View source for Ejike Ugboaja

{{Short description|Nigerian basketball player}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
|name = Ejike Ugboaja
|image =
|caption   =
|position  = [[Power forward (basketball)|Power forward]]
|height_ft = 6
|height_in = 9
|weight_lb = 225
|league = 
|team   = 
|nationality = Nigerian
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1985|5|28}}
|birth_place = [[Lagos]], Nigeria
|draft_year = 2006
|draft_round = 2
|draft_pick = 55
|draft_team = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]]
|career_start = 2003
|career_end   = 2016
|years1       = 2003–2004
|team1        = [[Yelwa Hawks Bauchi|Yelwa Hawks]]
|years2       = 2004–2006
|team2        = [[Union Bank Lagos B.C.|UB Lagos]]
|years3       = 2006
|team3        = Kager Gdynia
|years4       = 2007
|team4        = [[APOEL B.C.|APOEL Nicosia]]
|years5       = 2007–2008
|team5        = [[Albuquerque Thunderbirds]]
|years6       = 2008
|team6        = [[Anaheim Arsenal]]
|years7       = 2008–2009
|team7        = [[Azad University Tehran BC|Azad University]]
|years8       = 2009
|team8        = [[Azovmash Mariupol]]
|years9       = 2010
|team9        = [[Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC|Petrochimi Bandar Imam]]
|years10      = 2010
|team10       = [[CB Atapuerca|Ford Burgos]]
|years11      = 2011–2012
|team11       = [[Jahesh Tarabar Qom BC|Jahesh Tarabar Qom]]
|years12      = 2013
|team12       = [[Juventus (basketball club)|Utena Juventus]]
|years13      = 2013–2014
|team13       = [[İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi B.K.|İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi]]
|years14      = 2014
|team14       = BC Mark Mentors
|years15      = 2016
|team15       = Kano Pillars Basket
|highlights   =
|medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Basketball]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{NGA}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[FIBA Africa Championship]]}}
{{MedalBronze|[[2011 FIBA Africa Championship|2011 Madagascar]]|[[Nigerian national basketball team|National Team]]}}
}}

'''Ejike Christopher Ugboaja''' (born 28 May 1985) is a Nigerian professional [[basketball]] player who last played for BC Mark Mentors of the [[Nigerian Premier League (basketball)|Nigerian Premier Basketball League]] (NPBL). He is also the founder of Ejike Ugboaja Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ejikefoundation.org/our-founder/|title=Meet Ejike Ugboaja|website=ejikefoundation.org|access-date=1 September 2019}}</ref>

==Professional career==
Ugboaja was selected in the [[2006 NBA draft]] by the [[National Basketball Association]]'s [[Cleveland Cavaliers]], in the second round with the 55th pick overall.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/draft_picks_060628.html|title=Cleveland Cavaliers Draft Shannon Brown, Daniel Gibson and Ejike Ugboaja in 2006 NBA Draft|date=28 June 2006|work=NBA.com|access-date=14 April 2014}}</ref> He was a member of the Cavaliers during the 2006–07 season, but did not play in any regular season games with the team. He played in the [[European professional club basketball system|2nd-tier]] [[Eurocup Basketball|Eurocup]] with [[Azovmash Mariupol]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sportando.com/en/cat/nba/79080/ejike-ugboaja-inks-for-azovmash.html|title=Ejike Ugboaja inks for Azovmash|date=23 October 2009|work=Sportando.com|access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref> and with [[BC Odesa]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sportando.com/en/europe/ukraine/85016/bc-odessa-signs-sparks-and-ugboaja.html|title=BC Odessa signs Sparks and Ugboaja|date=17 January 2011|work=Sportando.com|access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref>

==Nigerian national team==
Ugboaja competed at the [[Basketball at the 2006 Commonwealth Games|2006 Commonwealth Games]], the [[2007 FIBA Africa Championship]], the [[2009 FIBA Africa Championship]], and the [[2011 FIBA Africa Championship]] with Nigeria. He also played at the [[Basketball at the 2012 Summer Olympics – Men|2012 Summer Olympics]], with the senior men's [[Nigerian national basketball team]].

==Awards and honours==
On 28 May 2023, President of Nigeria Mohammadu Buhari honoured Ejike Ugboaja with an [[Order of the Federal Republic]] membership.<ref>{{cite news|title=Full list of 2023 National Honours recipients|url=https://thenationonlineng.net/full-list-of-2023-national-honours-recipients/|work=[[The Nation (Nigeria)|The Nation]]|date=28 May 2023|access-date=7 September 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.nba.com/playerfile/ejike_ugboaja/ NBA.com Profile]
*[https://www.euroleaguebasketball.net/eurocup/players/?seasoncode=U2009&pcode=002142 Eurocup Profile]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080314031548/http://www.nba.com/dleague/playerfile/index.jsp?player=ejike_ugboaja NBA D-League Profile]
*[https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120802140921/http://london2012.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/12/olym/player/p/eid/6232/pid/44636/sid/6232/tid/340/profile.html FIBA Profile]
*[http://www.asia-basket.com/player.asp?Cntry=IRI&PlayerID=50103 Asia-Basket.com Profile]
*[http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ejike-Ugboaja-1058/stats/ Draftexpress.com Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170818220234/http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ejike-Ugboaja-1058/stats/ |date=18 August 2017 }}

{{2006 NBA draft}}
{{Nigeria squad 2011 FIBA Africa Championship}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ugboaja, Ejike}}
[[Category:1985 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:African Games bronze medalists for Nigeria]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists for Nigeria]]
[[Category:African Games gold medalists in basketball]]
[[Category:African Games bronze medalists in basketball]]
[[Category:Anaheim Arsenal players]]
[[Category:APOEL B.C. players]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 2006 Commonwealth Games]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:BC Azovmash players]]
[[Category:BC Juventus players]]
[[Category:Cleveland Cavaliers draft picks]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Nigeria]]
[[Category:Basketball players at the 2007 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2007 All-Africa Games]]
[[Category:İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi B.K. players]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Iran]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Spain]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate basketball people in Turkey]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate basketball people in the United States]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriates in Cyprus]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriates in Poland]]
[[Category:Nigerian expatriate sportspeople in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Nigerian men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Olympic basketball players for Nigeria]]
[[Category:Petrochimi Bandar Imam BC players]]
[[Category:Power forwards]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Lagos]]
[[Category:Nigeria men's national basketball team players]]
[[Category:Iranian Basketball Super League players]]
[[Category:Members of the Order of the Federal Republic]]
[[Category:Jahesh Tarabar Qom BC players]]
[[Category:21st-century Nigerian sportsmen]]