Kevin Obanor

Kevin Obanor (born June 12, 1999) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Oral Roberts Golden Eagles and Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Kevin Obanor
Obanor with Texas Tech in 2022
Free agent
PositionSmall forward
Personal information
Born (1999-06-12) June 12, 1999
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft2023: undrafted
Playing career2023–present
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-Summit League (2021)
  • Second-team All-Summit League (2019)
  • Summit League Freshman of the Year (2019)
Stats  at Basketball-Reference.com

Early life and high school career

Obanor grew up in Houston, Texas and was cut from his eighth-grade basketball team.[1] He began focusing on basketball as a sophomore at Alief Hastings High School after experiencing a growth spurt.[1][2] Obanor transferred to Mount Zion Christian Academy, where he also competed in football and cross country.[3] He received some major Division I college attention, but was ranked a two-star prospect.[4] Obanor committed to Oral Roberts, as he was drawn to their faith-based mission.[1]

College career

Obanor skipped his final semester of high school and arrived at Oral Roberts in January 2018, opting to redshirt the season.[1] As a redshirt freshman, Obanor led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 14.4 points per game while also posting 7.2 rebounds per game. He was named Summit League Freshman of the Year as well as Second Team All-Summit League.[5] He averaged 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game as a sophomore.[6]

On January 2, 2021, Obanor scored a career-high 39 points and had 10 rebounds in a 95–83 win against Omaha.[7] He recorded 14 points in the semifinals of the Summit League Tournament against South Dakota State, including a buzzer-beating tip-in to carry the Golden Eagles to a 90–88 victory.[8] Obanor helped 15 seed Oral Roberts reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He posted 30 points and 11 rebounds in the upset against Ohio State, followed by 28 points and 11 rebounds against Florida.[6] As a redshirt junior, Obanor averaged 18.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. He was named to the First Team All-Summit League.[3]

Following the season, Obanor transferred to Texas Tech, choosing the Red Raiders over Arkansas.[9] He averaged 10 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Obanor announced after the season that he was returning for his fifth season of eligibility.[10] On January 30, 2023, Obanor posted 24 points and 13 rebounds in a 80-77 overtime win over Iowa State and surpassed the 2,000-point mark.[11]

Professional career

After going undrafted in the 2023 NBA draft, Obanor joined the Toronto Raptors for the 2023 NBA Summer League. On August 1, 2023, he signed with the Raptors,[12] but was waived on September 28.[13]

Career statistics
Legend
  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

College
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 Oral Roberts Redshirt Redshirt
2018–19 Oral Roberts 271123.2.581.413.8277.4.5.1.314.8
2019–20 Oral Roberts 312824.6.475.388.8006.8.7.4.812.3
2020–21 Oral Roberts 282831.9.503.463.8759.61.1.5.718.7
2021–22 Texas Tech 373726.1.467.336.7615.5.5.3.410.0
Career 12310426.3.503.395.8237.2.7.3.513.6

See also

References
  1. Hines, Kelly (March 26, 2021). "The story of ORU's Kevin Obanor is one of motivation and competitiveness". Tulsa World. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  2. Young, Matt (March 16, 2021). "Former Houston high school stars in this year's NCAA Tournament". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  3. "Kevin Obanor Signs to Play at Texas Tech". Texas Tech Red Raiders. July 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  4. Bennett, Brian (March 19, 2021). "Max Abmas, Kevin Obanor believed in Oral Roberts — and were rewarded for that faith with a huge NCAA Tournament upset". The Athletic. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  5. "ORU's Kevin Obanor a finalist for top freshman award". Tulsa World. April 1, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  6. Borzello, Jeff (July 2, 2021). "Oral Roberts star Kevin Obanor enters transfer portal". ESPN. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  7. "Obanor scores 39 to lead Oral Roberts past Omaha 95–83". ESPN. Associated Press. January 2, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  8. Zimmer, Matt (March 8, 2021). "Oral Roberts' buzzer-beater sends SDSU home in Summit League semifinals". Argus Leader. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  9. "Former ORU forward Kevin Obanor lands at Texas Tech". Tulsa World. July 17, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  10. Massey, Austin (April 22, 2022). "Kevin Obanor returning to Texas Tech for 2022-23 season". 247 Sports. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  11. Silva Jr., Carlos (January 30, 2023). "Kevin Obanor nets double-double, helps Texas Tech rally from 23 to down No. 13 Iowa State in OT". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  12. "RAPTORS SIGN TEMPLE, GUEYE AND OBANOR". NBA.com. August 1, 2023. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  13. Gauruder, Dana (September 28, 2023). "Raptors Waive Forward Kevin Obanor". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
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