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Who is Chinanu Onuaku?
Chinanu Onuaku is a professional basketball player. Chinanu Onuaku is currently a center/power forward for Zadar. He had previously played for the Houston Rockets in the NBA. Arinze, Onuaku’s older brother, has a significant impact on his basketball career.
After 35 years, granny-style free throws returned to the NBA in 2016. None other than Chinanu was responsible for reintroducing the well-known shooting technique.
Early Life and Background
Chinanu Onuaku was born in Lanham, Maryland, on November 1, 1996.
Onuaku has always imagined himself to be an NBA player.
Cristopher and Nwaneka Onuaku’s youngest child is named Onuaku.
Ify, Arinze, and Chuk are his elder sisters and brothers. Arinze Onuaku plays basketball professionally as well.
Arinze also participated in four NBA seasons for four different teams.
Arinze had a significant impact on Onuaku’s basketball career, he said.
In the same way, Ify played basketball for Florida A&M from 2004 to 2008.
In 2021, Onuaku is a lone woman. His previous romantic history has not yet been revealed.
Onauku enjoys partying, watching movies, and playing video games.
Net Worth & Earnings
Chinanu Onuaku’s estimated net worth is $1 million.
In the first year of his pay contract, he was paid $543,47. The following year saw a $9,05,249 increase.
Finally, Onuaku received $1,050,262 during the contract’s final year.
His playing time with other clubs did not come with financial information.
He must have earned a five-figure wage in the G League.
Onuaku must also earn a six-figure wage based on the average yearly salaries in the Croatian and Korean leagues.
Onuaku is a shoe-free agent, and information about his other endorsement deals hasn’t been made public either.
Facts of Chinanu Onuaku
| Name | Chinanu Michael Onuaku |
| Date of Birth | November 1, 1996 |
| Birth Place | Lanham, Maryland, USA |
| Nick Name | Bam Bam |
| Age | 25 Years Old |
| Gender | Male |
| Religion | Unknown |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Black |
| Horoscope | Scorpio |
| Body Measurement | Unknown |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.06m) |
| Weight | 111 kg (244 lb) |
| Body Mass Index (BMI) | 27.5 |
| Build | Muscular |
| Wingspan | 7’3 inches |
| Shoe size | Unavailable |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Eye Colour | Black |
| Tattoo | No |
| Father name | Cristopher Onuaku |
| Mother name | Nwaneka Onuaku |
| Siblings | Ify Onuaku (sister) Arinze Onuaku and Chukwunwike Onuaku (brother) |
| Relationship | Single |
| Ex-Girl friend | Unknown |
| Children | No |
| Profession | Basketball Player |
| Position | Centre/ power forward |
| Education | Riverdale Baptist School (Highschool), University of Louisville (College) |
| High School Ranking | 75 in the nation (ESPN) |
| Draft | 2016 (37th Overall Pick) |
| NBA Debut | December 26, 2016 |
| Team | Zadar |
| Current Affiliations | Croatian League, ABA League |
| Previous Teams | Houston Rockets, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Greensboro Swarm, Wonju DB Promy |
| Jersey Number | 32, 21, 35 |
| Social media | Instagram/ Twitter |
| Salary | Under Review |
| Net worth | $1 million |
| Merch | Rookie Basketball Card, Team Collection Card |
| National Team career | 2015 FIBA U-19 World Championship Greece/ First Place |
| Last Update | July 2022 |
Old-fashioned Free Throw
Someone took an unorthodox free shot 35 years ago. But it was none other than Chiananu Onuaku, a rookie from Houston, who brought the granny-style back to the NBA.
In his first game as a professional, Onuaku attempted and hit both of his free throws in granny fashion in 2016 against the Pelicans.
Rick Pitino, the coach of the Cardinals, proposed that Onuaku start shooting an underhand free throw. He was only making 46.7 percent of his free throw attempts.
Onuaku’s shooting also became better, reaching 58.6 in his sophomore campaign. Later on in the G League, he had a free-throw percentage of 67.4 percent.
Though many may be critical of his free throw approach, he has undoubtedly benefited from it by increasing his free throw success rate.
High School and College Career
Chinanu attended Riverdale Baptist School was Onuaku. Onuaku averaged 8.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks during his junior season.
With a 26-10 record, Riverdale also captured the Capital Beltway League championship.
Onuaku had 12.4 PPG, 12.7 RPG, and 5.5 BPG in his senior year. Later, his high school, which had a record of 30-9, won the Capital Beltway Conference.
He beat Maryland Private School 71-66 in the championship game with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Additionally, he twice took home the conference player of the year award. He was also named to the first team of all-state athletes. Onuaku was listed as the 75th best player in the country, ranking similarly.
Georgetown, Miami, and Louisville were the only universities Onuaku considered for college. He later made a commitment to join Louisville on April 10, 2013.
Two academic years
For the University of Louisville, Onuaku played collegiate basketball for two seasons. He participated in 35 games during his first season, starting 26 of them.
He also averaged 1.2 blocks, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.0 points per game.
Onuaku started 29 of the 31 games he participated in later in his sophomore year. Additionally, he turned out to be Montrezl Harrell’s ideal replacement.
He also averaged 9.9 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game. He later received accolades for his play, including All-ACC honorable mention and All-ACC defense team.
He had 11 double-doubles that season.
Onuaku has a 49-17 overall record in his two seasons with the Cardinals. Over 66 games, he also averaged 1.6 blocks, 6.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 6.2 points.
Professional Career
NBA Draft
Onuaku declared for the NBA draft in May 2016.
Onuaku was chosen by the Houston Rockets as the 37th overall choice later on June 23, 2016. He participated in the Rockets’ 2016 Summer League as well.
Onuaku made his NBA debut in a 131-115 victory over the Phoenix Suns on December 26, 2016. Onuaku had six points and three rebounds in his first game.
He also spent most of his tenure with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, a G-League affiliate. Onuaku was demoted on May 1 for shoving match officials.
This incident happened in the closing moments of a 122-96 defeat against the Raptors 905 team.
Onuaku later recorded his first triple-double of his professional career on November 22, 2017, in a victory over Memphis Hustle 138–124. He led the Vipers with 12 points, 15 rebounds, and 11 assists.
Trade Series
First, on August 2, 2018, the Rockets exchanged Onuaku for Maarty Leunen and sent him to the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas, though, released him after only four days.
Onuaku later signed with the NBA team Portland Trail Blazers on September 4, 2018. But he was once more waived in the following month.
Onuaku was chosen by Greensboro Swarn with the second overall choice on October 20, 2018, in the 2018 NBA G League draft.
Onuaku had a career-high 27 points on November 25, 2018, against the Raptors 905, despite the team losing 107-100.
Onuaku later had a career-high 21 rebounds in a 117-140 victory over Wisconsin Herd on December 13, 2018. For Swarm, Onuaku totaled 13.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.
Overseas
Onuaku represented Wonju DB Promy during the South Korean league’s 2019–20 season.
He was averaging a double-double there. 14.4 PPG, 10.3 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.4 SPG, and 1.5 BPG were recorded by Onuaku.
Onuaku signed a contract with Croatian club Zadar on October 14, 2020.
On October 26, 2020, he played only 6 minutes in his Zadar debut.
In a 77-55 victory over Koper Primorska, Onuaku contributed three points and one rebound.
Onuaku later won the first championship of his professional career on February 14, 2021.
Onuaku won the Croatian Cup and took home the MVP trophy. He defeated Split with 16 points in the championship game.
National Team Career
At the 2015 U-19 World Cup in Greece, Onuaku was a part of the USA Basketball squad that won the gold medal. The USA perfected with a 7-0 record throughout the course of seven games.
Additionally, Onuaku started six games with a 4.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.7 BPG average per game.
He contributed six points, eight rebounds, and four blocks in the 79-71 overtime victory over Croatia in the championship game.
World Cup initiations
Onuaku was selected for the USA Basketball World Cup Qualifiers team on February 19, 2019.
Later, he got the start against Argentina and Panama.
Similarly, Onuaku contributed to the USA’s victories in both games with an average of 8.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals.
Body measurements and playing style
Chinanu Onuaku is the ideal height and size for the center position. He measures 6 feet 7 inches (2.06 meters) tall and 111 kgs in weight (244 lb).
His BMI is 27.5 as well. Onuaku also boasts a 9’1″ standing reach.
Onuaku performs an excellent job of climbing and descending the floor.
In the offensive, Chinanu expertly seals off defenders with his stature and muscle to score in the deep post.
He is well-versed in pick and roll cutters.
Onuaku is a standout rebounder on defense.
He grasps balls with ease thanks to his size, long arms, and steady hands. He exhibits outstanding timing when blocking shots, too.
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Social Media Presence
Currently, Chinanu Onuaku has accounts on Twitter and Instagram. He uses both platforms frequently.
He has 34.8k followers on Instagram compared to 4.6k followers on Twitter.
Onuaku frequently tweets and posts images and videos of his practice sessions for basketball games.
Additionally, he has effectively used these venues to speak out against racial harassment.
