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James Nnaji

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James Nnaji
No. 23 – Bàsquet Girona
PositionCenter
LeagueLiga ACB
Personal information
Born (2004-08-14) 14 August 2004 (age 20)
Makurdi, Nigeria
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2023: 2nd round, 31st overall pick
Selected by the Detroit Pistons
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–2020Rátgéber Akadémia
2020–presentFC Barcelona
2020–2021→FC Barcelona B
2024–present→Girona
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

James Nnaji (/ˈnɑːdʒi/ NAH-jee; born 14 August 2004) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for Bàsquet Girona of the Spanish Liga ACB on loan from FC Barcelona. He was selected 31st overall in the 2023 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, but his rights were traded to the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks.

Early life and youth career

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Nnaji grew up in Makurdi, Nigeria where he started playing basketball. He is from the middle belt (central) region of Nigeria. In 2018, Nnaji moved to Ratgeber Basketball Academy in Hungary.[1]

Professional career

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Nnaji started his career with Rátgéber Akadémia, a team in the Hungarian league. He moved from Hungary to Barcelona in 2020, joining FC Barcelona B in 2020. From there, he would move up to the A team of FC Barcelona in 2021, making thirteen appearances in the 2021–22 season.[1]

On 4 August 2024, Nnaji was loaned to Girona of the Spanish Liga ACB.[2]

NBA rights

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Nnaji declared for the 2023 NBA draft, where he was ranked as the 24th-best prospect in the ESPN Top 100.[3] On June 22, 2023, Nnaji was selected 31st overall in the 2023 NBA draft by the Detroit Pistons, which then traded him to the Charlotte Hornets.[4] In 2024, his rights were traded to the New York Knicks along with Karl-Anthony Towns as a part of a 3-team trade.[5]

Career statistics

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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  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

EuroLeague

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2021–22 Barcelona 13 2 5.8 .750 — .000 1.7 .2 — .4 1.8 2.5
2022–23 19 0 6.4 .762 — .462 1.3 .4 — .5 2.0 2.7
2023–24 19 0 5.6 .720 — .419 1.4 .2 .2 .3 2.6 3.0
Career 51 2 6.0 .742 — .396 1.5 .2 .1 .4 2.2 2.8

Domestic leagues

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Year Team League GP MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Spain Barcelona B LEB Plata 12 9.3 .696 — .214 2.7 .4 .1 1.1 2.9
2021–22 Spain Barcelona ACB 12 6.8 .786 — .444 1.4 .2 .1 .7 2.2
2022–23 Spain Barcelona ACB 35 10.5 .697 — .538 2.6 .2 .2 .6 4.3
2023–24 Spain Barcelona ACB 26 8.3 .649 — .647 2.2 .1 .1 .5 2.3

References

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  1. ^ a b "Barcelona locks up teenage center Nnaji". euroleaguebasketball.net. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  2. ^ Bàsquet Girona [@BasquetGirona] (4 August 2024). "✅ Benvingut a Fontajau, James!👋 🤝 James Nnaji arriba a Fontajau en qualitat de cedit pel @FCBbasket #NnajiGironí" (Tweet) (in Catalan). Retrieved 4 August 2024 – via Twitter.
  3. ^ Givony, Jonathan (20 April 2023). "EuroLeague prospect James Nnaji, 18, submits paperwork to enter NBA draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
  4. ^ Yeager, Jon (22 June 2023). "BREAKING: Hornets Draft James Nnaji". SI.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  5. ^ "New York Knicks Acquire Karl-Anthony Towns". NBA.com. October 2, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
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