Ariel Hukporti

Ariel Washington Hukporti (born 12 April 2002) is a German-Togolese professional basketball player for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg of the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL).

Ariel Hukporti
Hukporti in April 2018
No. 15 – MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg
PositionPower forward
LeagueBasketball Bundesliga
Champions League
Personal information
Born (2002-04-12) 12 April 2002
Stralsund, Germany
NationalityGerman / Togolese
Listed height2.13 m (7 ft 0 in)
Listed weight104 kg (229 lb)
Career information
Playing career2018–present
Career history
2018–presentRiesen Ludwigsburg

Early life and youth career

Hukporti was born in Stralsund, Germany to Togolese parents and was raised by a single mother.[1] He grew up playing football as a defender. Hukporti stood 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) at age nine and started playing basketball when he was 11 years old, in part due to his height.[1][2] He began playing in the Jugend Basketball Bundesliga, the German U16 league, with USC Freiburg. After one season, he received offers from renowned clubs, including Bayern Munich and Brose Bamberg. He decided to continue his career with Riesen Ludwigsburg and its junior team, Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg.[2][3]

In December 2018, at the Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) Valencia, Hukporti averaged 18 points, 15.2 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game for U18 Porsche Ludwigsburg, while leading the event in blocks (1.8 per game) and index rating (26.7). He helped his team to fourth place and was named to the all-tournament team.[4] In 2019, Hukporti was honored as Rookie of the Year and All-Star Game MVP in the Nachwuchs Basketball Bundesliga, the German U19 league.[5] He played for U18 Porsche Ludwigsburg at ANGT Munich in February 2020 but did not return to action after suffering a foot injury in his second game.[6]

Professional career

On 12 December 2018, Hukporti made his professional debut for Riesen Ludwigsburg, scoring four points in one minute in an 88–76 loss to Banvit at the Basketball Champions League.[7] On 13 January 2019, he debuted in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) versus medi Bayreuth.[8] At the NBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago in February 2020, Hukporti was named MVP of the Basketball Without Borders camp.[9]

National team career

Hukporti represented Germany at the 2017 FIBA U16 European Championship in Podgorica. He averaged 5.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks for the 13th-place team.[10] In April 2018, he won a gold medal with Germany at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament.[2] Later that year, at the FIBA U16 European Championship in Novi Sad, Hukporti averaged 9.6 points and 5.9 rebounds, leading his team to ninth place.[11] He averaged 10.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Volos as his team finished in 11th place.[12]

References
  1. Klumpp, Joachim (11 March 2020). "Ariel Hukporti – das Basketball-Talent hat nur ein Ziel: die NBA". Stuttgarter Nachrichten (in German). Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  2. "BIG-Appetizer: Ariel Hukporti" (in German). BIG Basketball. 16 June 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  3. Hein, David (23 January 2017). "Hukporti still plenty raw, Crailsheim with two possible gems". Heinnews. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  4. Hein, David (31 December 2018). "Camara named ANGT Valencia MVP". Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  5. "Awards der Nachwuchs Basketball Bundesliga" (in German). NBBL. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  6. Schmitz, Mike (12 February 2020). "Victor Wembanyama is one of the best long-term NBA prospects in the world". ESPN. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  7. "Dec 12, 2018 - Teksut Bandirma 88 at MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 76". RealGM. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  8. "Marcos Knight peitscht die MHP Riesen zum Sieg – Coach Patrick ist stolz". Ludwigsburg 24 (in German). 14 January 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  9. "Hukporti, Kessler named MVPs of BWB Global Camp". FIBA. 17 February 2020. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  10. Gershon, Josh (12 August 2017). "FIBA u16 A: Ariel Hukporti putting name on map with Germany". Scout.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  11. "Ariel Hukporti (GER)'s profile - FIBA U16 European Championship 2018". FIBA. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  12. Hein, David (15 January 2020). "ANGT Munich: Players to Watch". Next Generation Tournament. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
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