The Boston Celtics of the National Basketball League are renowned for their excellent record over the years; the club has the most NBA franchise titles. They have produced many superstars including Larry Bird, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and many more. Interestingly, the team has some rising stars currently making waves in the league; among them is Semi Ojeleye. His excellent soft shooting skills have kept him in top form for the Celtics. He was named National Player of the Year by Parade Magazine during his high school career in 2013. More on the star player below
Who is Semi Ojeleye?
Semi Ojeleye is an American professional basketball player who plays as a power forward for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He was selected by the Celtics as the 37th pick in the second round of the NBA draft in 2017. He finished his college career at Duke University and Southern Methodist University, where he was named player of the year and AAC Tournament MVP for his outstanding work. performance in 2017. Besides that, he was a first-team All-AAC and received an All-American Honorable Mention in the same year.
Brief biography (age)
Born as Jesusemilore Talodabijesu Semi Ojeleye in Overland Park, Kansas, on December 5, 1994, to African American parents, his father Ernest Ojeleye was a physician while his mother Joy Ojeleye was a registered nurse. Semi’s parents are from Nigeria, but they emigrated to the United States for a residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center. In the meantime, he is not the only child of his parents; he has an older sister named Tomi Ojeleye and an older brother Victor Ojeleye. Just like Semi, his older brother also played basketball with the Kansas State University basketball team from 2008 to 2011.
Ojeleye developed a keen interest in the game of basketball from an early age and when he was in high school he started his basketball career. He attended Ottawa High School located in Ottawa, Kansas. During his high school career, Semi started four years under coach Jon McKowen. As a senior, he averaged two steals, two assists, 8.5 rebounds and 38.1 points per game. In 2013, he won Parade magazine’s National Player of the Year award as well as the Gatorade Kansas Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year award. as the #26 prospect in his class by Scout.com.
After graduating, he enrolled at Duke University where he continued his academic career. He played two seasons with Duke before transferring to Southern Methodist University. As a freshman, Semi Ojeleye played 17 games for Duke, averaging 0.9 rebounds and 1.6 points per game. The following year he only played six games before transferring to Southern Methodist University. After the transfer, Ojeleye sat out for the remainder of the 2014/15 season and was redshirted in the 2015/2016 season due to NCAA transfer rules. Having finished his college career in 2017, Ojeleye played 35 games for SMU and averaged 19 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. He won AAC Player of the Year and AAC Tournament Most Valuable Player.
NBA Career
Semi Ojeleye participated in the NBA scouting Combine Drills as one of 67 draft hopefuls. After his impressive performances in the drills, he declared for the NBA draft in 2017. During the draft, he was chosen by the Boston Celtics as the 37th overall selection in the second round of the draft.
By joining the Celtics, Ojeleye made his first professional appearance on October 17, 2017, against Cleveland Cavaliers. At the end of the 2017/18 regular season, Ojeleye made 73 appearances for the Celtics and averaged 2.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 2.7 points per game. He then made his first appearance in the NBA playoffs in 2018, averaging 1.6 rebounds, 0.2 volleys and 1.9 points per game.
His height, weight and other stats
Height: Semi Ojeleye stands at a height of 2.01m (6ft 7in)
Weight: It weighs 107 kg.
Other statistics
1. As a rookie, Ojeleye started Game 5 of the 2018 NBA playoffs, putting Giannis Antetokounmpo to 16 points as the Celtics triumphed over Milwaukee Bucks.
2. He was part of the Global Sports Academy Team USA during the 2016 Men’s Basketball Goodwill Tour in Croatia.
3. Ojeleye won AAC Athlete-Athlete of the Year and AAC Most Valuable Player in 2017
4. He finished his high school career with a total of 2,763 points