Devine Chukwuemeka Eke (born July 28, 1996) is an American-Nigerian basketball player for the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA G League.[1] He played college basketball for the Maine Black Bears, the Rider Broncs and the Radford Highlanders.
| Santa Cruz Warriors | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward / Power forward |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 28, 1996 Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Nigerian |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Union Catholic Regional High School (Union County, New Jersey) The Robinson School (Irvington, New Jersey) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2020: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Palencia |
| 2022 | Académica de Coimbra |
| 2023 | Feyenoord |
| 2023 | Amyntas |
| 2023 | Sloboda Tuzla |
| 2024 | Rivers Hoopers |
| 2024–present | Santa Cruz Warriors |
| Career highlights and awards | |
High school and college career
editWhile also competing in track,[2] Eke played for Union Catholic Regional High School, where he led the team to the conference title. After that, he competed for The Robinson School, where he averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds and 7 blocks per game, which earned him Jordan Brand Classic Regional Player honours.[3]
He began his college career with Maine, and led the Black Bears in rebounds per game (6.8 per game), as well as in field goal percentage (.612) and blocks (1.6 per game). Eke transferred to Rider, where he sat out the first season due to NCAA transfer rules, before playing two full seasons with them. His last year in college basketball was with Radford, where he led the team in rebounds and blocks.[3][4]
Professional career
editAfter gruadating, Eke initially struggled to find a professional team because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After having worked out with National Basketball Association (NBA) teams, among others the Chicago Bulls, he joined Palencia of the Spanish LEB Oro.[5]
In January 2023, Eke joined Dutch club Feyenoord.[6] He made his Feyenoord debut two months later after waiting for his working visa; he debuted on March 6, 2023, making 5 points in an away loss to Brussels.[7]
In May 2024, Eke joined Nigerian team Rivers Hoopers of the Basketball Africa League (BAL).[8] Eke played a key role in the Hoopers' third-place performance, and was named to the All-BAL Second Team.[9] He averaged 16.6 points and 10.8 rebounds per game for the Hoopers.
Following his performance in the BAL, Eke joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2024 NBA Summer League[10] and on October 26, 2024, he joined the Santa Cruz Warriors after being selected in the 2024 NBA G League draft.[11]
National team career
editEke made his debut for the Nigeria national team in February 2024, during the FIBA AfroBasket 2025 qualifiers.[12] He debuted on February 24, 2024, when he had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists in a loss to Uganda.[13] On February 25, he scored 31 points in another loss to Cape Verde.[14]
Personal life
editEke is the son of Charles and Lilian Eke, and has four siblings.[2][3] His cousins Chiney Ogwumike and Nneka Ogwumike are professional players in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).[3]
At Radford, he majored in radio and television.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Devine Eke, Basketball Player". Proballers.com. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Devine Eke - Men's Basketball". University of Maine Athletics. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Devine Eke - Men's Basketball". Radford University Athletics. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Devine Eke - Men's Basketball". Rider University Athletics. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "UC graduate Devine Eke signs to play basketball professionally in Spain". Union Catholic High School Athletics. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Eervol uit de beker". Feyenoord Basketball (in Dutch). 22 January 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Devine Eke maakt eerste minuten". Feyenoord Basketball. 6 March 2023. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "D'Tigers Forward, Devine Eke, Joins Rivers Hoopers For BAL". Leadership.ng. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ Mabunda, Sindiswa (6 June 2024). "Eke banks on Hoopers' BAL run to lift image of Nigerian basketball". TheBigTipOff.com. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ Adewale, Abiodun (9 July 2024). "From BAL to Milwaukee: How Ogwumike sisters inspired Eke". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Santa Cruz Warriors Select Seth Maxwell, Tommy Rutherford, and Devine Eke in the 2024 NBA G League Draft". NBA.com. 26 October 2024. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
- ^ "Devine Chukwuemeka Eke - Player Profile". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Uganda vs Nigeria - Group Phase - FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers | FIBA.basketball". www.fiba.basketball. 24 February 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
- ^ "Cape Verde vs Nigeria - Group Phase - FIBA AfroBasket 2025 Qualifiers | FIBA.basketball". www.fiba.basketball. 25 February 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.