Felix Okpara
Nigerian basketball player (born 2004)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Felix Eberechukwu Okparaⓘ (born April 20, 2004) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes and Tennessee Volunteers.
Okpara with the Tennessee Volunteers in 2026 | |
| No. 34 – Washington Wizards | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | April 20, 2004 Lagos, Nigeria |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2026: 2nd round, 46th overall pick |
| Drafted by | Orlando Magic |
| Playing career | 2026–present |
| Career history | |
| 2026–present | Washington Wizards |
| 2026–present | →Capital City Go-Go |
| Career highlights | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Early life
Okpara was born in Lagos, Nigeria, where he played soccer during his early years as a central and defensive midfielder.[1] At the age of 14, Okpara moved to the United States to pursue a basketball career, having never played basketball before.[2] He initially attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy, where he averaged 11.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, and also blocked double-digit shots in two game; one game being the St. James NIBC Invitational against Oak Hill Academy where he blocked 12 shots.[3][1][4] As a reserve his senior year, he averaged 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game, helping his team reach the GEICO Nationals where he had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 blocks in their loss to Montverde Academy.[4] He received offers from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, San Diego, Tennessee, Texas, and Vanderbilt,[4] before committing to play at Ohio State on July 26, 2021.[5]
Recruiting
Okpara was ranked the 74th best player in the nation, the 15th best center in the nation, and the 4th best player in the state of Missouri in the class of 2022.[5]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felix Okpara C |
Lagos, Nigeria | Link Academy (MO) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 26, 2021 | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:  247Sports: On3: ESPN: (85) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking: 247Sports: 8 | ||||||
Sources:
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College career
Ohio State
In the Buckeyes' 96–59 win over Saint Francis on December 3, 2022, Okpara achieved his first career double-double, and also hit his first career three.[6] Okpara, who had been dealing with an injury, played 8 minutes in the team's 72–60 win over Illinois on February 26, 2023.[7] In the final 9 games of the season, Okpara averaged 5.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, along with shooting a solid 63.2% from the floor after starting center Zed Key was ruled out for the rest of the season.[8] On March 1, Okpara had his best game of the season, tallying 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a 73–62 upset win over No. 21 Maryland.[8][9] In the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, Okpara notched 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 blocks in the 68–58 win over Michigan State.[8]
On November 29, 2023, in the 88–61 win against Central Michigan, Okpara notched a career-high 14 points.[10] After the season, Okpara announced his return to the Buckeyes. However, on April 21, 2024, Okpara decided to enter the transfer portal.[11]
Tennessee
On April 25, 2024, Okpara transferred to Tennessee.[12] He posted 7.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game during his first season and junior season at Tennessee in 2024–25.[13] Okpara averaged 8.0 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game in his final and senior season in 2025–26.[14]
Professional career
On June 24, 2026, Okpara was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 46th overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft then immediately traded to the Washington Wizards.[15]
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Ohio State | 35 | 11 | 15.5 | .587 | .200 | .615 | 3.6 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 4.0 |
| 2023–24 | Ohio State | 35 | 34 | 23.5 | .586 | .000 | .589 | 6.4 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 6.6 |
| 2024–25 | Tennessee | 38 | 38 | 25.8 | .589 | 1.000 | .719 | 6.4 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 7.1 |
| Career[16] | 108 | 83 | 21.7 | .587 | .167 | .651 | 5.5 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 5.9 | |