EJ Onu
American basketball player
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ejiofor Johnson Onu[1] (born July 31, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Bamberg Baskets in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). He played college basketball for the Shawnee State Bears.
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EJ Onu in 2024 | |
| No. 35 – Bamberg Baskets | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / center |
| League | Basketball Bundesliga |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 31, 1999 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) |
| College | Shawnee State (2017–2021) |
| NBA draft | 2021: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Texas Legends |
| 2022 | Memphis Hustle |
| 2022 | Niagara River Lions |
| 2022–2023 | Memphis Hustle |
| 2023 | Santa Cruz Warriors |
| 2023 | Niagara River Lions |
| 2023–2024 | Brose Bamberg |
| 2024 | Río Breogán |
| 2025 | Legia Warsaw |
| 2025–present | Bamberg Baskets |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
Born to Nigerian parents, Ejiofor Onu grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. He started playing basketball at age 14 and stood under 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) as a high school freshman.[2] Onu played for Richmond Heights High School in Richmond Heights, Ohio, earning Division IV All-Northeast Lake District honors from the Associated Press. He also ran track in high school.[3]
College career
During his freshman season at Shawnee State, Onu set a program single-game record with 11 blocks against the University of the Cumberlands.[3] As a freshman, he averaged 9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and a nation-leading 3.4 blocks per game, earning Mid-South Conference (MSC) Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors.[4] He set a program single-season record for blocks.[5] In his sophomore season, he averaged 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. Onu was selected to the Second Team All-MSC.[4]
As a junior, Onu averaged 11.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and a nation-leading 5.7 blocks per game. He was an Honorable Mention National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American, First Team All-MSC and MSC Defensive Player of the Year.[6] As a senior, Onu averaged 16.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, earning First Team NAIA All-American, MSC Player of the Year and First Team All-MSC honors.[7] For a third time, he was named MSC Defensive Player of the Year and led the nation in blocks. Onu became Shawnee State's all-time leader in blocks while ranking third in points and rebounds.[8] He helped his team win an NAIA national championship.[9] After the season, Onu declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal.[10][11][12] On July 6, 2021, he announced that he was remaining in the draft.[13]
Professional career
Texas Legends (2021–2022)
After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Onu joined the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA Summer League.[14] On August 21, 2021, the Mavericks announced that they had signed Onu,[15] but was waived by the on September 4.[16] He returned to Dallas on October 15, 2021, but was waived a day later.[17] On October 23, he signed with the Texas Legends as an affiliate player.[18] Onu was then later waived by the Legends on January 13, 2022.[19]
Memphis Hustle (2022)
On January 14, 2022, Onu was acquired via available player pool by the Memphis Hustle.[19] In 25 games, he averaged 5.96 points and 3.72 rebounds.[20]
Niagara River Lions (2022)
On April 5, 2022, Onu signed with the Niagara River Lions of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[20] He was named the CEBL Defensive Player of the Year after averaging a league record 3.3 blocks per game, establishing Niagara as one of the best defensive teams in the league.[21]
Return to Memphis (2022–2023)
Onu joined the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[22] On November 4, 2022, Onu was named to the opening night roster for the Memphis Hustle.[23]
Santa Cruz Warriors (2023)
On January 22, 2023, Onu was traded to the Santa Cruz Warriors in exchange for Tremont Waters.[24]
Return to the Niagara River Lions (2023)
On April 4, 2023, Onu returned to the Niagara River Lions.[25]
Brose Bamberg (2023–2024)
On July 14, 2023, Onu signed with Brose Bamberg of the easyCredit BBL.[26]
Río Breogán (2024–2025)
On June 29, 2024, he signed with Río Breogán of the Liga ACB.[27] On January 1, 2025, it was announced that Onu and Breogán ended their cooperation.[28]
Legia Warsaw (2025)
Onu signed a contract with Legia Warsaw of the Polish Basketball League (PLK).[29]
Return to Bamberg (2025–present)
On July 23, 2025, he signed with Bamberg Baskets in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) for a second stint.[30]
Career statistics
| 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 |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Shawnee State | 30 | 30 | – | .517 | .256 | .723 | 5.2 | .4 | .2 | 3.4 | 9.4 |
| 2018–19 | Shawnee State | 30 | 29 | – | .570 | .346 | .728 | 6.5 | .2 | .2 | 3.1 | 12.0 |
| 2019–20 | Shawnee State | 32 | 32 | 30.7 | .451 | .270 | .679 | 7.8 | .4 | .3 | 5.7 | 11.7 |
| 2020–21 | Shawnee State | 33 | 33 | 29.6 | .573 | .400 | .748 | 8.1 | .5 | .7 | 4.5 | 16.9 |
| Career | 125 | 124 | – | .528 | .330 | .721 | 6.9 | .4 | .3 | 4.2 | 12.6 | |
