KZ Okpala

Chikezie Jake "KZ" Okpala (born April 28, 1999) is an American-Nigerian former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal.

Early life Okpala was born to Nigerian parents Martin and Mary Okpala, who settled in Orange County, California before his birth. He began playing basketball at age 4 but did not join a youth league because he found them unruly. When he was in fourth grade, his family moved from Fresno back to Orange County, living in Yorba Linda, where he reached out to a local club team. Okpala joined the starting lineup as a sophomore. On January 16, 2015, during that season, he made a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat El Dorado High School. As a junior, Okpala averaged 23 points and 8 rebounds per game to lead Esperanza to a conference title and win Crestview League Player of the Year honors. His most notable moment in that year was when Okpala dunked on Trevor Hooks of Orange High School. He scored a career-high 46 points against Crossroads School, which set a school record. On March 26, 2017, Okpala led Esperanza to its first California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division II championship, scoring 22 points versus Moreau Catholic High School. He was named Crestview League Player of the Year and played at the Ballislife All-American Game.

Okpala was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top high school players in California. He received an offer from Stanford in July 2016, shortly before committing there.

College career Okpala missed his first 11 games of his freshman season at Stanford because of academic ineligibility. On December 21, 2017, after being cleared to play, he debuted with 6 points in 28 minutes against Kansas. On March 3, 2018, Okpala recorded his first double-double, tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds in an 84–83 win over Arizona State. He scored a season-high 23 points on March 8, in an 88–77 loss to UCLA. As a freshman, Okpala averaged 10 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Six days later, Okpala earned Pac-12 Conference player of the week recognition. On January 9, 2019, he had another strong performance, erupting for 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists against Arizona.

At the conclusion of his sophomore season, Okpala announced his intention to forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility and declare for the 2019 NBA draft.

Professional career

Miami Heat (2019–2022) Okpala was drafted by the Phoenix Suns with the 32nd overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft but was soon after traded to the Miami Heat. On July 7, 2019, Miami Heat announced that they had signed Okpala to a three-year, $4.2 million contract. He played in two of the Heat's first four games, but missed 19 games due to an Achilles strain. In December 2019, Okpala was assigned to the Heat's G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. He averaged 11.7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.1 blocks per game in 20 appearances with the Skyforce.

On August 1, 2021, Okpala joined the Heat for the NBA Summer League.

On February 9, 2022, Okpala was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for draft considerations. He was waived two days later.

Sacramento Kings (2022–2023) On September 14, 2022, Okpala signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Sacramento Kings. On February 25, 2023, Okpala was waived.

National team career Okpala played for the Nigerian national basketball team at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College