Michael Olowokandi

Michael Olowokandi (born 3 April 1975) is a Nigerian former professional basketball player.

Born in Lagos, Nigeria, and raised in London, he played collegiately for the Pacific Tigers in Stockton, California.

On 3 April 1995, on Olowokandi's 20th birthday, he opened the Peterson's Guide to American Colleges and Universities to a random page and landed on the University of the Pacific (UOP).

Olowokandi called the UOP basketball office in hopes that he would be accepted to play basketball for the Pacific Tigers.

UOP assistant coach Tony Marcopulos answered the phone call and was stunned when informed of Olowokandi's height of 7ft 1in.

After being informed that there were no more available basketball scholarships at UOP, Olowokandi offered to pay for his schooling (about $23,000 annually) for two years.

He also called Georgetown University and Duke University but was informed they would not offer scholarships without sending a scout to see him.

Olowokandi and Marcupulos spent hundreds of phone calls arranging credit transferral and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) eligibility, which was determined that Olowokandi had three seasons of college remaining.

When Olowokandi arrived in the United States in August 1995, he had not played a game of organized basketball or met the UOP coaches; Pacific head coach Bob Thomason joked, "I had told him on the phone that if he wasn't 7 foot I was going to put him right back on the plane."

Arriving as a sophomore in eligibility, Olowokandi had no understanding of basketball terminology and was in poor physical condition.

He frequently committed backcourt and traveling violations in his early games but persisted with his progression and committed to extended practice sessions.

Olowokandi became a star for the team during his junior season, averaging a team high 12.6 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks.

Olowokandi led his team to the 1997 NCAA Tournament and as a senior he led the Tigers to the 1998 National Invitation Tournament.

He averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game his senior year and was the 1997–98 Big West Conference Player of the Year.

Nicknamed "The Kandi Man," Olowokandi was selected as the first overall pick of the 1998 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Olowokandi was named as a 1998 Honorable Mention All-American by the Associated Press.

He graduated from Pacific with a degree in Economics and had his No. 55 jersey retired by the university in 1998.

Olowokandi was considered to be a top two pick in the 1998 NBA draft due to his 7ft 6in wingspan and "unlimited upside".

He performed well at the NBA annual pre-draft events with his quickness, speed and strength.

Olowokandi set records during his workouts in the Denver and Vancouver pre-draft camps, including a record for medicine ball dunks in Denver and running the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds.

Fellow NBA player Andrew Lang said Olowokandi had some of the quickest feet he had ever seen while the two performed together at the camps.

Olowokandi was drafted with the first overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers.

Later in the lottery future Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Dirk Nowitzki were selected, as well as future All-Stars Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison.

The Clippers had initially planned to draft eventual second pick Mike Bibby but Elgin Baylor cited Olowokandi's work habits and off-season improvements as the swaying factors.

The start of the 1998–99 NBA season was hampered due to a lockout and the Clippers were not allowed to contact Olowokandi.

His agent, Bill Duffy, put Olowokandi in contact with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who trained together extensively during the 1998 offseason.

Olokowandi signed with Italian team Kinder Bologna on 5 January 1999 — only two days before the lockout was resolved.

In 3 regular season Italian League games played with Bologna, he averaged 4.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 17.3 minutes per game.

He also played for 3 games in the FIBA EuroLeague, where he averaged 10.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 0.3 assists in 21.3 minutes per game.

Bologna granted Olowokandi an early release to sign with the Clippers as he did not have a considerable impact and was poorly conditioned.

Olowokandi has Nigerian citizenship and did not hold a British passport as of 2004.

Olowokandi attended the Newlands Manor School in Seaford, East Sussex, where he set British age group records in long jump and triple jump and also played center midfield in football.

Olowokandi had a height of 6ft 8in at age 16, growing six inches in two years.

He first touched a basketball at the age of 17, and began playing basketball when he was 18.

Olowokandi then entered Brunel University as a mechanical engineering major, where he was an athlete in track and field, cricket, and rugby union.

He had a tryout with the Thames Valley Tigers of the Budweiser Basketball League but did not receive a contract.

He played professionally until 2007, when he was forced to retire due to severe hernia and knee injuries.

Olowokandi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, as the oldest of five children.

His father, Ezekiel, was a Nigerian diplomat.

When Olowokandi was aged 3, his family moved to London where he was raised.