Ademola Okulaja

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Ademola Okulaja

| image = AdemolaOkulaja.jpg

| caption = Okulaja with the German national team

| height = 2.06 m

| weight = 107 kg

| nationality = German

| birth_date = {{birth date|1975|7|10||df=y}}

| birth_place = Lagos, Nigeria

| death_date = 17 May 2022 (aged 46)

| death_place = Berlin, Germany

| college = North Carolina (1995–1999)

| draft_year = 1999

| career_start = 1999

| career_end = 2009

| career_number =

| career_position = Power forward

| years1 = 1999–2000

| team1 = ALBA Berlin

| years2 = 2000–2001

| team2 = Girona

| years3 = 2001–2002

| team3 = FC Barcelona

| years4 = 2002–2003

| team4 = Unicaja Málaga

| years5 = 2003–2004

| team5 = Girona

| years6 = 2004

| team6 = Benetton Treviso

| years7 = 2004–2005

| team7 = Pamesa Valencia

| years8 = 2005–2006

| team8 = RheinEnergie Köln

| years9 = 2006–2007

| team9 = Khimki Moscow

| years10 = 2007

| team10 = Etosa Alicante

| years11 = 2007–2009

| team11 = Brose Baskets

| highlights =

*EuroBasket rebounding leader (2003)

First-team All-ACC (1999)

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry|{{GER}}}}

}}

Ademola Okulaja (10 July 1975 – 17 May{{Cite news |date=2022-05-20 |title=Ademola Okulaja, 46 - Nachruf |language=de |work=Der Spiegel |url=https://www.spiegel.de/sport/basketball/ademola-okulaja-46-nachruf-a-21ed101e-6212-4306-abb5-ad293a179069 |access-date=2022-06-29 }} 2022) was a German professional basketball player. The last team he played for were the Brose Baskets of the Basketball Bundesliga. After his playing career, he became an agent for NBA player Dennis Schröder.{{Cite web |date=2020-12-01 |title=Whicker: Dennis Schröder makes Lakers more interesting and volatile |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2020/11/30/whicker-dennis-schroder-makes-lakers-more-interesting-and-volatile/ |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=Orange County Register |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=GmbH |first=Perform Media Deutschland |date=2015-05-19 |title=Bei Dennis hat es klick gemacht |url=https://www.spox.com/de/sport/ussport/nba/1505/Artikel/ademola-okulaja-interview-dennis-schroeder-atlanta-hawks.html |access-date=2023-09-10 |website=www.spox.com |language=de}}

A {{convert|2.06|m|ftin|abbr=on}} forward, Okulaja received 172 caps for the German national team,{{Cite web|url=http://mahr.sb-vision.de/dbb/html/herren/spieler/spielespieler.aspx?spnr=21|title=mahr.sb-vision.de/dbb/html/herren/spieler/spielespieler.aspx?spnr=21|last=Mahr|first=Hans-Joachim|website=mahr.sb-vision.de|access-date=12 November 2016}} serving as a team captain for many years and winning bronze at the 2002 World Championships. He played college basketball in the United States at North Carolina and flirted briefly with the NBA before moving on to a successful career in Europe.

Early life

The son of a German mother and a Nigerian father, Okulaja was born in Nigeria but moved to Berlin with his family at the age of three.[http://www.okulaja.de/ Official Website Bio] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801195018/http://okulaja.de/ |date=1 August 2015 }} In 1995, he graduated from John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, before enrolling at the University of North Carolina.

Collegiate career

Okulaja played college basketball at North Carolina from 1995 to 1999. During the 1997–98 NCAA season, he was a member of new coach Bill Guthridge's successful "six starters" rotation with Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Ed Cota, Shammond Williams and Makhtar N'Diaye. In his senior season, he was named MVP of the Tar Heels basketball team and won a spot on the 1998–99 All-Atlantic Coast Conference First Team. Okulaja was the first player in the history of UNC basketball who led the squad in scoring, rebounding, three-pointers made and steals.{{cite news|url=http://www.goheels.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=3350&ATCLID=205494159|title=Carolina Basketball Media Notes|newspaper=GoHeels.com|access-date=12 November 2016}}

Professional career

Okulaja played professionally for a variety of Euroleague teams, including ALBA Berlin in the 1994–95 season winning the FIBA Korać Cup and again in 1999–00, and later RheinEnergie Köln (2006–07) in Germany; CB Girona (2000–01 and 2003–04), Barcelona (2001–02), Unicaja Malaga (2002–03) and Pamesa Valencia (2004–05) in Spain; and Benetton Treviso in Italy (2004).[http://www.basket-stats.info/players/playerfile/o/ademola-okulaja.htm Players Index: Ademola Okulaja] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060617063847/http://www.basket-stats.info/players/playerfile/o/ademola-okulaja.htm |date=17 June 2006 }}[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928002642/http://www.ulebcup.com/ulebcup/home/on-court/players/showplayer?clubcode=khi&pcode=ASB OKULAJA, ADEMOLA - Welcome to ULEB Cup] His ALBA Berlin team won the 1999–00 German national (Bundesliga) championship. He won the "Rookie of the Year" award with Girona and was an All-League First Team selection that year.{{cite web |url = http://www.uncbasketball.com/stories/061301_blueheaven.shtml |title = UNCbasketball.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010627110849/http://www.uncbasketball.com/stories/061301_blueheaven.shtml |archive-date=27 June 2001 |url-status=dead}} In 2002, he won the award for "Most Spectacular Player" at the Spanish All-Star Game.http://www.euroleague.net/plantillas/jugador.jsp?id=ASB&temporada=E05 {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}

Okulaja had three different attempts to join the NBA; his first training camp experience was with the Philadelphia 76ers, then with the San Antonio Spurs and finally the Utah Jazz, but was unable to make an NBA roster.

In 2008, Okulaja was diagnosed with a spinal tumor and had to go into a one-year therapy. After it proved to be successful, he played one more season for the Brose Baskets.

In July 2010, he announced his retirement from professional basketball.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=10 July 2010 |title=Ademola Okulaja beendet Karriere - 'Ich werde nicht mehr spielen' |url=http://crossover-online.de/BBL/Ademola-Okulaja-beendet-Karriere/Ich-werde-nicht-mehr-spielen_8771.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111020112132/http://crossover-online.de/BBL/Ademola-Okulaja-beendet-Karriere/Ich-werde-nicht-mehr-spielen_8771.html |archive-date=20 October 2011 |website=crossover-online.de |language=de}}

=German national team=

Okulaja was also an experienced member of the Germany national team and one of the key figures of the team, alongside Dirk Nowitzki and Patrick Femerling. He played with the team at the European Championships in 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2001. He competed with the German national team at the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championship in the US,{{cite news|url=https://archive.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/18973/sid/3118/tid/288/_/2002_World_Championship_for_Men/index.html|title=Ademola Okulaja profile, World Championship for Men 2002 {{!}} FIBA.COM|newspaper=FIBA.COM|access-date=12 November 2016}} winning bronze, and in Japan at the 2006 FIBA World Basketball Championship.

Post-playing career

Okulaja worked as analyst and commentator at Sport1, a German sports channel.{{cite news|url=http://www.sport1.de/unternehmen/pressearchiv/2010/10/artikel_305406|title=SPORT1 holt Ademola Okulaja ins Basketball-Team|last=Sport1.de|newspaper=Sport1.de|language=de-DE|access-date=12 November 2016}}

He founded Pro4Pros, a sports consulting company,{{Cite web|url=http://pro4pros-sports.de/team/|title=pro4pros {{!}} Team|website=pro4pros-sports.de|access-date=12 November 2016|archive-date=12 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161112084803/http://pro4pros-sports.de/team/|url-status=dead}} and then became director of the German office of Octagon, a sports and entertainment company.{{Cite web|url=http://www.octagonbe.com/portal/our-network/266-german-office|title=German Office|last=themisb|website=www.octagonbe.com|access-date=12 November 2016}}

Okulaja died on 17 May 2022 in Berlin. He is survived by his life partner Binita Bangura and two children.{{Cite web |date=2022-05-17 |title=Ex-Alba-Star Ademola Okulaja gestorben - B.Z. – Die Stimme Berlins |url=https://www.bz-berlin.de/berlin-sport/alba-berlin/ex-alba-star-ademola-okulaja-gestorben |access-date=2022-05-17 |website=bz-berlin.de |language=de}}

References

External links

[http://www.okulaja.com/ Official website]
[http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=ASB&seasoncode=E2007 Euroleague.net Profile]
[http://www.fibaeurope.com/cid_KNce8jInH7Qj1EsyH5rjn2.playerID_18973.compID_qMRZdYCZI6EoANOrUf9le2.season_2001.roundID_2235.teamID_288.html#{E91AFDC5-57F4-4283-9A62-3729B99232F4} Fibaeurope.com Profile]

Category:1975 births

Category:2022 deaths

Category:Nigerian emigrants to Germany

Category:Naturalized citizens of Germany

Category:Alba Berlin players

Category:BC Khimki players

Category:Bamberg Baskets players

Category:CB Girona players

Category:CB Lucentum Alicante players

Category:Baloncesto Málaga players

Category:FC Barcelona Bàsquet players

Category:German expatriate basketball people in Spain