Micheal Eric

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Micheal Eric

| image = Michael Eric 50 Darüşşafaka Tekfen 20181120 (cropped).jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Eric with Darüşşafaka in 2018

| position = Center

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 11

| weight_lb = 264

| league = Taiwan Professional Basketball League

| team = Taipei Taishin Mars

| number = 50

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1988|6|24}}

| birth_place = Lagos, Nigeria

| high_school =

| college = Temple (2008–2012)

| draft_year = 2012

| career_start = 2012

| career_end =

| years1 = 2012–2013

| team1 = Canton Charge

| years2 = 2013–2014

| team2 = Texas Legends

| years3 = 2014

| team3 = Panelefsiniakos

| years4 = 2014–2015

| team4 = Enel Brindisi

| years5 = 2015–2016

| team5 = Texas Legends

| years6 = 2016

| team6 = AEK Athens

| years7 = 2016–2017

| team7 = Bilbao Basket

| years8 = 2017–2019

| team8 = Darüşşafaka

| years9 = 2019–2020

| team9 = Baskonia

| years10 = 2020–2021

| team10 = Türk Telekom

| years11 = 2021

| team11 = CSKA Moscow

| years12 = 2021–2022

| team12 = Unicaja Málaga

| years13 = 2023

| team13 = Türk Telekom

| years14 = 2023–2024

| team14 = Suwon KT Sonicboom

| years15 = 2024

| team15 = Halcones Rojos Veracruz

| years16 = 2024

| team16 = Al Ahli Tripoli

| years17 = 2024–present

| team17 = Taipei Taishin Mars

| highlights =

VTB League champion (2021)
Liga Endesa champion (2020)
EuroCup champion (2018)
NBA D-League All-Defensive Team (2016)
NBA D-League All-Star (2016)
NBA D-League All-Rookie Second Team (2013)

}}

Micheal Oluwaseun Eric (born June 24, 1988) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for the Taipei Taishin Mars of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He played college basketball for Temple.

Early life

Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Eric did not play basketball as a youth as his dad was a soccer coach and he liked to focus on his education. Despite basketball being a popular sport in Nigeria, he dismissed the sport until he grew five inches in a span of two years. He traveled to Delaware in 2004 to visit his brother, Stephen, who wouldn't let him return to Nigeria. Stephen knew with his younger brother's height – he was 6-foot-8 at the time – he could make a future for himself in basketball.{{cite web|first=Jason|last=Lloyd|url=http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/cavaliers-intrigued-with-size-potential-of-undrafted-michael-eric-1.321731|title=Cavaliers intrigued with size, potential of undrafted Michael Eric|work=Ohio.com|date=July 20, 2012|accessdate=July 20, 2012}} Newly arrived in the United States, Eric enrolled at Caesar Rodney High School in Camden, Delaware where he spent his sophomore year before transferring to Church Farm School in Exton, Pennsylvania for his junior year.{{cite web|url=http://www.owlsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5287|title=Micheal Eric - 2011-12 Men's Basketball|work=OwlSports.com|accessdate=July 20, 2012}}

=High school career=

Eric played two seasons at Church Farm as he earned first-team all-league and all-area as a junior and senior. As a junior in 2005–06, he averaged 16 points, 15 rebounds and eight blocks per game.

In November 2006, Eric signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for Temple University.{{cite web|url=http://temple-news.com/sports/three-sign-letters-of-intent-to-play-here/|title=Three sign Letters of Intent to play here|work=Temple-News.com|date=November 21, 2006|accessdate=August 10, 2012}}

As a senior in 2006–07, Eric averaged 19 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks per game while leading Church Farm to the KASC regular season championship.

College career

To Eric's disappointment, he was ruled ineligible to compete in 2007–08 due to NCAA initial eligibility guidelines, forcing him to redshirt the season. He went on to join the Temple Owls in 2008–09 where he averaged 2.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 27 games.

As a sophomore in 2009–10, Eric played in 31 games, starting 29, as he finished fifth on the team in scoring with 5.9 points per game. In addition, his 20 blocks and .516 field goal percentage ranked second on the team. He also averaged 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in just 15.7 minutes per game.

As a junior in 2010–11, Eric was named the team co-captain. He started the first 24 games of season before fracturing his right patella in practice which sidelined him for remainder of season. he averaged 7.1 points and 1.6 blocks, as well as ranking second on team with 5.9 rebounds per game and third with .490 field goal percentage.

As a senior in 2011–12, Eric again missed significant time with another right patella fracture, sitting out all of December and most of January with the injury. He played in 19 games, starting 15 times, as he was first on the team in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and fifth on the team in scoring (9.0 ppg). He tied his career-high with 19 points and a game-high 15 rebounds against UMass on February 29, 2012.{{cite web|url=https://sports.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/players/73290/gamelog|title=Micheal Eric – Temple Owls – Game Log|work=Yahoo.com|accessdate=August 10, 2012}}

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2012 NBA draft, Eric joined the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2012 NBA Summer League. On August 10, 2012, he signed with the Cavaliers{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/releases/eric_120810.html|title=Cavaliers Sign Micheal Eric|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.|date=August 10, 2012|accessdate=August 10, 2012}} but was later waived on October 27, 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/releases/roster-moves-121027|title=Cavaliers Waive Eric, Jones and Brown|work=NBA.com|publisher=Turner Sports Interactive, Inc.|date=October 27, 2012|accessdate=October 27, 2012}} In November 2012, he was acquired by the Canton Charge of the NBA Development League as an affiliate player.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/canton/news/charge_announce_201213_traini_2012_11_06.html |title=Charge Announce 2012-13 Training Camp Roster |work=NBA.com |date=November 6, 2012 |accessdate=November 6, 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106113921/http://www.nba.com/dleague/canton/news/charge_announce_201213_traini_2012_11_06.html |archivedate=November 6, 2013 }}

In July 2013, Eric joined the Philadelphia 76ers for the Orlando Summer League and the Golden State Warriors for the Las Vegas Summer League. On November 1, 2013, he was reacquired by the Canton Charge. Three days later, he was traded to the Texas Legends.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/texas/legends_complete_three_trades_2013_11_04.html |title=Legends Complete Three Trades, Finalize Training Camp Roster |work=NBA.com |date=November 4, 2013 |accessdate=November 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109041804/http://www.nba.com/dleague/texas/legends_complete_three_trades_2013_11_04.html |archivedate=November 9, 2013 }} On January 15, 2014, he was waived by the Legends due to a season-ending injury.

On September 27, 2014, Eric signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/bucks/release/bucks-announce-2014-training-camp-roster|title=BUCKS ANNOUNCE 2014 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER|work=NBA.com|date=September 27, 2014|accessdate=September 27, 2014}} However, he was later waived by the Bucks on October 27, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/bucks/release/bucks-request-waivers-eric|title=BUCKS REQUEST WAIVERS ON ERIC|work=NBA.com|date=October 27, 2014|accessdate=October 27, 2014}} On December 4, 2014, he signed with Panelefsiniakos of the Greek Basket League{{cite web|url=http://www.a1basket.gr/2014/12/panelefsiniakos-signed-eric-michael.html|title=Panelefsiniakos signed Eric Michael|work=A1Basket.gr|date=December 4, 2014|accessdate=December 4, 2014}} and made his debut for the team on December 13.{{cite web|first=Andrea|last=Ciaccia|url=http://www.basketinside.com/serie-a/mercato-serie-a/brindisi-sembra-conclusa-la-trattativa-con-il-pivot-sara-michael-eric-il-sostituto-di-cedric-simmons/|title=Brindisi, sembra conclusa la trattativa con il pivot, sarà Michael Eric il sostituto di Cedric Simmons|work=BasketInside.com|date=December 13, 2014|accessdate=December 13, 2014|language=Italian}} However, the next day, he signed with Enel Brindisi of Italy for the rest of the 2014–15 season, replacing Cedric Simmons in the line-up after the forward suffered a season-ending knee injury.{{cite web|url=http://www.sportando.com/en/italy/serie-a/144553/enel-brindisi-pursuing-micheal-eric.html|title=Enel Brindisi pursuing Micheal Eric|work=Sportando.com|date=December 12, 2014|accessdate=December 12, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sportando.com/en/italy/serie-a/144735/micheal-eric-signs-with-enel-brindisi.html|title=Micheal Eric signs with Enel Brindisi|work=Sportando.com|date=December 14, 2014|accessdate=December 14, 2014}}

In July 2015, Eric joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2015 NBA Summer League.{{cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/bucks/release/bucks-announce-2015-summer-league-roster|title=BUCKS ANNOUNCE 2015 SUMMER LEAGUE ROSTER|work=NBA.com|date=July 1, 2015|accessdate=July 1, 2015}} On October 31, Eric returned to the Texas Legends.{{cite news|url=http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=5065516|title=Legends Complete Two Trades, Announce 2015-16 Training Camp Roster|work=OurSportsCentral.com|date=October 31, 2015|accessdate=October 31, 2015}} He was waived by the Legends on November 11,{{cite news|url=http://basketball.realgm.com/dleague/teams/Texas-Legends/32/Transaction_History/2016|title=2015-2016 Texas Legends Transactions History|work=RealGM.com|accessdate=November 14, 2015}} and reacquired on November 20.{{cite news|url=http://dleague.nba.com/transactions/ |title=NBA D-League Transactions |work=NBA.com |accessdate=November 20, 2015 |url-status=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121014637/http://dleague.nba.com/transactions/ |archivedate=November 21, 2015 }} On January 29, 2016, he was named in the West All-Star team for the 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Game.{{cite web|url=http://dleague.nba.com/news/2016-nba-development-league-all-star-game-rosters/|title=Sixteen NBA Veterans Headline Rosters for NBA Development League All-Star Game Presented By Kumho Tire|work=NBA.com|date=January 29, 2016|accessdate=January 29, 2016}} At the season's end, he earned NBA D-League All-Defensive Team honors.{{cite web|url=http://dleague.nba.com/news/2015-16-all-nba-dleague-teams-release/|title=NBA Development League Announces 2015-16 All-NBA D-League Teams|work=NBA.com|date=April 29, 2016|accessdate=April 30, 2016}} On April 5, 2016, Eric signed with AEK Athens of Greece for the rest of the 2015–16 Greek Basket League season.{{cite web|url=http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/greece/196163/aek-athens-lands-michael-eric.html|title=AEK Athens lands Michael Eric|work=Sportando.com|date=April 5, 2016|accessdate=April 5, 2016}}

In July 2016, Eric joined the Washington Wizards for the 2016 NBA Summer League.[http://www.bulletsforever.com/2016/7/5/12099970/washington-wizards-summer-league-roster-2016-las-vegas Wizards announce full 2016 Summer League roster, featuring Kelly Oubre, Aaron White, Jarell Eddie among others] On August 7, 2016, he signed with Bilbao Basket of Spain for the 2016–17 season.[http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/spain/208919/bilbao-basket-adds-size-with-michael-eric.html Bilbao Basket adds size with Michael Eric]

On July 18, 2017, Eric signed with the Turkish club Darüşşafaka for the 2017–18 season.{{cite news|title=Michael Eric signs with Darussafaka|url=http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/turkey/241561/michael-eric-signs-with-darussafaka.html|accessdate=July 18, 2017|work=sportando|date=July 18, 2017}}

On July 9, 2019, Eric signed a two-year deal with Spanish club Kirolbet Baskonia.{{cite news |title=Michael Eric, primera incorporación azulgrana |url=https://www.baskonia.com/michael-eric-primera-incorporacion-azulgrana/ |accessdate=9 July 2019 |work=Saski Baskonia |date=9 July 2019 |language=es-ES}}{{cite news |title=Micheal Eric signs 2-year deal with Baskonia |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/micheal-eric-signs-2-year-deal-with-baskonia/ |accessdate=9 July 2019 |work=Sportando |date=9 July 2019}} He averaged 7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. That season, Eric won the Liga Endesa with Saski Baskonia. On July 7, 2020, Eric parted ways with the team.{{cite web |title=Micheal Eric, Baskonia part ways |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/michael-eric-baskonia-part-ways/ |website=Sportando |accessdate=July 7, 2020 |date=July 7, 2020}} He signed with Türk Telekom of the Turkish Super League on July 15.{{cite web |title=Michael Eric joins Turk Telekom Ankara |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/michael-eric-joins-turk-telekom-ankara/ |website=Sportando |accessdate=July 15, 2020 |date=July 15, 2020}}

On February 10, 2021, Eric signed with CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League and the EuroLeague for the rest of the 2020–21 season.He reached Final Four and won the VTB League. On June 16, 2021, Eric officially parted ways with the Russian club.{{cite web |title=CSKA Moscov, Micheal Eric part ways |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/cska-moscov-micheal-eric-part-ways/ |website=Sportando |access-date=June 19, 2021 |date=June 16, 2021}}

On August 9, 2021, he has signed with Unicaja Málaga of the Spanish Liga ACB.{{Cite web|url=https://sportando.basketball/en/malaga-announces-11-deal-with-michael-eric/|title=Malaga announces 1+1 deal with Michael Eric|last=|first=|date=August 9, 2021|website=|publisher=Sportando|language=En|access-date=August 9, 2021}} Eric suffered a season-ending ruptured ACL injury on January 26, 2022.{{cite web |title=Unicaja’s Micheal Eric has season ending injury |url=https://sportando.basketball/en/unicajas-micheal-eric-has-season-ending-injury/ |website=Sportando |access-date=January 26, 2022 |date=January 26, 2022}}

On January 13, 2023, Eric returned to Türk Telekom.{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketfaul.com/haber?haber=105732|title=Telekom, Eric'i beğendi|last=|first=|date=January 13, 2023|website=|publisher=basketfaul|language=tr|access-date=January 13, 2023}} He reached Eurocup Finals against Gran Canaria. On June 21, 2023, he mutually parted ways with the Turkish club once again.

On July 28, 2023, Eric has agreed to play in South Korea for Suwon KT Sonicboom of Korean Basketball League.

In October 2024, Eric joined Al Ahli Tripoli of Libya.{{Cite web |last=Addasi |first=Abdul Hamid |date=2024-10-03 |title=Micheal Eric (ex Halc.Rojos) is a newcomer at Ahly Tripoli |url=https://www.afrobasket.com/Nigeria/news/894046/Micheal-Eric-ex-HalcRojos-is-a-newcomer-at-Ahly-Tripoli |access-date=2024-10-05 |website=www.afrobasket.com}} On November 8, Eric signed with the Taipei Taishin Mars of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL).{{cite news |title=台北戰神雙補強！NBA資歷後衛麥卡倫、210公分巨塔艾力克入隊 |url=https://sports.ettoday.net/news/2851005 |accessdate=November 8, 2024 |work=ETtoday |date=November 8, 2024 }}

Career statistics

=EuroLeague=

class="wikitable"

style="background:#CFECEC; width:1em"|*

| Led the league

| style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19

| style="text-align:left;"| Darüşşafaka

| 29 || 20 || 20.3 || .540 || {{sort|-|—}} || .656 || 5.0 || .9 || .3 || .9 || 11.1 || 10.4

| style="text-align:left;"| 2019–20

| style="text-align:left;"| Baskonia

| style="background:#CFECEC;"|28* || 22 || 15.0 || .552 || {{sort|-|—}} || .457 || 2.7 || .3 || .8 || .6 || 5.7 || 4.4

| style="text-align:left;"| 2020–21

| style="text-align:left;"| CSKA Moscow

| 14 || 9 || 12.4 || .667 || {{sort|-|—}} || .700 || 3.3 || .2 || .6 || .5 || 5.4 || 6.4

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan=2|Career

| 71 || 51 || 16.6 || .631 || {{sort|-|—}} || .599 || 3.8 || .5 || .5 || .7 || 7.8 || 7.3

References

External links

[https://web.archive.org/web/20160102012556/http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/gamecent/p/pid/6076713/playerview.html FIBA profile]
[http://www.owlsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=5287 Temple bio]

Category:1988 births

Category:Living people

Category:AEK B.C. players

Category:Baloncesto Málaga players

Category:Bilbao Basket players

Category:Canton Charge players

Category:Centers (basketball)

Category:Darüşşafaka Basketbol players

Category:Liga ACB players

Category:New Basket Brindisi players

Category:Nigerian men's basketball players

Category:Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Spain