2023 NBA Draft: James Nnaji of Nigeria joins Michael Jordan’s Hornets

The former Barcelona player was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round, but was then moved to the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets.

After the 2023 National Basketball Association (NBA) draft, James Nnaji of Nigeria was selected by the Charlotte Hornets.

The former Barcelona player was selected by the Detroit Pistons in the first round, but was then moved to the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets.

The only other Nigerian in the draft was Nnaji, 18, who was born in Benue State.

He was selected first in the second round, 31st overall, and was the second-youngest player in the draft.

“The Hornets selected Xavier guard Colby Jones and Washington State forward Mouhamed Gueye with the 34th and 39th picks, respectively, and agreed in principle to trade the draft rights to those players to the Boston Celtics as part of a trade with Boston that will be finalized later in which the Hornets will also acquire the draft rights to James Nnaji, the 31st pick,” the Hornets said on Friday.

Nnaji, a center who stands 6-10, has spent the last two years for FC Barcelona in the EuroLeague and Spanish ACB league.

He played in 27 games in 2022–23, scoring 4.9 points and pulling down 3.0 rebounds in 12.2 minutes per contest while shooting 67.1% from the field.

The Basketball Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, who purchased a controlling interest in the Hornets in 2010, owns the majority of the NBA franchise, which is a part of the Eastern Conference Southeast Division.

Nnaji has exceptional movement abilities for a player his stature, and his ability to slide his feet and defend in space is particularly impressive, according to the NBA’s selection summary. He also exhibits excellent body control when performing spin routines, and despite being described as weighing 225 pounds, I’m confident he weighs much more.

According to the draft summary, Nnaji is a strong finisher with an exceptional leap and dunking ability on the offensive end. He is a great finisher and has a penchant for finding openings off the pick-and-roll.