EJ Onu (born July 31, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Hustle of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Shawnee State Bears.
| No. 24 – Memphis Hustle | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward / Center |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (1999-07-31) July 31, 1999 (age 23) Cleveland, Ohio |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
| Listed weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Richmond Heights (Richmond Heights, Ohio) |
| College | Shawnee State (2017–2021) |
| NBA draft | 2021 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Texas Legends |
| 2022 | Memphis Hustle |
| 2022 | Niagara River Lions |
| 2022–present | Memphis Hustle |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Born to Nigerian parents, Ejiofor Onu grew up near Cleveland, Ohio. He started playing basketball at age 14 and stood under 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) as a high school freshman.[1] Onu played for Richmond Heights High School in Richmond Heights, Ohio, earning Division IV All-Northeast Lake District honors from the Associated Press. He also ran track in high school.[2]
During his freshman season at Shawnee State, Onu set a program single-game record with 11 blocks against the University of the Cumberlands.[2] As a freshman, he averaged 9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and a nation-leading 3.4 blocks per game, earning Mid-South Conference (MSC) Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors.[3] He set a program single-season record for blocks.[4] In his sophomore season, he averaged 12 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game. Onu was selected to the Second Team All-MSC.[3]
As a junior, Onu averaged 11.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and a nation-leading 5.7 blocks per game. He was an Honorable Mention National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) All-American, First Team All-MSC and MSC Defensive Player of the Year.[5] As a senior, Onu averaged 16.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.5 blocks per game, earning First Team NAIA All-American, MSC Player of the Year and First Team All-MSC honors.[6] For a third time, he was named MSC Defensive Player of the Year and led the nation in blocks. Onu became Shawnee State's all-time leader in blocks while ranking third in points and rebounds.[7] He helped his team win an NAIA national championship.[8] After the season, Onu declared for the 2021 NBA draft while maintaining his college eligibility and entering the transfer portal.[9][10][11] On July 6, 2021, he announced that he was remaining in the draft.[12]
After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Onu joined the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA Summer League.[13] On August 21, 2021, the Mavericks announced that they had signed Onu,[14] but was waived by the on September 4.[15] He returned to Dallas on October 15, 2021, but was waived a day later.[16] On October 23, he signed with the Texas Legends as an affiliate player.[17] Onu was then later waived by the Legends on January 13, 2022.[18]
On January 14, 2022, Onu was acquired via available player pool by the Memphis Hustle.[18] In 25 games, he averaged 5.96 points and 3.72 rebounds.[19]
On April 5, 2022, Onu signed with the Niagara River Lions of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.[19] He was named the CEBL Defensive Player of the Year after averaging a league record 3.3 blocks per game, establishing Niagara as one of the best defensive teams in the league.[20]
Onu joined the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[21] On November 4, 2022, Onu was named to the opening night roster for the Memphis Hustle.[22]
| 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 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Shawnee State | 30 | 30 | – | .517 | .256 | .723 | 5.2 | .4 | .2 | 3.4 | 9.4 |
| 2018–19 | Shawnee State | 30 | 29 | – | .570 | .346 | .728 | 6.5 | .2 | .2 | 3.1 | 12.0 |
| 2019–20 | Shawnee State | 32 | 32 | 30.7 | .451 | .270 | .679 | 7.8 | .4 | .3 | 5.7 | 11.7 |
| 2020–21 | Shawnee State | 33 | 33 | 29.6 | .573 | .400 | .748 | 8.1 | .5 | .7 | 4.5 | 16.9 |
| Career | 125 | 124 | – | .528 | .330 | .721 | 6.9 | .4 | .3 | 4.2 | 12.6 | |
Memphis Hustle current roster | |
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