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David Nwaba

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David Nwaba
Nwaba with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2019
No. 2 – San-en NeoPhoenix
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueB.League
Personal information
Born (1993-01-14) January 14, 1993 (age 31)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight219 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High schoolUniversity (Los Angeles, California)
College
NBA draft2016: undrafted
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2017Los Angeles D-Fenders
2017Los Angeles Lakers
2017→Los Angeles D-Fenders
2017–2018Chicago Bulls
2018–2019Cleveland Cavaliers
2019–2020Brooklyn Nets
2020–2022Houston Rockets
2022–2023Motor City Cruise
2024London Lions
2024–presentSan-en NeoPhoenix
Career highlights and awards
  • NBA D-League All-Defensive Team (2017)
  • NBA D-League All-Rookie Team (2017)
  • WSC South Division Player of the Year (2013)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

David Ugochukwu Nwaba[1]// ⓘ (born January 14, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the San-en NeoPhoenix of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for Santa Monica College and Cal Poly.

High school career

[edit]

Nwaba attended University High School in Los Angeles, where he was a two-time All-Western League Most Valuable Player honoree and all-league first team selection. As a senior in 2010–11, he averaged 22.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.[2]

College career

[edit]

While initially joining Hawaii Pacific, Nwaba redshirted the 2011–12 season and transferred to Santa Monica College in 2012. In 2012–13, he was named Western State Conference South Division Player of the Year and to the All-California Community College Athletic Association state first team after averaging 20.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.[2]

In 2013, Nwaba transferred again, this time to Cal Poly. As a sophomore in 2013–14, he appeared in all 34 games with 30 starts and finished eighth among Big West Conference players and 59th among NCAA Division I players with a team-leading 52.6 (140-for-266) field-goal percentage.[3] He also finished second in the lineup with 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game and 21 blocks. He was named to Big West All-Tournament Team after averaging 14.0 points and shooting 72.7 (16-for-22) percent from the floor in three contests. On December 14, 2013, he scored a career-high 22 points on 11-for-13 shooting against Cal State Dominguez Hills.[2]

As a junior in 2014–15, Nwaba finished second in Cal Poly's lineup and 15th among Big West Conference players with 11.4 points per game. He also averaged 4.7 rebounds and had 31 steals at 1.3 per game. He recorded 16 double-digit scoring games, including a season-high 21 points against Gonzaga on December 20, 2014.[2]

As a senior in 2015–16, Nwaba earned All-Big West Honorable Mention selection after averaging 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 30 games.[4] At the end of his Cal Poly career, Nwaba ranked 15th in program history in rebounds with a total of 465 and was one of 23 players to score more than 1,000 career points.[5]

Professional career

[edit]

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2016–2017)

[edit]

After graduating from Cal Poly in spring 2016 with a sociology degree, Nwaba headed to Reno, Nevada, to try out for the NBA Development League's Reno Bighorns.[5] The Bighorns were awarded his rights but later traded those rights to the Los Angeles D-Fenders on October 30, 2016.[6] Nwaba joined the D-Fenders for training camp and made the opening-night roster.[7]

In his G-League debut on November 11, 2016, Nwaba played 21 minutes and recorded 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 blocks and 1 steal as the D-Fenders defeated the Iowa Energy 127 - 98.[8] Playing a total of 40 regular season games for the D-Fenders in the 2016 - 2017 season, Nwaba averaged 14.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in 28.7 minutes per game. The team would make the playoffs and despite Nwaba's averages of 23.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists, they would be eliminated in the first round by the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in three games.

Nwaba was assigned to the D-Fenders four times during his rookie season with the Lakers.[9]

Los Angeles Lakers (2017)

[edit]

On February 28, 2017, Nwaba signed a 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.[10] That night, Nwaba made his NBA debut in a 109–104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets, playing a little over five minutes and only recording one rebound as a statistic.[11] On March 11, 2017, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Lakers.[12]

He made his first start for the Lakers a day later, recording 6 points, 1 rebound and 1 block in a 118–116 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.[13] On March 21, 2017, he signed a multi-year contract with the Lakers.[14]

During his rookie season with the Lakers, Nwaba played 20 games with the team (having a 5 - 15 record for those 20 games) averaging 6.0 points and 3.2 rebounds in 19.9 minutes.

On July 12, 2017, he was waived by the Lakers.[15]

Chicago Bulls (2017–2018)

[edit]

On July 14, 2017, Nwaba was claimed off waivers by the Chicago Bulls.[16] Early in the 2017 season, Nwaba entered the starting lineup multiple times and was lauded by his teammates for his ability to contest shots.[17]

On February 22, 2018, Nwaba scored a career-high 21 points while also grabbing 9 rebounds in a 115 - 116 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.[18]

Nwaba's time with the Bulls would be his most productive as he played (and started) the most games of his career in a season with the Bulls and averaged a career high in minutes, rebounds and assists per game.

Cleveland Cavaliers (2018–2019)

[edit]
Nwaba (left) in the 2018 Cleveland Cavaliers Wine & Gold Scrimmage

On September 8, 2018, Nwaba signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers.[19]

From November 26, 2018 to December 10, 2018, Nwaba missed nine games due to right knee soreness. He returned and played seven games for the team, averaging 5.5 points and 2.8 rebounds in those 7 games. Unfortunately, he would face more nagging injuries and would miss another 18 games from December 26, 2018 to January 29, 2019 due to a sprained left ankle.[20] He returned to finish the remaining 30 games for the Cavs' regular season (starting in 8 of those games) as the Cavs finished with a 19 - 63 record.

Brooklyn Nets (2019–2020)

[edit]

On July 17, 2019, Nwaba signed with the Brooklyn Nets.[21] Nwaba played in 20 of the Nets' first 28 games of the season and averaged 5.2 points and 2.3 rebounds in those 20 games.

On December 19, Nwaba suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in a game against the San Antonio Spurs.[22]

Two weeks after the ankle Achilles tear, on January 3, 2020, Nwaba was waived by the Nets.[23]

Houston Rockets (2020–2022)

[edit]

On June 23, 2020, Nwaba signed a two-year deal with the Houston Rockets.[24]

On February 22, 2021, the Rockets suffered their 11th loss in a row by losing 84 - 133 to the Memphis Grizzlies. In that game, Nwaba injured his wrist on a dunk attempt and was expected to miss 6 weeks of playing action.[25] He would miss the next three games initially then returned to the team to play against the Utah Jazz on March 12 (losing to the Jazz by 15) and the Boston Celtics on March 14 (losing to the Celtics by 27). After those losses, Nwaba would be sidelined for the rest of the season as the Rockets finished with a league-worst 17 - 55 record.

On September 30, 2022, Nwaba was traded, along with Trey Burke, Sterling Brown, and Marquese Chriss, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Derrick Favors, Ty Jerome, Maurice Harkless, Théo Maledon and a future second-round pick.[26]

Nwaba would be waived by the Thunder on October 17, 2022, two days before the team's season-opener.[27]

Motor City Cruise (2022–2023)

[edit]

Nwaba was picked up off waivers by the Lakeland Magic of the G-League. But on December 17, 2022, Nwaba was traded to the Motor City Cruise.[28]

In his debut for the Cruise during the regular season on December 27, 2022, Nwaba recorded 8 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 34 minutes in a 108 - 115 loss to the Capital City Go-Go.[29] For his first season with the Cruise, Nwaba played in 25 games and averaged 16.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 32.7 minutes.

On October 21, 2023, Nwaba signed with the Detroit Pistons,[30] but was waived the same day.[31] Nine days later, he re-joined the Motor City Cruise.[32]

For his second season with the Cruise, Nwaba would only play in 3 games during the regular season averaging 14.0 points and 5.3 rebounds. After his final game with the Cruise on December 30, 2023, he would leave the team in order to play professionally overseas.

London Lions (2024)

[edit]

On January 8, 2024, Nwaba signed with the London Lions of the British Basketball League.[33]

San-en NeoPhoenix (2024–present)

[edit]

On July 24, 2024, Nwaba signed with the San-en NeoPhoenix of the B.League.[34]

NBA career statistics

[edit]
Legend
  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

Regular season

[edit]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2016–17 L.A. Lakers 20 2 19.9 .580 .200 .641 3.2 .7 .6 .4 6.0
2017–18 Chicago 70 21 23.5 .478 .346 .655 4.7 1.5 .8 .4 7.9
2018–19 Cleveland 51 14 19.3 .481 .320 .682 3.2 1.1 .7 .3 6.5
2019–20 Brooklyn 20 0 13.4 .521 .429 .667 2.3 .4 .6 .6 5.2
2020–21 Houston 30 9 22.6 .486 .270 .691 3.9 1.0 1.0 .7 9.2
2021–22 Houston 46 4 13.2 .483 .306 .716 3.3 .8 .6 .4 5.1
Career 237 50 19.3 .490 .320 .673 3.7 1.0 .7 .4 6.8

Personal life

[edit]

Nwaba is the son of Theodore and Blessing Nwaba, both of whom are Nigerian origin.[35] He has 5 siblings: two brothers Victor and Alex, and 3 sisters Jane, Precious, and Barbara. Barbara is a professional heptathlete who competed at UC Santa Barbara, won the 2015 and 2016 National Championships title and competed in the 2016 Olympics.[2]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Birth of David Nwaba". California Birth Index. David Ugochukwu Nwaba was born on January 14, 1993 in Los Angeles County, California.
  2. ^ a b c d e "David Nwaba – Cal Poly". gopoly.com. Archived from the original on March 7, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  3. ^ Scroggin, Joshua D. (January 21, 2015). "Nwaba has green light on 3s now". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. S1.
  4. ^ "David Nwaba College Stats". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Ahmed, Naba (December 15, 2016). "Former Cal Poly guard David Nwaba joins Los Angeles D-Fenders". mustangnews.net. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  6. ^ Primeaux, Ryan (October 30, 2016). "D-Fenders Finalize Training Camp Roster and Schedule". NBA.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  7. ^ Primeaux, Ryan (November 10, 2016). "D-Fenders Set Opening Night Roster". NBA.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2016. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  8. ^ https://stats.gleague.nba.com/game/2021600004/
  9. ^ "2016-17 NBA Assignments". NBA.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
  10. ^ "Lakers Sign David Nwaba". NBA.com. February 28, 2017. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
  11. ^ "Kemba Walker scores 30, Hornets rally past Lakers, 109-104". ESPN.com. February 28, 2017. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  12. ^ "Lakers Sign David Nwaba to Second 10-Day Contract". NBA.com. March 11, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  13. ^ "David Nwaba 2016-17 Game Log". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  14. ^ "Lakers Sign David Nwaba to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  15. ^ "Lakers Waive David Nwaba". NBA.com. July 12, 2017. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  16. ^ "BULLS CLAIM DAVID NWABA". NBA.com. July 14, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
  17. ^ "Unheralded David Nwaba has made an impact for Bulls early in season". ChicagoTribune.com. October 27, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  18. ^ "Bulls' David Nwaba: Scores career-high 21 points Thursday". CBSSports.com. February 23, 2018. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  19. ^ "Cavaliers Sign David Nwaba". NBA.com. September 8, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  20. ^ https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/sports/pro/cavs/2019/02/01/despite-two-injuries-cavaliers-david/6137508007/
  21. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Sign David Nwaba". NBA.com. July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  22. ^ Winfield, Kristian; Covert, Adrian (December 19, 2019). "David Nwaba suffers torn Achilles in 4th quarter against Spurs". nydailynews.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  23. ^ "Brooklyn Nets Waive David Nwaba". NBA.com. January 3, 2020. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
  24. ^ "Rockets Sign Free Agent David Nwaba". NBA.com. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  25. ^ https://www.thedreamshake.com/2021/3/13/22329074/david-nwaba-plays-through-pain-in-loss-for-the-short-handed-rockets
  26. ^ "Thunder Acquires Sterling Brown, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss, David Nwaba and Generates Two Trade Exceptions". NBA.com. September 30, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  27. ^ "OKC Thunder news: David Nwaba, Trey Burke, Marquese Chriss waived". USA Today. October 17, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  28. ^ "2022-23 NBA G League Transactions". NBA.com. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  29. ^ https://stats.gleague.nba.com/game/2022200003/
  30. ^ Pistons PR [@Pistons_PR] (October 21, 2023). "The @DetroitPistons announced today that the team has signed Treveon Graham, David Nwaba, Nate Roberts and Ryan Turell to Exibit [sic] 10 contracts" (Tweet). Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ Adams, Luke (October 21, 2023). "Pistons Sign, Waive David Nwaba, Three Others". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  32. ^ Motor City Cruise [@MotorCityCruise] (October 30, 2023). "The engine is revving, and we're ready to roll! Check out the Motor City Cruise training camp roster - we're ready to work! #HustleAndDrive" (Tweet). Retrieved November 8, 2023 – via Twitter.
  33. ^ "LONDON LIONS SIGN DAVID NWABA". TheLondonLions.com. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  34. ^ "デイビッド・ヌワバ選手 契約締結（新規）のお知らせ". 三遠ネオフェニックス. July 24, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  35. ^ Iko, Kelly (October 13, 2020). "David Nwaba exclusive: 'It was a loud pop and I went down to the floor'". The Athletic.
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