Serge Ibaka
Serge Jonas Ibaka Ngobila[1][2] (born September 18, 1989), commonly referred to as Serge Ibaka, is a professional Spanish basketball player of Congolese origin, playing the power forward position for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. Ibaka was drafted by the Thunder's former incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics with the 24th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He is referred to as Air Congo by his teammates.[3] Serge is the 3rd youngest among 18 siblings.[4]
Early life
Ibaka was born in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo. Both his mother and his father were basketball players. His father played at the Republic of Congo and with the Congolese national team, and his mother played for the Democratic Republic of Congo. He started playing basketball at a very young age with his first club, Avenir du Rail, using the sport as an escape amongst his mother's untimely death and his father's imprisonment during the Second Congo War. [5]
Transition to the NBA
He was selected by the Seattle Supersonics with the 24th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. He became the first player from the Republic of Congo to be selected in the draft, although the Oklahoma City Thunder (the team that inherited the Sonics' place in the NBA) agreed to keep him in Europe. He then signed a three year contract with Ricoh Manresa from the ACB League in Spain, keeping the option to leave for the NBA after each season. In the ACB, he averaged 7.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1 block in 16 minutes per game.
In July, 2009, the Oklahoma City Thunder paid the buyout, and signed him to a two year contract with two more optional seasons.
Ibaka, who spoke no English when he first arrived in the NBA, depended on the help of summer league teammate Moses Ehambe to translate for him.[6] After a lengthy, dedicated year of learning English in addition to the NBA game, Ibaka now speaks a total of four languages: Lingala (native language), French, Spanish, and English.[7]
Although coming to the NBA as a raw talent, Ibaka has managed to become a starter in the Thunder rotation. Ibaka is often used for his energy in the paint, whether on defense or rebounding. In his first NBA season, Ibaka played 18.1 minutes per game in 73 games, averaging 6.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. His blocks average led all rookies in the 2009-2010 season, and he ranked number 20 overall. In the first round of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers, he played in 6 games, averaging 25.5 minutes, 7.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2 blocks per game. His 7 blocks in game two in Los Angeles was a record (youngest player to have 7 blocks in playoff game).
On February 19th, 2011, Serge Ibaka participated in the 2011 NBA Slam Dunk Contest.[8] He began the contest with a dunk from the free-throw line. In the second round, Ibaka grabbed a stuffed animal from the rim with his mouth and dunked in one motion. On April 23, 2011 Serge Ibaka perhaps had one of his best games to date in a playoff game against the Denver Nuggets. Ibaka scored 22 points with 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks.
2011 NBA lockout
During 2011 NBA lockout he signed a two-month contract with Real Madrid in Spain with an option to return to the NBA at the end of the lockout.[9][10]
Spanish national team
Internationally, Ibaka plays for the Spain national basketball team as he was granted Spanish citizenship on July 15, 2011.[11]
NBA career statistics
Regular season
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2009–10 |
Oklahoma City |
73 |
0 |
18.1 |
.543 |
.500 |
.630 |
5.4 |
.1 |
.3 |
1.3 |
6.3 |
| 2010–11 |
Oklahoma City |
82 |
44 |
27.0 |
.543 |
.000 |
.750 |
7.6 |
.3 |
.4 |
2.4 |
9.9 |
| Career |
|
155 |
44 |
22.8 |
.543 |
.333 |
.710 |
6.6 |
.2 |
.4 |
1.9 |
8.2 |
Playoffs
| Year |
Team |
GP |
GS |
MPG |
FG% |
3P% |
FT% |
RPG |
APG |
SPG |
BPG |
PPG |
| 2010 |
Oklahoma City |
6 |
0 |
25.5 |
.571 |
.000 |
.700 |
6.5 |
.3 |
.3 |
2.0 |
7.8 |
| 2011 |
Oklahoma City |
17 |
17 |
28.8 |
.462 |
.000 |
.825 |
7.3 |
.2 |
.2 |
3.1 |
9.8 |
| Career |
|
23 |
17 |
27.9 |
.483 |
.000 |
.800 |
7.1 |
.2 |
.3 |
2.8 |
9.3 |
References
- ^ Serge Ibaka Official site, sergeibaka.com
- ^ Serge Ibaka Draft 2008 Profile, nba.com
- ^ Latzke, Jeff. "Ibaka's impact hidden bonus in Thunder's big trade". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2011-04-28-423902442_x.htm. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
- ^ NBA Playoffs broadcast on ABC, April 18, 2010
- ^ "NewsOK". M.newsok.com. 2010-04-13. http://m.newsok.com/s?a=3449202&p=3&s=16. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ^ Is Serge Ibaka NBA-Ready?
- ^ "The Official Site Of The Oklahoma City Thunder". Nba.com. 2011-06-23. http://www.nba.com/thunder/news/incredible_journey_ibaka_091123.html. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ^ "NBA.com". NBA.com. http://www.nba.com/2011/news/01/05/sprite-slam-dunk-participants/index.html. Retrieved 2011-09-17.
- ^ REAL MADRID adds size with Ibaka
- ^ Real Madrid officially announces Serge Ibaka
- ^ Helin, Kurt (July 15, 2011). "Ibaka granted Spanish citizenship, will play in Eurobasket". MSNBC.com. http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/15/ibaka-granted-spanish-citizenship-will-play-in-eurobasket/. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
External links
| Persondata |
| Name |
Ibaka, Serge |
| Alternative names |
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| Short description |
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| Date of birth |
1989-09-18 |
| Place of birth |
Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo |
| Date of death |
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| Place of death |
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