Serge Ibaka is a well-known basketball player. Serge Ibaka plays for the Spanish national team despite being from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ibaka, the most experienced African basketball star in the NBA, is in his 16th season of peak performance.
As a member of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors in 2019, Ibaka won his first title.
Despite having won one NBA championship, Ibaka still has a lot of gas in the tank and much to prove.
Table of Contents
Childhood
Serge Ibaka was born on September 18, 1989, in Brazzaville, PR Congo.
In a family of 18 children, Serge was born.
His father, Désiré, and his mother, Amado, both former basketball players who excelled in the nation during their childhood, fostered in him a profound love for the game despite the everyday violence that surrounded him and his family.
Serge’s mother passed away when he was nine, adding more sadness to his upbringing.
In honor of his mother, he wears the number 9.
His family noticed a rise in hostilities in Brazzaville. In order to get away from the gunshots, Désiré’s father made the decision to move the family to Ouesso in the northwest of the nation.
In this small village in the heart of the jungle, close to the Cameroonian border, there was no easy access to water, and there was also sporadic electricity.
Serge, on the other hand, was a diligent worker who rapidly adapted to the circumstance and gave his full attention to his studies and basketball.
He was brought over to Paris and other parts of France by his uncle, who had already made a home in the Tours region of France. Serge was passed over despite having evident potential.
The basketball player, though, was undeterred and set his sights on another opportunity to succeed farther south, on the other side of the Pyrenees.
Early Years
Serge and his family were escaping heavy gunfire and bombings in 1997 as the civil war broke out all around them in Congo-Brazzaville.
His Spanish experience was made possible by Pera Capdevilla, a Catalan sports agent who had already noticed the young Congolese boy’s skill after watching him win games for his country’s youth team and at basketball clinics all across Europe.
For Pera, Ibaka was a gem in the rough. Serge, who is currently residing in Spain, signed with the Manresa team, who then leased him to the L’Hospitalet team in a neighborhood of Barcelona.
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The guy lived in a modest apartment with four other amateur athletes who were trying to make it into the pros.
The Milwaukee Bucks center’s demeanor was impacted by a number of life experiences, including this early trauma.
Net Worth
Serge Ibaka has a $12 million net worth. Additionally, his career earnings through the 2020–21 season total $127,417,830, according to Spotrac.
Ibaka unexpectedly signed with the Los Angeles Clippers after becoming a free agent in the 2020 offseason.
He agreed to a $19 million, two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
He chose the player option for the second year in the offseason of 2021, which allowed him to stay with Los Angeles for an additional season. He will be paid $9,720,900 for the 2021–22 season.
Ibaka is an athlete for Adidas who has worn different Adidas models over the course of his career.
During his time with the Raptors, he most recently donned the “Adidas Mad Bounce,” and he has also worn the “Adidas Explosive Bounce.”
Facts of Serge Ibaka
| Full Name | Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila |
| Known As | Serge Ibaka |
| Nickname | Air Congo & Serge Protector |
| Birth Date | September 18, 1989 |
| Birth Place | Brazzaville, PR Congo |
| Residence | Not Available |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | Congolese/Spanish |
| Ethnicity | N/A |
| Education | N/A |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Father’s Name | Desiree Ibaka |
| Mother’s Name | Amadou Djonga |
| Siblings | Igor and Rachina Ibaka |
| Age | 32 years old |
| Height | 6’10” |
| Weight | 235 lb (107 kg) |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Body Type | Athletic |
| Profession | Basketball Player |
| Marital Status | In a relationship |
| Girlfriend | Pearl Thusi |
| Children | Ranie Ibaka (daughter) |
| Active since | 2006–present |
| Teams |
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| Achievements |
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| Net Worth | $12 million |
| NBA Draft Pick | 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 24th overall |
| Position | Center and Power Forward |
| League | NBA |
| Merch | Notebook |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Last Update | June 2022 |
Career as a Hobby
Ibaka traveled to France when he was 17 and joined a basketball team in the second level before travelling to Spain and learning the language on his own.
He joined CB L’Hospitalet, a basketball team in Spain’s second tier, quite fast. He averaged 10.8 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 55 percent.
He participated in a number of foreign competitions in 2008, taking home the MVP honor at the Reebok Eurocamp, and drawing the interest of NBA scouts.
An NBA scout at one of the camps observed, “Athletically, he’s off the charts—no, there’s no telling how terrific he can be.”
NFL Draft
Ibaka was chosen by the Seattle SuperSonics with the 24th overall choice in the 2008 NBA Draft.
Despite the Oklahoma City Thunder’s offer for him to remain in Europe, Serge became the first player from the Republic of Congo to be chosen in the draft.
In July 2009, Thunder paid the buyout and agreed to a two-year deal with a possible two-year extension.
Serge decided to remain in Spain after being selected in order to develop his skills and gain professional experience in the top European league, the ACB.
He played with Bàsquet Manresa in the 2008–2009 season, where at 18 years old he was the league’s youngest player. He put on a fantastic performance and even won the ACB Dunk Contest with them.
He moved to Oklahoma City in the summer of 2009 to start his NBA career with the Thunder. Even though he only played 18.1 minutes a game as a rookie, Serge averaged 5.4 rebounds, 6.3 points, and 1.3 blocks per game.
Ibaka had a breakthrough season in the 2012–2013 campaign, averaging 13.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game, and coming in third in the voting for defensive player of the year.
Ibaka played for the Thunder and was a three-time NBA All-Defensive First Team pick. He also led the league in blocks three times and took part in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.
By making it to the Western Conference Finals in 2016 and the NBA Finals in 2012, he established himself as a valuable component of a quality Western Conference club.
After spending seven seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Serge was transferred to the Orlando Magic in the summer of 2016.
In February 2017, he was transferred once more, this time to the Toronto Raptors. In July 2017, he decided to remain a free agent in Canada and signed a three-year deal with the Raptors.
Olympics
While playing with the Thunder, Ibaka also became a naturalized Spanish citizen, which enabled him to take part in the London 2012 Olympics.
Ibaka earned Spain’s second medal with the national team, taking home silver after capturing gold at the EuroBasket competition in 2011.
He would miss Spain’s bronze-medal performance in Rio 2016 due to a lack of fitness, and he was not a part of the team that won the 2019 Basketball World Cup.
Ibaka played at the youth level for the Republic of Congo.
At the 2006 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship in Durban, he averaged 18.6 points and 13.8 rebounds, placing him first among all players in both categories.
Donations Work
Through the SergeIbaka Foundation, Serge is committed to assisting those in need outside of sports. Ibaka was substantially shaped by his upbringing in a war-torn and insecure Republic of Congo.
Ibaka wants to use his NBA platform to support his native country and the rest of the world since he hasn’t forgotten his beginnings.
He is a UNICEF ambassador in the Congo, where he created a plan to refurbish two orphanages, one for girls and one for boys, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo, respectively.
As part of his foundation’s initiatives, Serge has continued UNICEF’s work and teamed with groups like the Starkey Hearing Foundation, whom he worked with in the summers of 2014 and 2016 to give hearing devices to kids in Brazzaville.
Projects The Foundation is now working on health and education initiatives for orphans in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo.
Ibaka attended the Clinton Global Awards in September 2014 and was presented with the Kia Community Assist Award in April 2014 for his considerable volunteer and charitable work.
Ibaka joined the NBPA (Players Association) Foundation with Chris Paul and LeBron James in the spring of 2017, and in September of the same year, he teamed up with Global Citizen to become an ambassador for global health.
At the Global Citizen Festival in Central Park, New York, he shared his message and his tale with thousands of attendees.
Lifestyle
When Serge is not playing basketball or helping people, he appreciates fashion and music.
He takes great pleasure in all of his activities off the court, whether it is taking part in fashion magazines and photo sessions or simply creating his own everyday look.
Along with basketball and charitable work, he enjoys developing his musical abilities and singing Congolese songs with friends. These activities are what make him “Mafuzzy.”
Under the alias Mafuzzy Chef, he prepares African cuisine for well-known figures from the sports and entertainment industries, such as actress Tiffany Haddish and NBA players Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard.
Music
Music is the subject of Ibaka’s most recent significant endeavor.
After working with Dadju on the song “Mafuzzy style” in 2018, Serge moved it up a notch, releasing the song “Champion” with Ninho a few months later (13 million views on YouTube at the time of writing).
Additionally, he published “LEGGO” (5 million views) with Tayc and “Rumba” (Guy2BezBar) (1 million views).
Relationship Status
Serge Ibaka has been romantically linked to a number of well-known people in the entertainment sector, including renowned South African actress Pearl Thusi.
When the actress visited Barcelona, Spain, where Ibaka was also present, dating rumors first started to circulate in June 2018.
Pearl was content to be seen supporting Ibaka at basketball games, even if there were little indications of their relationship at the moment.
During one of these games, she was spotted with a ticket bearing Ibaka’s image.
The relationship rumors were confirmed when she was seen in Ibaka’s home in videos she shared on her Instagram stories.
Ibaka shared the same meals and accommodations as Pearl in his Instagram stories, which further supported the notion that they were dating.
Before meeting Pearl Thusi, Serge was in a long-term relationship with Keri Hilson, a well-known American singer and songwriter.
In 2012, the couple started dating after their first meeting.
The couple appeared together at various public events, and their relationship was extensively documented.
In 2016, the pair decided to end their relationship.
Ibaka’s daughter Ranie was also born while he was still a teenager, not long after he left the Republic of Congo.
She was raised by Ibaka’s father and Ranie’s mother; the father and daughter did not meet until the girl was three years old, and they did not meet again until the girl was five.
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Body Dimensions
Serge Ibaka is only 32 years old.
Ibaka has a height of 6 feet 10 inches. He is 107 kg in weight.
He has an athletic build. Serge also has black hair and dark brown eyes.
Presence on social media
His Instagram has 1.2 million users, 910,000 followers on Twitter, 2 million Facebook users, and 413k subscribers on YouTube.
