Viewers on DStv and GOtv can look forward to seeing American-Nigerian star Onyeka Okongwu in NBA action, as ESPN features a live match from the 2021-22 season on the evening of Sunday 9 January.
Okongwu, who was born in Los Angeles to Nigerian immigrants, came through Chino Hills High School and the University of Southern Carolina before being selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the sixth pick overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.
The 6ft 8in (2.03m) tall player showed real promise in his debut season in the NBA, appearing in 68 games across the Regular Season and Playoffs, but his second campaign was derailed before it even had a chance to get started. On July 21, 2021, the Atlanta Hawks announced that Okongwu had undergone surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and he would be expected to be sidelined for about six months.
“I hurt it in two games, actually, but I just kept playing through it,” Okongwu said. “Hurt it again during a practice, and it kept getting hit over and over again, so the pain got worse, but I think the initial tear was in May.
“They knew that my shoulder was hurt, but I told them I wanted to play through it. It wasn’t anything that serious where I couldn’t play through it. I just got treatment on it, and I made sure I kept it warm at all time, did the little things to be able to go out there and play.”
Which brings us to January of 2022, with Okongwu having recovered from the surgery and gone through rehabilitation. He also worked off the rust with a spell at the College Park Skyhawks (the Atlanta Hawks’ G League affiliate) and is now ready to resume defensive duties in the NBA.
“I feel good,” Okongwu said of his recovery. “I’m really ramping up. I feel stronger. Legs feel stronger, I’m getting my upper-body muscles back, and everything’s going well right now. … You could say that I’m definitely on track.”
He added, “I feel like I had good momentum ending last year, and obviously doing surgery kind of stalled it a little bit, but the playoff experience really helped my game out a lot, my mentality a lot. So I think I’ll be good to go from the get-go, whenever I come back.”
Okongwu will hope to feature strongly for Atlanta when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center in an NBA Regular Season game on the evening of Sunday 9 January, with the action LIVE on ESPN.
See Onyeka Okungwu in the following match live on ESPN:
- All times CAT
Sunday 9 January
- 22:30: Los Angeles Clippers v Atlanta Hawks – LIVE on ESPN
