Semi Ojeleye
| No. 37 – Boston Celtics | |
|---|---|
| Position | Forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born |
December 5, 1994 Overland Park, Kansas |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 241 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Ottawa (Ottawa, Kansas) |
| College | |
| NBA draft | 2017 / Round: 2 / Pick: 37th overall |
| Selected by the Boston Celtics | |
| Playing career | 2017–present |
| Career history | |
| 2017–present | Boston Celtics |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Jesusemilore Talodabijesu "Semi" Ojeleye (born December 5, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for both Duke University and Southern Methodist University.
Early life and college career
Ojeleye's parents emigrated from Nigeria to Kansas.[1] He starred at Ottawa High School and in 2013 was named the Parade Magazine National Player of the Year.[2] He chose national power Duke for college, but played sparingly for two seasons. Looking for a larger role, he transferred to SMU, and in 2016–17 he led the team to both American Athletic Conference (AAC) regular season and Tournament Championships. Ojeleye averaged 18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and was named AAC Player of the Year.[3]
Professional career
Following the close of his redshirt junior season, Ojeleye entered his name for the 2017 NBA draft but did not hire an agent, leaving open the possibility of a return to the Mustangs.[4] Ojeleye was invited to the 2017 NBA Draft Combine, one of 67 participants. After some promising performances he announced that he would commit to the draft, ending his college career. Ojeleye was chosen by the Boston Celtics in the second round.[5]
Ojeleye made his professional debut on October 17, 2017 in a 102–99 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.[6] During the regular season, he averaged 2.7 points per game and shot 34.6 percent from the field, but emerged as a defensive presence. He started in Game 5 of the playoff series versus the Milwaukee Bucks and held Giannis Antetokounmpo to 16 points.[7]
Career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Boston | 73 | 0 | 15.8 | .346 | .320 | .610 | 2.2 | .3 | .3 | .1 | 2.7 |
| Career | 73 | 0 | 15.8 | .346 | .320 | .610 | 2.2 | .3 | .3 | .1 | 2.7 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Boston | 17 | 3 | 13.5 | .303 | .273 | .857 | 1.6 | .1 | .2 | .0 | 1.9 |
| Career | 17 | 3 | 13.5 | .303 | .273 | .857 | 1.6 | .1 | .2 | .0 | 1.9 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Duke | 17 | 0 | 4.7 | .500 | .571 | .909 | .9 | .1 | .2 | .2 | 1.6 |
| 2014–15 | Duke | 6 | 0 | 10.5 | .278 | .250 | .571 | 2.3 | .2 | .5 | .0 | 3.0 |
| 2016–17 | SMU | 35 | 35 | 34.1 | .487 | .424 | .785 | 6.9 | 1.5 | .4 | .4 | 19.0 |
| Career | 58 | 35 | 23.1 | .479 | .415 | .785 | 4.6 | 1.0 | .4 | .3 | 12.3 | |
References
- ↑ Hamilton, Brian (March 27, 2017). "From Duke to SMU, Semi Ojeleye's long, crooked journey is finally paying off". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ↑ McLaughlin, Brian (May 17, 2013). "Semi Ojeleye is Parade's 2012-13 Boys Basketball Player of the Year". Parade Magazine. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ↑ Baby, Ben (March 9, 2017). "SMU's Semi Ojeleye named AAC Player of the Year". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ↑ "SMU's Tim Jankovich thinks Semi Ojeleye is taking smart approach to NBA draft". Dallas Morning News. March 27, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ↑ Forsberg, Chris (June 22, 2017). "Duke's Jayson Tatum selected No. 3 overall by Celtics". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ↑ "Celtics vs. Cavaliers - Box Score". ESPN.com. October 17, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
- ↑ Souza, Scott (April 28, 2018). "Celtics notes: Forward Semi Ojeleye uses defensive prowess to make stars look bad". Worcester Telegram. Retrieved May 1, 2018.