Usman Garuba

Born in Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid, Garuba was raised in the neighborhood of Villaverde Alto and the municipality of Azuqueca de Henares (province of Guadalajara).[1][2] He grew up playing football, his original passion, but switched to basketball because his exceptional height limited his success in the former sport.[3] Garuba idolized former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[1] In November 2011, he joined Escuela Municipal de Baloncesto de Azuqueca (Municipal Basketball School of Azuqueca), where coach and coordinator David Serrano helped him start his basketball career.[2]

In 2013, Garuba joined the lower categories of Real Madrid. He stood 1.89 m (6 ft 2 ¹⁄₂ in) and weighed 81 kg (179 lbs) by the time he was 12 years old.[4] In 2015, Garuba helped his team win the Minicopa Endesa, an under-14 Spanish club tournament. He debuted by posting 24 points and 16 rebounds in a win over Valencia.[5] In the following year, Garuba led Real Madrid to another Minicopa title and was named MVP of the competition.[6] He averaged 22.8 rebounds per game in the tournament, grabbing 32 against Joventut Badalona in the final.[1]

In February 2018, Garuba gained his first Adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) experience with the Real Madrid under-18 team at the Munich qualifying tournament, after missing the previous edition with a quadriceps injury. He was selected to the All-Tournament Team, despite being one of the youngest participants.[3] In the final tournament, Garuba averaged 12 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and was named ANGT Rising Star.[7] In January 2019, he was named MVP of the ANGT Munich tournament after averaging 16.5 points, seven rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.[8] Garuba helped Real Madrid win the final tournament and joined MVP Mario Nakić on the All-Tournament Team.[9]

In the 2017–18 season, Garuba played for Real Madrid B, the reserve team for Real Madrid in the Liga EBA, the fourth-tier league in Spain. In 11 games, he averaged 11.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game.[10] In the 2018–19 season, he continued to primarily play for Real Madrid B, averaging 14.6 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game over 22 Liga EBA appearances.[11][12] On 28 October 2018, at 16 years and seven months of age, Garuba debuted for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB, the first-tier league in Spain, against Miraflores. He became the youngest center in ACB history, surpassing José Ángel Antelo, and the third-youngest Real Madrid debutant, behind Luka Dončić and Roberto Núñez.[13]

In the 2019–20 season, Garuba became a full-time member of Real Madrid's senior team. In his season debut against Joventut Badalona, at 17 years, six months, and 19 days of age, he eclipsed Dončić as Real Madrid's youngest-ever starter.[14] On 29 September, Garuba recorded 13 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Murcia to become the youngest player with a double-double or 10 rebounds in ACB history; Dončić had previously held both records. He was also the second-youngest player to post an efficiency rating of 24 in the ACB, behind only Ricky Rubio.[15] On 30 October 2019, Garuba made his EuroLeague debut, recording 12 points, four rebounds, three steals, and a Performance Index Rating of 20, against Bayern Munich.[16] He finished the season averaging 4.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 15 minutes per game and was an ACB All-Young Players Team selection.[17][18]

Garuba made his junior national team debut for Spain at the 2016 FIBA U16 European Championship in Radom, Poland. He was named MVP after leading his team to a gold medal and averaging 16.3 points, 12.4 rebounds, and a tournament-leading 2.9 blocks per game.[19] A 14-year-old and the second youngest player in the tournament, Garuba became the first player from a lower age group to ever win MVP at the event.[3][20] After recording 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 blocks in the final against Lithuania, he joined Dario Šarić and Ricky Rubio as the only players in history with a triple-double in the final of the tournament.[21]

In the summer of 2017, Garuba was unable to return to national team duty because he was recovering from a knee injury suffered earlier that year.[3] At the 2018 FIBA U16 European Championship in Novi Sad, Serbia, he averaged 16.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game and led Spain to a silver medal, earning a spot on the All-Star Five.[22] Garuba helped Spain win a gold medal at the 2019 FIBA U18 European Championship in Volos, Greece, joining his teammate and MVP Santi Aldama on the All-Star Five after averaging 15.6 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game.[23]

Garuba's parents are from Benin City, Nigeria but left to escape conflict in their hometown. After initially moving to Brussels,[24] they settled in Madrid in the 1990s without work permits.[25] His father, Mustapha, works for manufacturing company Bimbo in Guadalajara, and his mother, Betty, works for the Azuqueca employment program.[2] Garuba has one younger brother, Sediq (b. 2004) and a younger sister, Uki (b. 2010).[1]

• Usman Garuba at realmadrid.com