Ikechukwu Somtochukwu "Ike" Diogu (born September 11, 1983) is a Nigerian American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Shenzhen Leopards of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
Family and early life
Diogu's parents, natives of Nigeria, moved to the U.S. in 1980 to pursue further education. They later moved from Buffalo, New York, where he was born, to Garland, Texas. Ike attended Austin Academy, then enrolled at Garland High School. Diogu is a member of the Igbo ethnic group.
College career
Diogu stands at 6 foot 9 inches (2.06 m) tall which is considered slightly undersized for an NBA power forward, but he makes up for his lack of height with his muscle, girth and 7'4" wingspan.
Diogu attended Arizona State University, where he excelled on the team under head coach Rob Evans. He garnered several honors, both in the Pac-10 Conference and nationally. He won Pac-10 Freshman of the Year, and then Pac-10 Player of the Year in his final season with ASU, as a Junior. Many in the public speculated that Diogu would enter the draft after playing for his third season with Arizona State. On June 21, 2005, he made the decision to enter the NBA draft.
Professional career
Golden State Warriors
Diogu was selected 9th overall in the first round of the 2005 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. On December 23, 2005, he recorded a professional career-best 27 points on 13-15 shooting, surpassing his previous best by 12 points.
Indiana Pacers
On January 17, 2007, Diogu, whom Larry Bird called the "gem" of the deal, was traded to the Indiana Pacers along with teammates Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Troy Murphy, and Keith McLeod for Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell.
Portland Trail Blazers
On June 26, 2008 (draft night), Diogu was traded by Indiana to the Portland Trail Blazers along with the draft rights to Jerryd Bayless in exchange for Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts and the draft rights to Brandon Rush to the Indiana Pacers.
Sacramento Kings
Diogu was traded to the Sacramento Kings for the Chicago Bulls' Michael Ruffin on February 18, 2009.
New Orleans Hornets
Diogu signed with the New Orleans Hornets on July 29, 2009, but never appeared in a game for the team.
Detroit Pistons
He signed with the Detroit Pistons on September 27, 2010, becoming a member of their preseason roster. On October 20, 2010, Diogu was waived by the Pistons.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers signed Diogu as a free agent on December 22, 2010. On February 8, 2011, Diogu scored a season-high 18 points against the Orlando Magic.
San Antonio Spurs
Diogu joined the San Antonio Spurs on January 3, 2012. One week later, the Spurs waived him.
Xinjiang Flying Tigers / Capitanes de Arecibo
During the 2012 CBA Playoffs, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers signed Diogu for the rest of the 2012 CBA Playoffs. Diogu was a replacement for Gani Lawal during this time. He later signed with Capitanes de Arecibo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional.
Phoenix Suns
On October 1, 2012, Diogu signed with the Phoenix Suns. He was then waived on October 24, 2012.
Guangdong Southern Tigers / Leones de Ponce
In the fall of 2012, Diogu signed with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. After the season in China, he joined the Leones de Ponce in Puerto Rico.
New York Knicks
On September 27, 2013, Diogu signed with the New York Knicks. However, he was waived on October 25.
Bakersfield Jam
On December 12, 2013, he was acquired by the Bakersfield Jam.
On February 3, 2014, Diogu was named to the Prospects All-Star roster for the 2014 NBA D-League All-Star Game. On April 25, 2014, he was named the 2014 NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year.
Leones de Ponce
On April 29, 2014, Diogu joined Leones de Ponce (basketball) of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. This year Ike Diogu helped the Lions to win the championship over the Capitanes of Arecibo.
Dongguan Leopards
On July 5, 2014, Diogu signed with the Dongguan Leopards of China for the 2014-15 season.
Nigerian national team
Diogu has played with the senior men's Nigerian national basketball team. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
NBA career statistics
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
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005-06 | Golden State | 69 | 14 | 14.9 | .524 | .000 | .810 | 3.3 | .4 | .2 | .4 | 7.0 |
2006-07 | Golden State | 17 | 0 | 13.1 | .530 | .000 | .795 | 3.7 | .3 | .2 | .6 | 7.2 |
2006-07 | Indiana | 42 | 2 | 12.8 | .454 | .000 | .802 | 3.3 | .5 | .1 | .4 | 5.8 |
2007-08 | Indiana | 30 | 1 | 10.2 | .478 | .000 | .851 | 2.8 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 5.6 |
2008-09 | Portland | 19 | 0 | 3.8 | .316 | .000 | .750 | .9 | .0 | .1 | .1 | 1.4 |
2008-09 | Sacramento | 10 | 1 | 14.2 | .600 | .500 | .758 | 3.9 | .3 | .2 | .1 | 9.2 |
2010-11 | L.A. Clippers | 36 | 0 | 13.1 | .561 | .000 | .661 | 3.2 | .1 | .1 | .1 | 5.8 |
2011-12 | San Antonio | 2 | 0 | 7.0 | .000 | .000 | 1.000 | .5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
Career | 225 | 18 | 12.4 | .509 | .500 | .786 | 3.1 | .3 | .2 | .3 | 6.0 |