Efe Abogidi
 Abogidi with Washington State in 2021 | |
| Central Districts Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position | Center |
| League | NBL1 Central |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 11 October 2001 Nigeria |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Washington State (2020–2022) |
| NBA draft | 2023: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2022–present |
| Career history | |
| 2022–2024 | NBA G League Ignite |
| 2025–present | Central Districts Lions |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Efemena Tennyson Abogidi (born 11 October 2001) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for the Central Districts Lions of the NBL1 Central. He played college basketball for the Washington State Cougars of the Pac-12 Conference.
Early life and career
[edit]Abogidi grew up in Ughelli, a town in Delta State, Nigeria.[1] He competed in track and field, including sprinting, long jump and high jump. Abogidi watched highlight videos of Tim Duncan, who he tried to emulate in local pick-up basketball games. In 2015 and 2016, he was named most valuable player of a camp run by Olumide Oyedeji in Lagos. Abogidi joined Hoops & Read, a program created by Oyedeji's foundation, and helped his team earn a promotion into the Nigerian Premier League in 2016.[2] In the next year, he moved to Senegal to attend the NBA Academy Africa in its first year.[3] In June 2017, at the NBA Academy Games in Canberra, Australia, he suffered a torn ACL, MCL and meniscus while attempting a slam dunk. He underwent surgery and began attending the NBA Global Academy in Canberra.[2] He committed to playing college basketball for Washington State over offers from Creighton and UT Arlington.[2][4]
College career
[edit]Abogidi played two seasons of college basketball for the Washington State Cougars between 2020 and 2022.[5] In December 2020, Abogidi recorded three consecutive double-doubles and was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.[6] He averaged 8.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game as a freshman, earning Pac-12 All-Freshman Team honors for the 2020–21 season.[7] In 2021–22, he played all 37 games and made 29 starts while finishing fourth on the team in scoring at 8.1 points on 51.0% shooting and averaging a team-best 5.8 rebounds per game.[5]
Professional career
[edit]NBA G League Ignite (2022–2024)
[edit]On June 24, 2022, Abogidi signed with the NBA G League Ignite of the NBA G League.[8] On January 3, 2023, he suffered a knee injury during the first quarter of the team's game against the Birmingham Squadron. He was subsequently ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery.[9] In 22 games during the 2022–23 season, he averaged 8.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 blocks in 18.6 minutes per game.[10]
Abogidi returned to the Ignite 2023–24 season[11] but did not appear in a game.[10]
In October 2024, Abogidi signed with the Central Districts Lions of the NBL1 Central in Australia for the 2025 season.[12][13]
Career statistics
[edit]| 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
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Washington State | 27 | 27 | 24.4 | .491 | .273 | .811 | 7.2 | .4 | .7 | 1.3 | 8.9 |
References
[edit]- ^ Clark, Colton (2 January 2021). "For Cougs, the secret's out". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ a b c Martin, Josh (12 May 2020). "Nigeria's Efe Abogidi Ready for Liftoff from NBA Academy". CloseUp360. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ Simon, Benjamin (20 December 2019). "'He Dunks With His Head': High-Flying Efe Abogidi Is Ready to Level Up". Slam. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ Lawson, Theo (22 October 2019). "High-flier from Australia commits to Kyle Smith, Washington State". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Efe Abogidi - Men's Basketball". Washington State University Athletics. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ^ Bolton, Barry (28 December 2020). "Efe Abogidi logs another WSU first: Pac-12 Freshman of the Week". 247Sports. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
- ^ Lawson, Theo (22 June 2021). "Current, former Washington State players Efe Abogidi, Ike Iroegbu invited to Nigerian national team camp". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Efe Abogidi signs with NBA G League Ignite". NBA.com. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ^ "Efe Abogidi Medical Update". OurSports Central. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ^ a b "Efe Abogidi Player Profile". RealGM.com. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Ignite Announces Roster For The 2023-24 Season". NBA.com. 30 October 2023. Archived from the original on 21 March 2024. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ "We are very excited to announce the signing of Efe Abogidi for the 2025 NBL1 Central Season". facebook.com/CentralDistrictsLions. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2025.
- ^ ""Monster" season ahead for Efe Abogidi". nbl1.com.au. 26 January 2025. Retrieved 26 January 2025.