Onyeka Okongwu

Onyeka Okongwu ( ; born December 11, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans. Okongwu was a four-year starter at Chino Hills High School in California, playing alongside Lonzo and LaMelo Ball for his first 2 years. As a freshman, he helped his team win the state championship and achieve national success, while being named MaxPreps co-National Freshman of the Year. In his junior and senior seasons, Okongwu led Chino Hills to two more state titles, earning back-to-back California Mr. Basketball honors. He was considered a five-star recruit by ESPN and Rivals. In his only college season, Okongwu played for USC and was named to the first team All-Pac-12. Early life Highly influenced by his older brother, Nnamdi, Onyeka grew a passion for the sport he is known for today. Onyeka initially started playing basketball around the age of 8 for a club program called, Edge Basketball. Along with having a great older brother to push him to new heights, Onyeka also started working out with trainers and coaches to help further develop the skillset he needed to thrive. By the age of 11, Onyeka moved on to play with another program called, RC Rebels until he went to high school. Eventually, when Big O got to high school, he would find himself playing alongside Jaylen Hands on the Compton Magic.