Background
Olowokandi was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father was a diplomat.
Olowokandi was born in Lagos, Nigeria. His father was a diplomat.
Born in Nigeria and raised in London he attended college on a basketball scholarship at University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, and was the number one pick in the 1998 National Basketball Association draft, where he was selected as a center by the Los Angeles Clippers. His family moved to London, and Olowokandi attended the Newlands Manor School in Seaford, East Sussex and Brunel University.
He played professionally until 2007. At Brunel, Olowokandi was an athlete in track and field, cricket, and rugby union, and began playing basketball when he was 18. In 1995, he enrolled at University of the Pacific after opening to the school"s page in Peterson"s Guide to American Colleges and Universities.
At a 7-foot height, Michael Olowokandi called the basketball office at Pacific in the hopes that he would be accepted.
During his junior year, Olowokandi led his team to the 1997 National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament and as a senior he led the Tigers to the 1998 National Invitation Tournament. He graduated from Pacific with a degree in economics in 1998 and his Number.
55 jersey was retired by the university. After his senior year, he was drafted with the first overall pick of the 1998 National Basketball Association Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.
Because of the 1998-1999 National Basketball Association lockout, the season in which he was drafted, Olowokandi signed for Italian team Kinder Bologna.
When he eventually signed for the Clippers he played there for five seasons. Afterward, he signed as an unrestricted free agent with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2003-2004 National Basketball Association season. On 26 January 2006, he was traded to the Boston Celtics in a multi-player trade.
In 500 regular season National Basketball Association games (399 games started), Olowokandi averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.39 blocked shots per game.
In 15 playoff games (2 starts), he averaged 2.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 0.73 blocks per game. In the 2001–2002 season, Olowokandi saw the most playing time of his career and averaged 11.1 points and 8.8 rebounds.
During the last 20 games of that season, he averaged 17 points a game and 11 rebounds, and was considered one of the biggest free agents in the 2002–2003 free agency class. He played 36 games in the 2002–2003 season before sustaining an injury that forced him to miss the rest of the season.
In his last year with the Los Angeles Clippers, he sustained a hernia and knee injury, which greatly hindered his ability after being listed as a top free agent prospect for the 2002-2003 season.
He finished that season averaging 12.3 points (on 427% shooting from the floor) 9.1 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, and 2.7 turnovers per game. During that offseason, he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. His time with the Timberwolves was marked by serious injury and inconsistent play.
