Chikezie Jake "KZ" Okpala[1] (born April 28, 1999) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal.
![]() Okpala with Stanford in 2017 | |
No. 30 – Sacramento Kings | |
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Position | Small forward |
League | NBA |
Personal information | |
Born | (1999-04-28) April 28, 1999 (age 23) Anaheim, California, U.S. |
Nationality | American / Nigerian |
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Esperanza (Anaheim, California) |
College | Stanford (2017–2019) |
NBA draft | 2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 32nd overall |
Selected by the Phoenix Suns | |
Playing career | 2019–present |
Career history | |
2019–2022 | Miami Heat |
2019–2020 | →Sioux Falls Skyforce |
2022–present | Sacramento Kings |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Stats ![]() | |
Stats ![]() | |
Okpala was born to Nigerian parents Martin and Mary Okpala, who settled in Orange County, California before his birth.[2] He began playing basketball at age 4 but did not join a youth league because he found them unruly.[1] Okpala grew up playing the game against adults at fitness clubs and parks.[3] 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.[1] Okpala also played football and baseball in his childhood before focusing on basketball by age 11.[2]
Okpala attended Esperanza High School in Anaheim, California. He grew from 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) to 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) during his four years playing high school basketball.[4] Okpala joined the starting lineup as a sophomore.[5] On January 16, 2015, during that season, he made a buzzer-beating three-pointer to defeat El Dorado High School.[6] 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.[5]
In his senior season, he improved to 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game.[4] On November 25, 2016, Okpala tallied 41 points in a 76–59 win over Spartanburg Day School at the Tournament of Champions.[7] He scored a career-high 46 points against Crossroads School, which set a school record.[4][8] 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.[9] He was named Crestview League Player of the Year and played at the Ballislife All-American Game.[10]
Okpala was a consensus four-star recruit and one of the top high school players in California.[11][12] He received an offer from Stanford in July 2016, shortly before committing there.[11][13]
Okpala missed his first 11 games of his freshman season at Stanford because of academic ineligibility.[14] On December 21, 2017, after being cleared to play, he debuted with 6 points in 28 minutes against Kansas.[15][16] On March 3, 2018, Okpala recorded his first double-double, tallying 18 points and 10 rebounds in an 84–83 win over Arizona State.[17] He scored a season-high 23 points on March 8, in an 88–77 loss to UCLA.[18] As a freshman, Okpala averaged 10 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.[4]
On November 6, 2018, he made his sophomore debut with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists in a 96–74 win over Seattle.[19] Six days later, Okpala earned Pac-12 Conference player of the week recognition.[20] On January 9, 2019, he had another strong performance, erupting for 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists against Arizona.[21]
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.[22]
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.[23] On July 7, 2019, Miami Heat announced that they had signed Okpala.[24] 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.[25]
On August 1, 2021, Okpala joined the Heat for the NBA Summer League.[26]
On February 9, 2022, Okpala was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder for draft considerations.[27] He was waived two days later.[28]
On September 14, 2022, Okpala signed with the Sacramento Kings.[29]
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019–20 | Miami | 5 | 0 | 5.2 | .600 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | .2 | .4 | .2 | 1.4 |
2020–21 | Miami | 37 | 9 | 12.1 | .375 | .240 | .533 | 1.8 | .5 | .3 | .3 | 2.5 |
2021–22 | Miami | 21 | 0 | 11.6 | .435 | .346 | .727 | 2.0 | .7 | .2 | .3 | 3.7 |
Career | 63 | 9 | 11.4 | .406 | .273 | .607 | 1.8 | .5 | .3 | .3 | 2.8 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Miami | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
Career | 2 | 0 | 3.0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 |
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Stanford | 23 | 21 | 28.5 | .393 | .226 | .679 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 1.0 | .6 | 10.0 |
2018–19 | Stanford | 29 | 29 | 32.7 | .465 | .375 | .671 | 5.7 | 2.0 | 1.0 | .5 | 16.9 |
Career | 52 | 50 | 30.8 | .440 | .336 | .674 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 1.0 | .5 | 13.9 |
Sacramento Kings roster | |
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