Ike Diogu

Ike Diogu is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who has played internationally and in the National Basketball Association. Teams he has played in the NBA included the Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Clippers, and the San Antonio Spurs. He last played for the Piratas de La Guaira in Venezuela’s Superliga Profesional de Baloncesto.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Ikechukwu Somtochukwu Diogu was born on September 11, 1983, in Buffalo, New York, United States. His parents, both from Nigeria, moved to the United States in 1980.

The family later settled in Garland, Texas, where Diogu attended Austin Academy and Garland High School. He is a member of the Igbo ethnic group.

High School and College Career

Diogu attended Garland High School in Garland, Texas, before playing college basketball at Arizona State University from 2002 to 2005.

At Arizona State, he was a three-time First-team All-Pac-10 selection, Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2005, and a consensus second-team All-American in 2005. His No. 5 jersey was retired by Arizona State Sun Devils.

Professional Career

Diogu was selected in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft as the 9th overall pick by the Golden State Warriors. He began his professional basketball career that same year and has played for a wide range of teams in the NBA, NBA D-League, and internationally.

Diogu’s early NBA years were spent with the Warriors from 2005 to 2007, followed by a season with the Indiana Pacers in 2007–2008. He then played for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2008–2009 and had a stint with the Sacramento Kings in 2009. Diogu continued his NBA career with the Los Angeles Clippers from 2010 to 2011 and briefly joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2012.

After his NBA tenure, Diogu’s career extended internationally. In 2012, he played for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China and Capitanes de Arecibo in Puerto Rico. He then joined the Guangdong Southern Tigers for the 2012–2013 season, played for Leones de Ponce in 2013, and spent the 2013–2014 season with the Bakersfield Jam in the NBA D-League.

Diogu returned to Leones de Ponce in 2014, followed by a season with the Dongguan Leopards in 2014–2015 and another stint with Guangdong Southern Tigers in 2015–2016. He played for Jiangsu Monkey King in 2016–2017, Sichuan Blue Whales in 2018, and Shimane Susanoo Magic in 2019.

More recently, Diogu played for Chemidor and Astros de Jalisco in 2021, Zamalek from 2022 to 2023, and Piratas de La Guaira in 2023.

Throughout his career, Diogu has earned several notable honors. He was named NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year in 2014 and was an NBA D-League All-Star that same year.

Internationally, Diogu has also excelled. He was named FIBA Africa Championship MVP in 2017, was selected to the AfroBasket All-Tournament Team in 2017, and was the FIBA Africa Championship Top Scorer in both 2013 and 2017.

Career Highlights

• 2003, 2004, 2005 – First-team All-Pac-10
• 2005 – Pac-10 Player of the Year
• 2005 – Consensus second-team All-American
• No. 5 jersey retired by Arizona State Sun Devils
• 2013 – BSN Center of the Year
• 2013 – BSN First Team
• 2013 – BSN All-Imports First Team
• 2014 – BSN champion
• 2014 – NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year
• 2014 – NBA D-League All-Star
• 2017 – FIBA Africa Championship MVP
• 2017 – AfroBasket All-Tournament Team
• 2013, 2017 – FIBA Africa Championship Top Scorer

Medal Record, Representing Nigeria

• 2015 – Gold – AfroBasket (Tunisia)
• 2017 – Silver – AfroBasket (Tunisia/Senegal)