Isaac Okoro

Isaac Okoro
Okoro with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021
No. 35 – Cleveland Cavaliers
PositionSmall forward / shooting guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2001-01-26) January 26, 2001 (age 23)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Listed weight225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High schoolMcEachern
(Powder Springs, Georgia)
CollegeAuburn (2019–2020)
NBA draft2020: 1st round, 5th overall pick
Selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–presentCleveland Cavaliers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Under-17 World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2018 Argentina Team

Isaac Nnamdi Okoro (/əˈkɔːroʊ/ ə-KOR-oh;[1] born January 26, 2001)[2] is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Auburn Tigers. Listed at 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and 225 pounds (102 kg), he plays the small forward position.

Okoro played basketball for McEachern High School in Georgia for four years, helping his team win the state championship and achieve national success in his senior season. He was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals and a four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN. After his freshman college season at Auburn, he was named to the second team All-SEC.

Early life

Okoro was born in Atlanta, Georgia to Nigerian parents and was raised in metro Atlanta. His father, Godwin, emigrated from Nigeria in the 1980s. His mother, Gloria, is also from Nigeria.[3] Okoro started playing basketball in his local church league. When he was around seven to eight years old, he began training under the guidance of Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) coach Omar Cooper, the father of his future high school teammate, Sharife Cooper. He played for the A.O.T. Running Rebels of the Nike EYBL circuit.[4]

High school career

Okoro played high school basketball for McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Georgia. In his freshman season, he averaged 15 points and eight rebounds per game, helping his team win the regional title and reach the Georgia High School Association Class 7A state quarterfinals.[5][6] As a sophomore, Okoro averaged 22.5 points per game, leading McEachern to the regional championship and the Class 7A state semifinals.[6][7] He earned Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class 7A All-State second team and MaxPreps Sophomore All-American third team honors.[8][9] In his junior season, Okoro averaged 20.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, helping McEachern reach the Class 7A state quarterfinals.[10][11] He was named to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class 7A All-State first team and the USA Today All-USA Georgia first team.[10][12] In the offseason, Okoro had success on the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League, a prominent amateur circuit, with Athletes of Tomorrow.[13]

In his senior season, Okoro averaged 19.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.7 steals per game.[14] He led McEachern to titles at the City of Palms Classic and the Tournament of Champions.[15][16] His team ended the regular season with a 32–0 record, becoming the first undefeated team in the highest Georgia classification since 1995 and receiving a No. 1 national ranking from multiple websites, including MaxPreps.[17] Okoro scored 16 points to help his team win its first Class 7A state championship.[18] He shared Atlanta Journal-Constitution state most valuable player recognition with teammate Sharife Cooper.[19] Okoro was named to the MaxPreps All-American second team and the USA Today All-USA Georgia first team.[14][20] On April 12, 2019, Okoro competed in the Nike Hoop Summit, an international all-star game.[21] On April 26, 2019, Okoro became only the second basketball player in McEachern history to have his jersey retired.[22]

Recruiting

By the end of his high school career, Okoro was considered a five-star recruit by Rivals and a four-star recruit by 247Sports and ESPN.[23][24] On July 25, 2018, he committed to play college basketball for Auburn over offers from Florida, Florida State, Oregon and Texas, among others.[25] Okoro became the second-highest-ranked commit in program history, according to 247Sports composite rankings, behind only Mustapha Heron.[26]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Isaac Okoro
SF 		Powder Springs, GA McEachern (GA) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jul 25, 2018 
Star ratings: Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 88
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 31  247Sports: 37  ESPN: 40
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Auburn 2019 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  • "2019 Auburn Tigers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.

College career

Okoro scored 12 points in his Auburn debut, a 84–73 win over Georgia Southern. The following game, he registered 17 points in a 76–66 victory over Davidson.[27] Okoro was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Week on November 18, 2019.[28] He scored a season-high 23 points in a 83–79 win over Vanderbilt on January 8, 2020.[29] He did not play in a February 15 game against Missouri due to a hamstring injury.[30] After the regular season, he was named to the All-SEC Second Team, the SEC All-Freshman Team and the SEC All-Defensive Team by the league's coaches.[31] Okoro averaged 12.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and two assists per game. After his freshman season, he announced that he would enter the 2020 NBA draft.[32]

Professional career

Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–present)

Okoro was selected with the fifth pick overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2020 NBA draft.[33] Three days later on November 21, the Cavaliers announced that they had signed Okoro.[34] In the Cavaliers' first preseason game of the 2020–21 NBA season, he scored the game-winning and-one to make it 114–116 and converted the free throw to make it 114–117 and win against the Indiana Pacers. On December 23, 2020, Okoro made his NBA debut, starting and recording 11 points, five assists, and three rebounds in a 121–114 win over the Charlotte Hornets.[35] On May 4, 2021, he scored a career-high 32 points during a 134–118 overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns.[36]

On March 23, 2023, Okoro had one rebound, one assist, and scored 11 points, including a game-winning three-pointer, in a 116–114 win over the Brooklyn Nets.[37]

On September 17, 2024, Okoro signed a multi-year contract with the Cavaliers.[38]

National team career

Okoro played for the United States at the 2018 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup in Argentina. In seven games, he averaged 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, helping his team win the gold medal.[6][39]

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

NBA

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 Cleveland 67 67 32.4 .420 .290 .726 3.1 1.9 .9 .4 9.6
2021–22 Cleveland 67 61 29.6 .480 .350 .768 3.0 1.8 .8 .3 8.8
2022–23 Cleveland 76 46 21.7 .494 .363 .757 2.5 1.1 .7 .4 6.4
2023–24 Cleveland 69 42 27.3 .490 .391 .679 3.0 1.9 .8 .5 9.4
Career 279 216 27.6 .467 .347 .732 2.9 1.7 .8 .4 8.5

Play-in

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Cleveland 2 1 17.6 .333 .000 .667 3.0 .5 .0 .0 3.0
Career 2 1 17.6 .333 .000 .667 3.0 .5 .0 .0 3.0

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023 Cleveland 5 2 14.9 .478 .308 1.000 1.4 .8 .4 .4 6.4
2024 Cleveland 12 7 21.9 .357 .257 .778 1.8 1.1 .9 .3 5.5
Career 17 9 19.8 .387 .271 .867 1.6 1.0 .8 .4 5.8

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2019–20[40] Auburn 28 28 31.5 .514 .290 .672 4.4 2.0 .9 .9 12.9
Career 28 28 31.5 .514 .290 .672 4.4 2.0 .9 .9 12.9

References

  1. ^ "2023-24 start of season NBA pronunciation guide". NBA.com (Press release). October 24, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  2. ^ "2020 Draft Prospect | Isaac Okoro". NBA.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Givony, Jonathan (April 11, 2019). "Isaac Okoro: 2019 Hoop Summit Interview". YouTube. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  4. ^ Scarborough, Alex (February 12, 2020). "Auburn back to the Final Four? Only if Isaac Okoro gets selfish". ESPN. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  5. ^ "Three games into young season shows McEachern is ready to play". Marietta Daily Journal. December 8, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c "Isaac Okoro". USA Basketball. May 23, 2019. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  7. ^ Halley, Jim (November 14, 2017). "Super 25 Preseason Boys Basketball: No. 9 McEachern". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  8. ^ Holcomb, Todd (March 31, 2017). "AJC boys All-State basketball teams". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  9. ^ "2016–17 MaxPreps Boys Basketball Sophomore All-American Team". MaxPreps. April 13, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Hilbert, Evan (April 16, 2018). "2017–18 ALL-USA Georgia Boys Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  11. ^ White, Carlton (February 28, 2018). "McEachern boys' championship hopes dashed by Norcross in quarterfinals". Marietta Daily Journal. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  12. ^ Holcomb, Todd; Saye, Chip (March 29, 2018). "High school basketball: Boys, girls all-state teams". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  13. ^ Smith, Cam (May 29, 2018). "Isaac Okoro has been on a Nike EYBL tear, and his athleticism should have teams on notice". USA Today High School Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  14. ^ a b Divens, Jordan (April 11, 2019). "MaxPreps 2018–19 High School Boys Basketball All-American Team". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  15. ^ Zagoria, Adam (December 22, 2018). "Sharife Cooper, Isaac Okoro lead McEachern to City of Palms title". Zagsblog. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  16. ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. (January 20, 2019). "Hot takes from a thrilling championship night at the 2019 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  17. ^ Holcomb, Todd (March 12, 2019). "AAAAAAA basketball blog: McEachern, Westlake finish unbeaten, nationally ranked". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  18. ^ Divens, Jordan (March 9, 2019). "No. 1 McEachern continues magical year capturing first Georgia state title". MaxPreps. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  19. ^ Saye, Chip (May 30, 2019). "2018–19 High school Player of the Year winners". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  20. ^ "2018–19 ALL-USA Georgia Boys Basketball Team". USA Today High School Sports. April 16, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  21. ^ Blockus, Gary R. (March 25, 2019). "Isaac Okoro Ready to Bring Aggressive Defense to Nike Hoop Summit". USA Basketball. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  22. ^ Hensley, Adam. "Isaac Okoro: 4 things to know about the Auburn basketball freshman forward". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  23. ^ "Isaac Okoro". Auburn University Athletics. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  24. ^ "Auburn freshman Isaac Okoro to declare eligibility for NBA draft". ESPN. March 20, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  25. ^ Vitale, Josh (July 25, 2018). "Isaac Okoro, ranked 35th nationally in 2019 class, commits to Auburn men's basketball". Opelika-Auburn News. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  26. ^ Green, Tom (July 25, 2018). "What 4-star small forward Isaac Okoro's commitment means for Auburn basketball". AL.com. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  27. ^ Vitale, Josh (November 12, 2019). "Auburn's 'most talented freshman': Isaac Okoro is living up to the hype". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  28. ^ "Week 2: Men's Basketball Players of the Week". Southeastern Conference. November 18, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  29. ^ "Okoro, No. 5 Auburn edge Vanderbilt 83–79 to stay perfect". NBC Sports. Associated Press. January 8, 2020. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
  30. ^ "Smith, Pinson lead Missouri to 85–73 win over No. 11 Auburn". ESPN. Associated Press. February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  31. ^ "SEC announces 2020 Men's Basketball Awards". Southeastern Conference. March 10, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  32. ^ Boone, Kyle (March 20, 2020). "Auburn freshman Isaac Okoro, projected lottery pick, set to test NBA Draft waters". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  33. ^ Adams, Nick (November 18, 2020). "Cavaliers Select Isaac Okoro with Fifth Overall Pick In 2020 NBA Draft". NBA.com. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  34. ^ Adams, Nick (November 21, 2020). "Cavaliers Sign 2020 NBA Draft Pick Isaac Okoro". NBA.com. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
  35. ^ Penix, Sam (December 24, 2020). "Cavs: 3 takeaways from season opener win". ClutchPoints.com. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  36. ^ Withers, Tom (May 4, 2021). "BOOKER SCORES 31, SUNS DOMINATE OT TO BEAT CAVS 134-118". NBA.com. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  37. ^ "WATCH: Isaac Okoro Hits Game Winner Against the Nets". SI.com. March 23, 2023. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  38. ^ "Cavaliers Sign Isaac Okoro to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. September 17, 2024. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  39. ^ "Isaac Okoro (USA)'s profile - FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup". FIBA. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  40. ^ "Isaac Okoro College Stats". Sports Reference. Retrieved April 29, 2020.