Olivier Robinson Nkamhoua (born 2 May 2000) is a Finnish professional basketball player for Niners Chemnitz of the Basketball Bundesliga and the Champions League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers and Michigan Wolverines.[1] Nkamhoua is also part of the Finland national team. He began playing basketball with Helsingin NMKY.[2]
_by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%93056.jpg) Nkamhoua with Niners Chemnitz in 2024 | |
| No. 13 – Niners Chemnitz | |
|---|---|
| Position | Power forward, Center |
| League | Basketball Bundesliga Champions League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | 2 May 2000 Helsinki, Finland |
| Listed height | 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) |
| Listed weight | 101 kg (223 lb) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Helsinki Basketball Academy (Helsinki, Finland) Richard Montgomery, (Rockville, Maryland) Bishop Walsh School, (Cumberland, Maryland) |
| College | Tennessee (2019–2023) Michigan (2023–2024) |
| Playing career | 2016–present |
| Career history | |
| 2016–2017 | Helsingin NMKY |
| 2024–present | Niners Chemnitz |
Early life
editNkamhoua was born in Helsinki to Finnish mother and Cameroonian-born father, Christian Nkamhoua, who played basketball in Finland until 2006.[3] Nkamhoua is also of Scottish descent on his mother’s side. He was raised in Käpylä, Helsinki, until aged 17, when he moved to United States with his father to play basketball in high school. Before his departure, he had debuted at senior level with Helsingin NMKY in Finnish second tier Koripallon I-divisioona in the 2016–17 season.[4]
High school career
editIn the United States, he played and studied in Richard Montgomery High School and Bishop Walsh School in Maryland. While playing for Bishop Walsh Spartans, Nkamhoua was named the Player of the Year in 2019, and attended the Alhambra Catholic Invitational Tournament (ACIT) with the Spartans. Nkamhoua was named in the All-ACIT First Team and was the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference selection.[5]
College career
editTennessee
editNkamhoua began his college basketball career at Tennessee in 2019, where he appeared in 112 games, with 58 starts, and averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds. During the 2021–22 season, he averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds as a junior before suffering a season-ending left ankle injury at South Carolina in February 2022.
On 19 March 2023, in a March Madness game against Duke, Nkamhoua recorded 27 points on 77% shooting on the field and grabbed five rebounds, helping Tennessee to get a 65–52 win.[6] During the 2022–23 season, he averaged 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in his senior year. On 30 March 2023, Nkamhoua entered the NCAA transfer portal.[7] In May 2023, Nkamhoua was named in the roster of NBA G League Elite Camp, a camp for future draft prospects.[8]
Michigan
editOn 7 June 2023, Nkamhoua announced he would transfer to Michigan.[9] On 21 February 2024, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard announced that Nkamhoua would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his left wrist.[10] During the 2023–24 season, he started 26 games for Michigan, averaging career bests in points (14.8), rebounds (7.1) and assists (2.7). He also set single-season bests for three-point field goals (27), rebounds (185) and minutes played (33.4). Throughout his collegiate career, Nkamhoua played in 138 games with 84 consecutive starts. He scored 1,117 points, grabbed 612 rebounds while adding 183 assists with 89 blocks and 52 steals.[11]
Professional career
editNiners Chemnitz
editOn 3 July 2024, Nkamhoua started his professional career after signing with Niners Chemnitz of the Basketball Bundesliga and the FIBA Champions League.[12][13]
Two days after the signing, Nkamhoua was named in the roster of the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2024 NBA Summer League.[14][15] He played in two games, averaging 6.5 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in 14 minutes playing time.[16]
After the Summer League, Nkamhoua returned to Chemnitz. On 2 October, in a Champions League match against Derthona, Nkahmoua recorded his career best 19 points and six rebounds for Chemnitz.
International career
editNkamhoua has played 20 games for Finland's U16 youth national team.[17]
Nkamhoua has been part of Finland senior national team since 2021. He was forced to miss the EuroBasket 2022 due to his commitment to Tennessee,[18][19] but next year he represented Finland at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in his first major international tournament.[20][21][22][23][24][25] He also played in the 2024 FIBA Olympic qualifying tournament,[26] averaging 9.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in three games against Bahamas, Poland and Spain.
Career statistics
edit| 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 |
FIBA Champions League
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024–25 | Niners Chemnitz | 2 | 2 | 23.0 | .789 | .750 | .500 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 17.0 |
College
edit| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Tennessee | 30 | 0 | 11.4 | .557 | .200 | .613 | 3.0 | .3 | .1 | .5 | 3.3 |
| 2020–21 | Tennessee | 24 | 0 | 7.1 | .565 | – | .444 | 1.3 | .2 | .3 | .3 | 2.3 |
| 2021–22 | Tennessee | 22 | 22 | 21.5 | .497 | .448 | .722 | 5.6 | 1.2 | .5 | 1.1 | 8.6 |
| 2022–23 | Tennessee | 36 | 36 | 25.3 | .513 | .333 | .699 | 5.0 | 2.0 | .4 | .6 | 10.8 |
| 2023–24 | Michigan | 26 | 26 | 33.5 | .512 | .333 | .671 | 7.1 | 2.7 | .6 | .6 | 14.8 |
| Career | 138 | 84 | 19.4 | .523 | .368 | .681 | 4.3 | 1.2 | .4 | .6 | 8.0 | |
National team
edit| Team | Tournament | Pos. | GP | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finland | 2023 FIBA World Cup | 21st | 5 |
8.0 |
3.8 |
2.0
|
References
edit- ^ "Olivier Nkamhoua". Sports Reference-CBB.
- ^ Michigan nappasi ensimmäisen Big Ten -voittonsa – Nkamhoua repi tupla-tuplan, basket.fi, 11 December 2023
- ^ C.Nkamhoua, basket.fi
- ^ Olivier Nkamhoua – stadilainen rämäpää Tennesseen huippuyliopistossa, basket.fi, 25 February 2020
- ^ Bishop Walsh grad Nkamhoua on Trail Blazers Summer League team, sports.yahoo.com, 17 July 2024
- ^ Suomalaislupauksen superottelu varasti otsikot Yhdysvalloissa – maineikas kestomenestyjä lähti lauluun: "Tällaisia me olemme", mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 19 March 2023
- ^ Wilson, Mike (30 March 2023). "Tennessee basketball's Olivier Nkamhoua enters transfer portal". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ NBA G League Announces Field Of 44 Draft Prospects For 2023 NBA G League Elite Camp In Chicago, 5 May 2023
- ^ Wilson, Mike (7 June 2023). "Olivier Nkamhoua transfers to Michigan from Tennessee basketball". Knoxville News Sentinel. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
- ^ Rannevamma päätti Susijengin Olivier Nkamhouan yliopistouran Yhdysvalloissa – valmentaja hehkuttaa: ”Todellinen soturi”, Yle, 22 February 2024
- ^ Wywrot, Tom (21 February 2024). "Nkamhoua to Miss Remainder of Season Following Wrist Surgery". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 21 February 2024.
- ^ Olivier Nkamhoua Saksan Bundesliigan kärkijoukkue Chemnitziin, basket.fi, 3 July 2024
- ^ ERSTER FINNE IM NINERS-JERSEY, chemnitz99.de, 3 July 2024
- ^ TRAIL BLAZERS ANNOUNCE NBA 2K25 SUMMER LEAGUE 2024 ROSTER, nba.com, 5 July 2024
- ^ Susijengin Olivier Nkamhoua mukaan NBA:n kesäliigaan, Helsingin Sanomat, 11 July 2024
- ^ 2024 Summer League player stats, nba.com
- ^ O.Nkamhoua, basket.fi
- ^ Olivier Nkamhouan, 23, ehdotus järkytti isää ja äitiä – Valmistujaiset olivat mennä pilalle: ”Isä teki siinä kohtaa oikein”, Iltalehti, 2 August 2023
- ^ Suomalaislupaus Olivier Nkamhoua laukoo itsevarmoja kommentteja NBA:sta – teki kesällä yllättävän ratkaisun, Yle, 3 August 2023
- ^ Susijengin veijari avaa Yhdysvalloissa auennutta miljoonabisnestä – Olivier Nkamhoua on merkittävä poikkeus voidessaan tienata rahaa, Ilta-Sanomat, 2 September 2023
- ^ Olivier Nkamhoua avaa Yhdysvalloissa auennutta miljoonabisnestä: ”Kaikki haluavat tienata hieman – eikö se ole ihan normaalia?, Helsingin Sanomat
- ^ MM-pelaaja joutui hämmentävään tilanteeseen palattuaan USA:sta Suomeen – soitto Puolustusvoimiin toi ikävän yllätyksen, Ilta-Sanomat, 14 August 2023
- ^ Olivier Nkamhoua tuo poikkeuksellista fyysisyyttä koripallomaajoukkueen puolustukseen, Salon Seudun Sanomat, 7 August 2023
- ^ Susijengi-tähdeltä painava avautuminen MM-sukelluksesta – löi omilleen tiukan vaatimuslistan: "Voin ihan rehellisesti sanoa", mtvuutiset.fi, MTV Oy, 29 August 2023
- ^ Olivier Nkamhoua: ”Viimeinkin pääsee keskittymään täysillä koripalloon”, basket.fi, 2 July 2024
- ^ Susijengin pelaajatusina olympiakarsintoihin on vahvistettu, basket.fi, 30 June 2024