.[13]
National team career
editOkogie plays for the Nigerian national basketball team and participated in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[14]
Career statistics
edit| 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
editRegular season
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Minnesota | 74 | 52 | 23.7 | .386 | .279 | .728 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 1.2 | .4 | 7.7 |
| 2019–20 | Minnesota | 62 | 28 | 25.0 | .427 | .266 | .796 | 4.3 | 1.6 | 1.1 | .4 | 8.6 |
| 2020–21 | Minnesota | 59 | 37 | 20.3 | .402 | .269 | .769 | 2.6 | 1.1 | .9 | .5 | 5.4 |
| 2021–22 | Minnesota | 49 | 6 | 10.5 | .404 | .298 | .686 | 1.4 | .5 | .5 | .2 | 2.7 |
| 2022–23 | Phoenix | 72 | 26 | 18.8 | .391 | .335 | .724 | 3.5 | 1.5 | .8 | .5 | 7.3 |
| 2023–24 | Phoenix | 60 | 11 | 16.0 | .417 | .309 | .745 | 2.6 | 1.1 | .8 | .4 | 4.6 |
| Career | 376 | 160 | 19.5 | .402 | .293 | .748 | 3.0 | 1.2 | .9 | .4 | 6.3 | |
Play-in
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Minnesota | 1 | 0 | .1 | — | — | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | .1 | — | — | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | |
Playoffs
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Minnesota | 1 | 0 | 2.2 | — | — | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
| 2023 | Phoenix | 10 | 5 | 17.5 | .378 | .143 | .846 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .6 | .2 | 4.1 |
| 2024 | Phoenix | 4 | 0 | 7.3 | .556 | .333 | .500 | 1.0 | .5 | .5 | .0 | 3.5 |
| Career | 15 | 5 | 13.8 | .413 | .176 | .737 | 1.7 | 1.0 | .5 | .1 | 3.7 | |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Georgia Tech | 37 | 37 | 30.8 | .453 | .384 | .747 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 1.3 | .7 | 16.1 |
| 2017–18 | Georgia Tech | 24 | 24 | 36.4 | .416 | .380 | .821 | 6.3 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 18.2 |
| Career | 61 | 61 | 33.0 | .437 | .382 | .777 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 1.5 | .8 | 16.9 | |
References
edit- ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). 24 October 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2024.
- ^ "Brooklyn Nets Draft Prospect: Josh Okogie". NBA.com.
- ^ "Josh Okogie, Shiloh , Shooting Guard". 247Sports. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "Basketball: Pastner, Lammers, and Okogie Earn All-ACC Honors". From The Rumble Seat. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ "ACC Announces All-Conference Team, Postseason Awards". TheACC.com. 4 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
- ^ "Georgia Tech' G Josh Okogie to enter NBA draft". ESPN. Associated Press. 15 March 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2018.
- ^ Bradley, Mark (21 May 2018). "Josh Okogie is leaving Tech, which is bad news for Josh Pastner". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ Sugiura, Ken (21 June 2018). "Timberwolves draft Josh Okogie at No. 20". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
- ^ "Timberwolves Sign Josh Okogie". NBA.com. 2 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ^ "Doncic, Simmons headline Mtn Dew Ice Rising Stars rosters". NBA.com. 29 January 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Suns Sign Josh Okogie". NBA.com. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ "Suns' Josh Okogie: Erupts for career-high 28". CBSSports.com. 7 December 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Kirschenbaum, Alex (13 July 2024). "Suns Re-Sign Josh Okogie To Two-Year Contract". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
- ^ Rafferty, Scott (31 August 2019). "FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019: Scores and highlights from Day 1". NBA.com. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
External links
edit
- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets bio
- NBA.com bio and statistics
