Nwachukwu Iheukwumere Chima Moneke (born 24 December 1995) is a Nigerian professional basketball player for Saski Baskonia of the ACB league and the EuroLeague.
At 1.99 m. tall, he plays at the power forward position. He also represents the Nigerian national team in international competition.
Early life
He was born in Abuja, Nigeria, before moving to Canberra, Australia to begin schooling. His parents, Sydney and Eucharia Moneke, were diplomats of the Nigerian Embassy. He attended Farrer Primary School before traveling again throughout the world.
College career
In 2013, he enrolled at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska, where he stayed for two seasons (2013-15). In his sophomore season he averaged 17 ppg and 12.1 rpg which led the team to a 25-7 record.
He then transferred to the University of California at Davis. After his redshirt season, he led the Aggies to an NCAA tournament berth for the first time in school history in the 2016-17 season. He was named Big West Conference tournament MVP. In the tournament they defeated NC Central in the play-in game where Moneke had 18 points and 12 rebounds. They would go on to lose to the #1 overall seed Kansas, where Chima finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds. He averaged 14.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game with 14 double-doubles
In the 2017-18 season, with the UC Davis Aggies he averaged 18.4 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per performance in 21 games.
Professional career
France (2018–2021)
After not being selected in the 2018 NBA draft, he signed his first professional contract with the Rouen Métropole Basket of the French LNB Pro B. After the season, Moneke signed with the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the Australian NBL before it was blown off due to problems with his passport.[1]
In November 2018, he would leave Rouen Métropole Basket to sign for Denain Voltaire Basket, also from the French LNB Pro B. He averaged 14.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 27 games.
In the 2019–20 season, he signed for the Béliers de Kemper of the French LNB Pro B, in which he averaged 15.8 points, 6.75 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The season was cancelled early due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France.
In the 2020–21 season, he signed for the Orléans Loiret Basket of the LNB Pro A, with averages of 12.5 points, 6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and almost a block per performance in the 21 games played.[2]
Manresa (2021–2022)
On 13 July 2021, Moneke signed a one-year-deal with the Bàsquet Manresa of the Spanish Liga Endesa and the Basketball Champions League (BCL).[3] He helped Manresa to a surprising season in the BCL as they reached the final where they lost to Tenerife in the final. Moneke was named the MVP of the 2021–22 season after averaging 13.1 points per game.[4] In the Spanish ACB, Moneke was named to the ALL-ACB 1st team after leading Manresa to the playoffs. He averaged 14.8 points per game on 53% percent shooting. He was second in the entire league in rebounding with 8.4 per game. He led the entire league in total steals (56), steals per game (1.6) and defensive rebounds.
Sacramento Kings (2022–2023)
On 18 July 2022, Moneke signed with the Sacramento Kings, uniting with Nigeria's national team coach Mike Brown.[5] On 6 January 2023, Moneke was waived by the Kings.[6]
Monaco (2023)
On 16 January 2023, he signed with AS Monaco Basket of the French LNB Pro A.[7]
National team career
He debuted with the Nigeria men's national basketball team in 2020, playing three qualifying matches for the Afrobasket. In 2021, he was summoned for the pre-selection to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics.[citation needed]
Career statistics
| 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 |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | Sacramento | 2 | 0 | 4.0 | .500 | — | .000 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 4.0 | .500 | — | .000 | 1.0 | .5 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | UC Davis |  Redshirt
| ||||||||||
| 2016–17 | UC Davis | 36 | 33 | 27.3 | .527 | — | .645 | 9.5 | .8 | .9 | 1.4 | 14.6 |
| 2017–18 | UC Davis | 21 | 21 | 30.0 | .515 | .375 | .714 | 9.6 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 18.4 |
| Career | 57 | 54 | 28.3 | .522 | .375 | .674 | 9.5 | .9 | .9 | 1.3 | 16.0 | |
Personal
Moneke attended Canberra High School and Lake Ginninderra College in Canberra, Australia where he played high school basketball with Dante Exum.[1]
References
- ^ a b "De la Pro B à la NBA, Chima Moneke retrace son incroyable ascension : "Le voyage a été compliqué mais la destination finale est encore plus savoureuse"". BeBasket (in French). 18 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Chima Moneke, l'ailier de l'OLB, est entré dans l'histoire du basket cette nuit". larep.fr (in French). 11 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "Chima Moneke reportedly in advanced talks to join BAXI Manresa". sportando.basketball. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
- ^ "Moneke named MVP of the Season". FIBA.basketball. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Kings Sign Chima Moneke, Won't Bring Over Sasha Vezenkov". Hoops Rumors. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Kings Waive Chima Moneke". NBA.com. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ "AS Monaco signs Chima Moneke". Sportando. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com