Ike Nwamu Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eight Current NBA Players On Nigeria’s 12-Man Olympic Roster

July 19th, 2021 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After making some noise in the exhibition schedule by upsetting Team USA, Nigeria will be looking to become the first African men’s basketball team to win an Olympic medal. And they’ll be doing so with a roster that features eight current NBA players, along with one former NBA player.

Here’s the 12-man squad that will represent Nigeria at the Tokyo games, per the Nigeria Basketball Federation (Twitter link):

Precious Achiuwa (Heat)
Caleb Agada
Obi Emegano
Chimezie Metu (Kings)
Ike Nwamu
Jordan Nwora (Bucks)
Jahlil Okafor (Pistons)
Josh Okogie (Timberwolves)
KZ Okpala (Heat)
Miye Oni (Jazz)
Ekpe Udoh
Gabe Vincent (Heat)

Achiuwa, Nwora, Okafor, Okogie, and Okpala are all on guaranteed contracts for next season with their respective teams. Metu and Oni are on non-guaranteed deals, while Vincent will be eligible for restricted free agency after finishing the season on a two-way pact. Udoh, a former sixth overall pick who just finalized a two-year deal with Italian club Virtus Bologna, has appeared in a total of 400 NBA games (regular season and postseason)

While the Nigerian squad isn’t exactly loaded with star power, it’s worth highlighting since it’s rare for any country besides Team USA to send so many current NBA players to the Olympics.

Australia’s team will have seven players who finished the season on NBA rosters, while Spain’s roster features 10 players with at least some NBA experience. But the U.S. team is the only other one in Tokyo that will feature at least eight current NBAers.

Bucks Waive James Young, Two Others

September 21st, 2018 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

After releasing Travis Trice, Jordan Barnett, and Brandon McCoy earlier this week to make room on their roster for James Young, Ike Nwamu, and Robert Johnson, the Bucks have now waived Young, Nwamu, and Johnson as well, per NBA.com’s transactions log.

The back of Milwaukee’s roster has been undergoing significant turnover this month as the team secures certain players’ G League rights for the Wisconsin Herd. There’s a good chance that at least three or four players from that group – Young, Nwamu, Johnson, Trice, Barnett, and McCoy – end up with the Herd to start the 2018/19 season.

With three openings having been created on their 20-man offseason roster, the Bucks appear likely to finally complete a series of long-rumored signings. The team has reportedly agreed to terms with NBA free agents Shabazz Muhammad, Christian Wood, and Tim Frazier. Officially signing the trio would bring Milwaukee’s roster back up to 20 players for next week’s camp.

As for the three players just waived by the Bucks, Young is probably the best bet to get another shot from an NBA team. The 23-year-old has logged 95 career regular season games in four seasons for the Celtics and Sixers since being drafted 17th overall in 2014.

Bucks Sign Ike Nwamu, Waive Travis Trice

September 19th, 2018 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks continued an active week of roster moves by swapping one player for another on their 20-man roster. According to RealGM’s official transactions log, Milwaukee signed Ike Nwamu, cutting Travis Trice to create the necessary opening.

Nwamu, a 6’5″ guard, went undrafted out of UNLV in 2016 and has spent time with the Sioux Falls Skyforce in the G League and Greek club Lavrio Megabolt since then. Last season, he appeared in 47 games (29.7 MPG) for the Skyforce, averaging 14.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and 2.3 APG with a .422/.364/.829 shooting line.

Nwamu and Trice, who signed a non-guaranteed contract with the Bucks back in July, both look like candidates to eventually end up on the Wisconsin Herd, Milwaukee’s G League affiliate. The Bucks have been rotating players on and off their roster frequently as of late, seemingly to acquire NBAGL rights for certain guys who could play for the Herd.

While the Bucks have a full 20-man roster for now, the team still needs to finalize reported agreements with Shabazz Muhammad, Christian Wood, and Tim Frazier, so multiple players – including perhaps Nwamu – figure to be released in the not-too-distant future.