Onyeka OkongwuAtlanta Hawks · #17
Onyeka Okongwu is a mobile two-way center for the Atlanta Hawks who wears No. 17 to honor his late older brother, Nnamdi, who died at 17. A Chino Hills product who played alongside the Ball brothers and starred one season at USC, he was drafted 6th overall in 2020. He became Atlanta's starting center in 2025 and expanded his range in 2025-26, averaging 15.2 points and 7.6 rebounds while developing a three-point shot.
Onyeka Okongwu — the report card
Read his whole game at a glance, then dive into any skill. Grades from the DNA model + real production.
Where Onyeka Okongwu stands
Live ladders from the Balladex models, and what he's chasing. Rankings recompute nightly from real production, accolades, and search demand.
Onyeka Okongwu — every number, three levels deep
Headline → metric → the raw history behind it. Real career data; tracking-only metrics labeled.
How the model sees Onyeka Okongwu
Projection = per-minute rate × projected minutes. Rates are recency- and health-weighted, aged along a per-stat curve, and adjusted for live usage/role. No black box — every number shows its work.
Onyeka Okongwu career stats, season by season
| Season | GP | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3P% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 50 | 12.0 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 0.4 | .644 | .000 |
| 2021-22 | 48 | 20.7 | 8.2 | 5.9 | 1.1 | .690 | .000 |
| 2022-23 | 80 | 23.1 | 9.9 | 7.2 | 1.0 | .638 | .308 |
| 2023-24 | 55 | 25.5 | 10.2 | 6.8 | 1.3 | .611 | .333 |
| 2024-25 | 74 | 27.9 | 13.4 | 8.9 | 2.3 | .567 | .324 |
| 2025-26 | 74 | 31.0 | 15.2 | 7.6 | 3.1 | .480 | .376 |
| Career | 381 | 24.2 | 10.7 | 6.9 | 1.6 |
The Lab
Every number, live and interactive. Real career data; models labeled.
Are the Atlanta Hawks built to win?
Team projection rolled up from the roster + last-season baselines — and what it means for his role.
The Ballad of Onyeka Okongwu
Birth to now — the making of a legend, narrated and scored.
The beginning
A mobile, shot-blocking center who carries his late brother's number — Atlanta's developing two-way anchor.
Turning pro
Drafted 6th overall, 2020 as a Center.
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A shot-blocking center who plays for his late brother — and grew a three-point shot to complete his game.
Chapter
Born in LA to Nigerian immigrants, Okongwu starred at Chino Hills alongside the Ball brothers, then set a USC record with 8 blocks in his college debut.
Chapter
Atlanta took him 6th in 2020. He wears No. 17 to honor his brother Nnamdi, who died at 17 in a 2014 accident.
Off the court
- Height
- 6' 10"
- Weight
- 240 lbs
- College
- USC
- Experience
- 6th Season
- NBA debut
- 2020
- Draft
- 6th overall, 2020
- Born
- Los Angeles, California
- Age
- 26
- Jersey
- #17
The defining fact of Okongwu's life is a tribute. His older brother Nnamdi, also a Chino Hills player, suffered a fatal brain injury in a 2014 skateboarding accident at age 17. Onyeka wore No. 21 in his honor in high school and switched to No. 17 — Nnamdi's age at his death — in the NBA, carrying his brother with him every night.
The son of Nigerian immigrants — his mother a registered nurse, his father passing away in 2021 — Okongwu grew up in the same Chino Hills program that produced the Ball brothers. His game reflects a defense-first foundation (a school-record 8 blocks in his college debut) that he has patiently expanded, adding the perimeter shooting in 2025-26 that turned him from rim-runner into a modern two-way center.
A defense-first, high-character big steadily expanding his game — playing for his late brother.
Onyeka Okongwu — frequently asked
The questions people ask most about Onyeka Okongwu, answered.
