John Amaechi

John Ekwugha Amaechi was born on 26th November i970 in Boston, Massachusetts (MA). John Ekwugha Amaechi was son of a Nigerian father and English mother. John Ekwugha Amaechi is a former NBA basketball player who currently works as a broadcaster in England.



Amaechi moved to the U.S. to play high school basketball at St. John's High School in Toledo, Ohio. John Ekwugha Amaechi began playing college basketball at Vanderbilt but transferred to Penn State where Amaechi was a two-time First Team Academic All-American selection.



Playing career

The 6' 10", 270 lbs center was signed undrafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in year 1995. Amaechi played 28 games for the Cavaliers during the 1995-1996 session, then played for 3 years in Europe (France: Cholet, Limoges; Italy: Kinder Bologna; Greece: Panathinaikos; England: Sheffield Sharks) before signing with the Orlando Magic in year 1999. With a solid 1999-2000 session, where Amaechi averaged 10.5 points in 21.1 minutes per contest, Amaechi gained fame for scoring the NBA's first points of the new millennium in year 2000. Amaechi went on to play for the Utah Jazz during 2001 to 2003.



Amaechi was traded to the Houston Rockets midway through his final NBA season in exchange for Glen Rice, and though he was an active player, he did not participate in any games for them.



Amaechi came out of retirement to represent England during the Commonwealth Games - Melbourne 2006, helping the England national basketball team win the bronze medal.